Date: 2007-08-31
From: Lonesome Lake Hut

To: Greenleaf Hut
Miles today: 9.3

Before we left, everybody got tattoos from Peach. She got them in a mail drop.To summarize the hike: 2 easy miles, then a 4000' rise, then a nasty downhill to a hut. Surprise of the day: Hiking with Peach and Fuzzy Monkey (Tuna Bag cut out early to try to go to Franconia Notch), we ran into Don again, a local hiker who hiked with us a few days ago and then surprised us with beer at the shelter. He actually estimated where we would be, then from a point a little further north he went southbound until he found us, then turned around. Don acted as our tour guide once again, especially when we got to Mt. Lincoln, showing us the 4 major peaks of the Franconia Ridge: Mt. Liberty, Little Haystack, Mt. Lincoln and Mt. Lafayette. As if this wasn't enough, Don provided bowls of fresh fruit at the end of the day. You can only imagine how fruit-deprived we feel on the trail, so this was perfect. Biggest disappointment of the day: We were hiking Franconia Ridge, which features some of the most beautiful views in the White Mountains. The fog was so intense all day that we had few good looks and most of them (from Mt. Lincoln) were only small bits of the overall view. Still, the clouds themselves were incredibly cool, fascinating and worth seeing. 2nd biggest disappointment of the day: Peach, Fuzzy Monkey and Don got ahead of me while climbing up Mt. Liberty and I ended up hiking most of the Franconia Ridge alone. I took one detour thinking they may have taken a side trail to the top of Mt. Liberty (no dice), and I took lots of time to talk to some of the many hikers going in the opposite direction. One conversation, with a father-daughter team I leapfrogged all day, occurred while I was eating lunch alongside the trail. I welcomed them to my dining room (the entire forest). I then realized it is my bathroom as well, but didn't welcome them to that. 3rd biggest disappointment of the day: We were told that though Greenleaf Hut was a mile off the trail, it was an easy 500' downhill climb. In fact it was over 1100' of drop, and you had to hop down rocks the whole way. Holy Sore Feet At The End Of The Day, Batman! Biggest thrill of the day: Sunset at the Greenleaf Hut made the downhill climb worth it. There was a light fog blowing through the area. Clouds underlit by the falling sun are always beautiful. They are SPECTACULAR when you are in them. We couldn't actually see the sun itself, but the clouds provided a show I will never forget. 2nd biggest thrill of the day: We were eating dinner (around 8:30) near the front door of the building, and suddenly saw Loose Bruce's face in the window. Turns out he had camped before the first summit of Mt. Kinsman yesterday because the lightning had already started, and he had sense enough not to want to cross the summits in those conditions. He had a good hiking day catching up to us. He got my message at Lonesome Lakes, so he knew where to go.We earned our work-for-stay by answering questions from the guests of the hut about thru-hiking. They kept asking questions until it was time for lights out. This did not surprise us - it seems the fascination with thru hiking and thru hikers is universal in the hiking community. As you may be able to tell, the novelty is back in the trip. Everything is new - the weather (cold, moist, quick changing); the hiking challenges (rock climbing is a constant activity); being above tree line (hiking challenges, precautions to protect a fragile environment, the views); flora and fauna. The feeling of newness is even more intense than what I mentioned when I got to Vermont. It is grueling but fun. The common phrase is that the challenge is greater, but the rewards are too. I agree absolutely. And well worth it!