Date: 2021-07-17
From: Whitewall Brook above Zealand Falls (mile 353.2)

To: Garfield Ridge Shelter (mile 362.8)
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Awake around 5:30 when an early-rising dayhiker passed, miles from the nearest parking lot. Two more lone hikers passed in the next hour. I was on trail before seven. Planning another big day of peakbagging. I decided against returning to the hut for breakfast leftovers. Takes too much time, and someone else will appreciate them. But it was calories I could have used.Within a mile, after a steep climb, I was treated to a great view from a rocky overlook called Zeacliff of the rockslides along Whitewall mountain, and behind it the Presidentials.I spent the morning leapfrogging many sets of backpackers, peakbaggers, and trail runners. Met a flip-flopper named Lizard on the wooded summit of Zealand with her three cousins doing a section with her. Coming into Guyot campsite for water, behind me was a girl named Katie doing the Pemi Loop and very curious about my hike, as she plans to thru herself. She's bagged all 48 New Hampshire high peaks not once but thrice in the past year, so I think she's ready. Rain came and went throughout the day, and I spent much of it in the clouds. Often the clouds descended as I approached a peak, then lifted as I left. A bit of bad timing. The rain was never heavy. Just light and long. Everything was soaked by the afternoon, the trees brushed water on me, my rainjacket wetted out, and mud puddles were everywhere. Which of course meant wet feet. The trails were almost all rocks dumped at crazy angles, and with everything wet and slick the going was slow. I kept my good humor most of the day, accepting that I had no control over any of this. The choice is merely to hike or camp. All in all I bagged eight 4000-footers today: Zealand, Guyot, Bond, Bondcliff, West Bond, South Twin, North Twin, and Galehead. Only South Twin is directly on trail. The Bonds required a five and a half mile out and back, North Twin two miles, and Galehead a mile. How much extra elevation I gained I can only guess, but the day's total probably exceeded 7000 feet. And none of it was easy. At Galehead Hut the croo gave me hot tomato soup. I'd been looking forward to hot soup for hours, chilled in my wet clothes and wet jacket. Only hiking kept me warm. The soup was more like marinara sauce, and that was just fine with me. A SOBO named Doubletime came in. He's hiking with his sister - both of them had been planning thruhikes so they decided to join forces - but she'd fallen behind and didn't appear in the hour and a half I was in the hut and out bagging nearby Galehead Mountain. No doubt the ugly rockslide climb down South Twin was slowing her down. The three miles to Garfield Ridge shelter were tedious, over very rocky, muddy trail and my legs and ankles were tired. My mood by now was sliding into the familiar litany of cussing the trail, the trail-builders, and the trail-maintainers. But at this point at least I am very self-aware that I've simply lost patience. It's my own fault for making it such a long day. The last half mile was a tough climb to the shelter, including a very steep loose rockslide with a waterfall streaming through it. My nearly tractionless Lone Peaks slid off a boulder in front of a sympathetic NOBO coming down the slide. It was far from the first time I slipped today. My happiest moment of the day was seeing the shelter turnoff. The rain had stopped but everything was still wet. Nothing dries until the sun comes out. The shelter is full of NOBOs keeping mostly to themselves. A large tramily occupies the top shelf. Pappy is here, and a man with his labradoodle. A large group is tenting nearby and still talking loudly as everyone in the shelter nods off. A grizzled NOBO named Polar Bear is a big snorer. Have been lucky not to have many of those.Although the day was wet and often miserable, it was liberating to run off trail, often without my pack, to bag peaks I've not been to before. My regret is not jumping in Zealand Falls this morning. There were no other water sources bigger than a spigot today. So sadly my swimming streak ends at 31 days. Still a full month! Maybe I can make it an AT challenge: a month of swims. If nothing else it's just downright enjoyable.