Date: 2007-07-30
From: Eliza Brook Shelter

To: Franconia Notch - Lafayette State Park
Miles today: 8.9
Weather: scattered clouds

I didn't wake up until after 7 AM this morning. I laid around for a while and finally got ready to hike at 9:00. The three section hikers I saw yesterday were leaving just a few minutes before me. I will call them the three professors for now. I think they all teach college level classes.The trail was steep and rocky this morning as it climbed up alongside Eliza Brook and up to South Kinsman Mountain. It was sunny and warm with no wind at first and then became cloudy as I reached the top of the mountain. I leap frogged with the three professors thoughout the day. We reached the top of South Kinsman Mountain. They were certain they were at North Kinsman. It had taken us two hours and they felt they had made good progress and should have covered 4 miles. They got out a map and we confirmed we had only gone 2.5 miles in 2 hours to South Kinsman. We had hiked hard but you don't get anywhere fast hiking up steep rocky hills. There were great views here and we took a 30 minute break. Then we hiked the 0.9 miles over to North Kinsman and another 1.9 miles down to Lonesome Lake Hut. We 5.9 miles in a little over 4 hours. I can usually hike about 2 - 2.5 mph.The Lonesome Lake Hut is my first visit to an Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) hut. There are about 7 of these huts in the White Mountains. They have bunk rooms and a common area with a kitchen. They are staffed by croo (crew) that prepare dinner and breakfast meals for the guests. It costs $78 to stay there during the week and $87 on the weekends. The huts also have soup, bread, and drinks for sale to anyone during the day. The dinner and breakfast is only for overnight customers. The huts will allow a couple thru-hikers to stay free in exchange for doing some chores. The hikers eat left overs w/ the croo and sleep in the common area.As I approached Lonesome Lake Hut, I was delighted to see solar electric panels on the roof. Inside there was a Sunfrost refrigerator in the kitchen and compact fluorescent lights! There was one croo in the kitchen preparing chicken for dinner. It was about 2:00. The daytime food is all you can eat. $1 for lemonade or coffee, $2 for soup, and $1 for bread or baked goods. I got them all. I had 6 glasses of lemonade, 3 bowls of soup, and 3 pieces of chocolate cake. Mmmmm!I was full and headed out around 3:00. The trail from the hut down to Franconia Notch was not nearly as steep or rocky as the morning trail so I moved much faster. Interstate 93 crosses through the notch. I walked under the interstate and then turned left off the AT onto a paved bike path. Here I would have to walk 2.1 miles off the trail to get to Lafayette State Park. I had shipped 5 days of food there. I was hoping to camp there but didn't have a reservation. The bike bath was a gentle incline for the whole two miles. I reached the campsite at about 5 on a Monday evening. The park service attendant at the store, Gordon, was very friendly and helpful. They had 40 empty campsites. He put me in site 2 which was close to the campstore and showers. He got my food box and offered to let me store my food in the campstore overnight instead of bear bagging. Wingfoot list swimming at Echo Beach for the campground, I asked Gordon about it. He told me it was about 3 miles away. Oh well, I should have gone swimming up at Lonesome Lake Hut.I took a shower and cleaned my hiking clothes in the shower. I went through my food. I have 6 days worth of food plus lunch and dinner for today. That is going to be heavy. I forced myself to eat my peanutbutter and English muffin lunch. Then I went to the campstore and got an ice cream bar. At about 8:00 I cooked my Lipton meal and ate it. I am stuffed, but I wasn't going to carry that stuff too.The trail was wonderful again today. The views in the White's are great and frequent. This is so different from the past two months it is an incredible feeling. I don't think anyone would quit there hike once they mad it to this point. I am looking forward to what each day will bring. It is back to enjoying the views rather than just hiking miles in the green tunnel. I am uploading a couple extra pictures for today, so check the photo gallery for some more cool pictures. Half the people in this campsite are speaking French, must be Canadians. Where is Olivier/Colbert? I didn't like having to hike two miles off the trail, but I am happy I did. I am clean, stocked up, and ready for the rest of the Whites. I have once again avoided the need to hitch a ride to resupply. I here that won't be possible in Maine. I'll worry about that later.