Date: 2008-08-06
From: Garfield Campsite, NH

To: Galehead Hut, NH
Miles today: 2.9
Weather: heavy intensity rain

***note: The pocketmail company is having some problem with the system as of 8.10.08, so if you've tried emailing me and it's been bounced back to you, just hang tight. Hopefully they'll have it fixed soon so I can start receiving emails again. If you need to contact me, sign my guestbook, and I'll be able to access that when in town. Thanks!***Wow, I passed out last nite and didn't wake for 7 hrs straight around 4:30, I had to water the leaves. The wind was whipping and howling and big heavy raindrops were hitting my tarp. Ugh..the thought of hiking all day in this today, but I still had more sleeping time thankfully.I did my watering and the sky was just gross and wet, the air was so saturated, your headlamp had a visible beam.I went back to sleep, after wrapping my bag around me a bit more and barely woke to my alarm. A.M. and I decided to hike @ 8 a.m. I knew with this rain, it would take a bit longer to pack up.Oh, I had a crazy dream placed in our real campsite and setting. I drempt A.M. was inside of her tent, and it was morning, and I was standing next to it, but under my tarp, but she was in a lot of excruciating pain and was sort of flailing about inside of her tent, but she ended up totally knocking me down on the ground with this intense blow through the walls of her tent! Not on purpose though. I never dream about such immediate situations until I'm out here. So weird.I layed in my hammock till 6:30, and knew today was going to be tough. I decided I'd hike in full raingear because it was 51 when I woke, but that did not include the windchill, so it was definitely feeling like it was in the 40's.I got up, changed clothes first thing, and packed my sleeping bag, clothes and hammock first, so they'd be safely stored in the dry sack. I got our food, and I'd put A.M.'s food inside my dry sack, knowing it was probably going to rain. I was glad it did, because it stayed dry for her.A.M. asked if I was up and I said yes. She said she didn't sleep well, she kept getting cramps in her hip\upper leg, and yesterday just took it out of her. She asked what I thought, and I told her let's get to Galehead Hut and see how it was going.I ate my poptart, drank some water, and finished packing everything up. I told A.M. I would be up in the shelter to get out of the wind.There were 2 guys about to head out, and they decided to end their week long hike and take a side trail out. They were in all cotton shorts and tshirts. I hope they were ok..this is prime hypothermia weather for sure.A.M. came up and we (with anything but excitement) stepped off around 8:30 a.m.It was cold, raining, howling wind, the trail was a beautiful waterfall in most places today. We were about 1\2 way down Garfield and had the next half to go. A.M. followed me, and immediately, it was straight down, rock, boulders, cliffs. We got to one spot where I saw a very bouldery stream going straight down and I saw what I thought was a dirt path for the trail...then suddenly I realized the dirt path was a drainage path and that boulder stream WAS the trail. I just stood there when I first saw it and said, "Oh, you can't tell me this is the trail, "...and then after realizing it indeed was, I said the F word.It was probably the most treacherous hiking yet today, mainly because the trail was extremely difficult but also because it was pretty much the worst weather conditions...in the 40's, strong wind, raining, and terrain so hard you couldn't move quickly enough to build up much body heat. It was miserable.Much of this descent was spent throwing my hiking poles down again, and I was lowering myself backwards, forewards, sideways, standing on tiny tips of rocks, hanging from trees, sliding, butt scooting, hopping, splashing in deep pools of water, and just having your basic holly jolly freakin time. I think 1\2 mph was the pace @ times today. Everything was slick as ice and many rocks had green slick algae on it. Geez people, my apprehension and fears pertaining to the Whites are being proven to being close to the mark.I think the frustrating thing is that everyone says, "Oh, the Whites are hard, but you get such great pay offs with the views." Well, not this month. I am trying to remember, how many days since I've been in NH has the sun actually been out ALL day with no rain. I can think of 1...the day I went over Moosilauke. Maybe there were more...but I can't remember.We got down to the bottom of Garfield finally, and the topos made it look like some flatter stuff for about 2 miles. Um...nope.Again, these tiny bumps are now tough steep climbs. I was glad for the climbs because I could build body heat. We were below treeline all day today thankfully. There was, however an unamed bump that the trees were very short and the wind gusts almost knocked me over as I tried to negotiate this crazy rock wall that at first I just couldn't see a way down. I let A.M. jump ahead now, because she was really having a difficult time regulating