Date: 2008-08-26
From: Lonesome Lake Hut

To: Greenleaf Hut
Miles today: 9.3

The morning began at 6:30 with two of the crew serenading us with a duet and guitar accompaniment, "Fly Me High". It was cold and the wind was blowing pretty hard, but the forecast was for a sunny, but cold day. Breakfast was at 7:00 with lots of good food....oatmeal with all the toppings, homemade cinnamon rolls, eggs and bacon.After breakfast, the crew put on a skit about how to fold our blankets, pack out our trash and leave a tip using Star Wars characters. It was clever and funny.  I would have been on the trail by 8:00, but I misunderstood the directions and hiked .6 of a mile in the wrong direction. So back to the hut I went. I wanted a photo anyway. The first three miles were fairly easy... down a streambed to US3. On the other side the climb began up to Liberty Spring Campsite. Unlike yesterday, this climb was better because you could go around rocks and there were fewer roots. There still was a long section of boulders, but whoever did the trail added rocks so that step ups were a lot easier for my short legs.  The interesting feature today was an above treeline ridge walk from Little Haystack Mt to Mt Lincoln and Mt Lafayette. The whole thing was well above tree line with amazing views. From the summit of Mt. Lafayette you could see Greenleaf Hut a mile away, but all downhill with some boulders. Once you are above the trees, the trail is marked with huge cairns most of which were taller than me. It took an hour to get to the hut.  I was thrilled to be in by 4:00 The first person I see is Brushstrokes and then Serene. These are two thru hikers I've leapfrogged with for more than a month. I think we were the only three NOBO thru-hikers of the 48 staying this night. It was mostly families and lots of kids. Everyone was having such a good time playing games and waiting for dinner. Have I mentioned how good the food is? Tonight's dinner: Split pea soup, tossed salad with red peppers and raisins. Lasagna was the entree with a corn relish as a side, ending with a chocolate chip bar for dessert. Yum!Some of you may have read that yesterday I fell and jammed my ring finger. At first, I thought it was a small bruise. Well it was apparent it was swelling and my wedding ring was cutting off the circulation. It had started to turn colors. Jimmy who was EMT trained and a section hiker I had met the day before, agreed with me...the ring needed to come off. I asked Jake one of the crew, if they had any tools. Sure enough a pair of large tin snips, some pliers and a hack saw. Serene offered to help in the surgery. I cut a small piece of plastic from a milk bottle and slipped it under my ring. The tin snips were too big and dull.  So Serene removed the blade and while I held the ring, he sawed. When we were able to get half way through, the tin snips finished the job. We used the pliers to force the band apart. Wow, what a relief! I'm almost sure the alternative would have been a trip to the hospital and worse. Sorry Mando, but the ring can be repaired.  My finger is still swollen, but a good color. Thanks to Serene I'm still on the trail. Enough trauma for one day. Fly right,Ravon