Date: 2008-08-05
From: Bridle Path 

To: Garfield Ridge Tent Site
Miles today: 8.0

Yesterday I finished packing up for another stretch of sections in the Whites. I left home about 3pm, grabbed a couple of Jr. Whoppers in Windham for supper, and made it to No Woodstock by 8ish. Certain and Incessant were their usual gregarious selves, and I felt welcomed to their digs at the Autumn Breeze.   Certain had figured out a low mileage route, a two nighter, that would get us across Garfield Ridge and eventually down the Ethan Pond trail. Great! She had her pack all ready to go, but mine was exploded in the trunk of my car. I decided to pull that together in the morning, which wasn't the best idea, as I delayed our start by an hour. I also did not check the pack list, and so left my mat in the trunk.    9:45pm. Garfield Ridge campsite. Left thigh cramping intermittently. Let me tell you, chummy, quad cramps hurt like the dickens. Still chilly in 40 degree bag and Tarptent. Wicked hiking today. In at Bridal Path, lunch at Greenleaf Hut, happy that we made it in under 3 hours. With full packs, thats less than it took us descending with day packs last week!Then, up to Lafayette. Only 1.1 mi. Took me over 1.5 hours. I was feeling it. Then, down and across Garfield Ridge. OK, slow but managing. Then we hit Mt. Garfield, an ascent that saw me stopping every 50 feet or so. Breathing hard. Feeling exhaustion in my legs and shoulders, and esp. hips. Yikes. This was so demanding for me. Total of 8 miles, 5 AT, and I could barely think straight when we finally got to a site, #7, platform with trees. I've never set up the Tarptent on boards, so that took three times as long as usual, involving little bits of string and oddly spaced eye bolts... Dinner was at 8:30. Man. Mist swirled around us, leaving a slick, wet surface on the tent platform, as we cooked suppers by headlamp. Rain was breaking through, it was dark, I wanted to get into my tent very badly.    Earlier, we encountered two dashing SOBO's moving swiftly up the trail, one was Jolly McCauley, (I left out more to his trail name, it was quite long.) and the other, Tripod. They were loving Maine and NH, and elevated my energy considerably just by happily passing by.      We also encountered two different hikers about a mile apart from one another, moving carefully but quickly south bound. They were both part of a race that began at 2a.m., and would take them from Pinkham Notch to Lonesome Lake Hut. In under 24 hours. As John, caretaker at GF Campsite said, it was for the 19 year old croo members who hadn't gotten enough hiking in their Sherpa season. I felt glad not to have to do the race, and almost sorry for the guys that were. They had running shorts, tiny hydration packs, and no jackets, or extraneous supplies, it appeared.      Both Certain and I had more of a head's down, get the miles done attitude today. It was tiring and draining in a way that almost no other section has been. But I have to say that Certain has a core of strength and motivation in her that is quite astonishing. No whining, no carrying on, just one foot in front of the other. I believe that's referred to as character.      It has begun raining in earnest. I sure hope I set this tent up securely. Goodnight from Garfield Ridge, Auntie Mame