her body temp and was cold.I finally got down this wall by hanging on to tiny tree branches and unconfidentally trusting the wet slick tread of my shoes to grip the rock.It was more of this over and over, with some boggy muddy trail and some places that were rivaling some of the ponds I've hiked past.A.M. wanted to take a short snack break when we got to a somewhat sheltered area, but the problem was that we were hiking on the side of the mountain in which the wind was whipping up. We hiked about 10 more minutes and I asked her if this spot would work. She agreed, so I splashed up the trail to a flat rock and sat down for maye 5 minutes and ate some crackers. I got so cold so quickly. I'd been ok till then, and it never ceases to amaze me how quickly water and wind steal your body heat.We got moving again, and I knew A.M. was really struggling to stay warm because she's a believer in taking frequent breaks, but she wasn't stopping at all...not even on the uphills. She was essentially outhiking me today!We got to the sign for the Gale River Trail ad another sign said the hut as .6, and it was a climb, which again, I was thankul for. I know my body well enough to not freak out when my hands get cold, because I know as long as I keep moving, they'll eventually warm up in these conditions. I was wearing my shorts and short sleeved shirt under my raingear today, and this was just enough to keep me from sweating.I took a pic of the climb up to Galehead Hut, and it looks exactly like half of my "pretty stream and waterfall" pictures. I felt like I was learning the sport of river walking almost.Splash splash kerplunk kerpluk..even thinking about keeping your feet dry today was futile. Finally, around 11:30 a.m., the world's longest 2.9 miles (never thought I'd hike a shorter day than my first day of 4.9), came to an end and we arrived @ the hut.When we walked to the hut, which is on an exposed field, the wind about blew me off my feet. It was so crazy. Also, for about .5 miles, I'd been hearing this weird screeching noise and wondered if there was anyway I was hearing the choo choo of the Cog Railway. Well, the mystery was solved when we got to the hut. It was the windmill on top of the hut that provides wind power, being spun so fast it was howling. I'd diagnose that perhaps it needs new bearings if it's making noise like that. (I'm bs'ing..I don't even know if the thing spins on bearings, but I needed to feel smart).We got inside and A.M. was out of sorts. Now here's the bad thing about hiking with a new friend. I haven't known her long enough to read her non-verbal cues. I knew she was cold, wet, had left her rainpants in the car, so her wind pants were soaked and her legs were cold. I knew she wasn't taking breaks because she was so cold, but what I did not know was if her semi-confused state was a sign of the beginning of hypothermia. At this point, I was still "considering" hiking on as an option after we ate lunch and warmed up.I was telling her I'd see what options we had, but it soon became obvious she was not able to think about anything but getting warm. I realized I needed to find out exactly where she was "at." I told her I needed to know what she really felt, and she said she needed to stay here and get warm. We knew there was space because there were like 10 billion cancellations.Once I realized how close (I think) she got to becoming hypothermic, there was no question of what we would do. Safety is first and we were safe here.I felt badly because I think my suggestions of hiking on sort of made her feel like I wasn't willing to stay, so I apologized and explained I didn't realize at first how to read her and that there is no question in my mind that this was the smartest decision now that I knew that a lot of her stuff got soaked and how cold she was.Unfortunately, her dry camp socks got soaked, and I had an extra pair of hiking socks, so I insisted she wear my dry wool camp socks. I was cold, but not like her.They had AYCE hot soup, so I bought both of us some, and told her it would be a good idea to get hot liquids inside too. She changed into her dry clothes and sat down to eat.I got up to ask about the $10.00 sleep on a table option. I knew it was way too early for work for stay, and honestly, I'd rather not use that so other hikers could have that.So I go up and talk to the 1 croo member who was here, Ashley. I explained my friend was doing the Whites with me and that she wasn't feeling well, so we needed to stay here. I told her I knew work for stay was not discussable now, but that I had learned I could pay $10.00 and sleep on a table.She goes, "No, that is not an option, ever, I'd recommend going to the next shelter."What!? The freakin manager of ALL the huts told me it was! So here's the deal people. I "think" the croo members are trained to lie to prevent a bottleneck affect and to try to facilitate the movement of hikers thru the huts (I've heard this thru the grapevine, so maybe it isn't true...but it's the story on the streets). BUT (and this is a big but), my issue with this approach is:a). I'm not a 10 year old that you can feel entitled to lie to because it's easier for YOU, we're all adults, so unless I prove otherwise, I expect to be treated like oneb). I need true and accurate information so that I can make the smartest decisions for ME in what has proven to be life-threatening conditionsc). Right now, my decisions affect more people than me, and I realize it's very early, but the choice to stay here was not made because we are lazy and just wanted to "hang out."So if I had to guess, and from what I've heard, you always get turned away before like 3 or 4 p.m. Fine, but I'd rather be truthfully told, "We can not consider any work for stay or table sleeping options until 4 p.m. when we have a better idea of the # of people we'll have tonight."I realize these black and white rules exist to make it easier on the croo members. I always struggle though, and this was the type of mentality that drove me crazy in the military..."It's this way no matter what." Sometimes the "what" needs to be considered, but then you actually have to worry about accountablity, good\poor judgement of individuals, and this way, every hut is consistent.So I'm not asking for a change in policy, I'm most interested in being told the truth, which I was not today.I told A.M. about it, and then she insisted on paying for my nite, because it would make her feel better. I told her it was not necessary, but then she whipped out this toally assertive motherly tone and goes, "No buts..go pick your bunk out and move your gear to it." LOL Wow...I've not been talked to like that since the time I came home 2 hrs after curfew because I was out cruising with my high school friends!So even though I don't believe you should pay for my nite, thank you anyway A.M.We ate our lunches, I had 4 bowls of soup, my normal lunch and the rest of today's snacks! A.M. immediately got into her sleeping bag to nap and get warm. I told her I'd figure out tomorrow's possible options.Because of V8, I knew the White Mountain Guide had tons of info about side trails, including distances and times, and the huts have these guides in their library. I started looking @ mileage and terrain. Tomorrow, the weather is supposed to be colder, higher winds, and thunder is in the forecast. I asked A.M. where she was really at, and because she just doesn't feel like she's got what she needs to be totally prepared, the objective is to find the shortest route out.I looked @ 3 options, and the one that fits the objective best will have us going back sobo .6 miles and then down the Gale River Trail for 4 miles. The book said it was about a 3:30. hike, but I bet it takes us longer. The other 2 options would have been 9.7 mile hikes, and A.M. is not up to this with the current situation, and I respect that she knows her limitations. I also wouldn't ask her to hike alone, since the conditions are potentially dangerous. I really feel in my gut we need to stay together.She came out from her nap and I explained what I thought would be the best choice, and she agreed. She admitted her stomach had not felt well since last nite, and I personally noticed a huge difference in her energy. I hope she's not getting ill, but if she is, I'm super glad we have a way out. It SUCKS to be under the weather and have to hike.The next step was trying to contact Karen and ask her to meet us @ this trailhead tomorrow. I had cell service, but the phone lines were down @ the motel most of the day. I did finally get through, and she knows where to meet us tomorrow. It all works out folks...as it should.Yes, this will still leave this section between Galehead and Zealand Huts, but I've decided to tackle this (maybe by myself because it will be a very long day), and do one long ass day hike. I think I can do it actually. This section of the trail is starting to become annoying to me now. I want it done.So the rest of the day I blabbed as I love to do with people. There are a few vacationers here that were cool to talk to. Then I laughed, because these 2 people decided to just go out for a little 1\2 mile hike in this shiznitsy weather FOR THE FUN OF IT! I wonder if that mentality will ever be part of my psyche again.I made sure my gear was in a place to try to dry, but don't think it will entirely. Then @ 6:00 p.m. the croo served dinner. There were maybe 20 people here tonight. Dinner was ham, mashed potatoes, lentil soup, salad, bread, corn, and peanut butter squares covered in chocolate. I ate...a lot. Oh, and around 6:30, 1 lowly hiker showed up asking for work for stay. I know once you pay for a space, they won't let you cancel and get a refund, so asking now would have wasted A.M.'s $.After dinner, one of the croo members gave a 30 min. talk on the weather conditions and why they are so severe here in the Whites. I stuck around for about 1\2 of it, but decided to turn in and write.Not the way I thought the day would be, but hey, we all know plans are made to be broken, and all I know is A.M. is warm, dry, safe...and so am I. Will the sun EVER come out in the Whites?~Certain