Date: 2004-08-23
From: unofficial campsite near Galehead Hut

To: Ethan Pond Campsite
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: scattered clouds

From the top of Mt Guyot, one could look southbound and see Franconia Ridge; look northbound and see Washington, with it's smoke plumes rising from the cograil. Although not an impressive peak itself, it offered views of the surrounding peaks which were impressive, even better than being on the higher peaks. For an extreme analogy, imagine being on Everest, the highest mountain in the world, looking down on everything. The view would be second only to the view from the closest high peak, because you could see the grand Everest rising above you, in addition to the vast panorama below you. Same principle on Guyot. High peak with a view of the grand higher peaks in its vicinity.Got some pastries at Zealand Falls Hut. Carrying food in the Whites is somewhat of a quandry because of the food from the huts. Since it is 6-7 days (I'm planning on taking 6) from Franconia Notch to Gorham, do you try to go light on food and count on cheap or free leftovers, plus baked goods like cookies, pastries, brownies, etc at the hut, thereby risking not taking enough food? It is tough going up and down those steep, rugged hills with 6 days worth of food. Or, do you bring all the food you need, and buckle under all that weight for the first few days? And if you don't want wasted weight, you have to resist the hut goodies. The trials and tribulations of the trail.After an impossibly flat 5 miles (and I don't mean "flat for the Whites", I mean flat), I reached Ethan Pond Campsite. This is one of the finest campsites on the trail. A side trail leads a couple hundred yards back to a shelter and tentsites, barely skirting the edge of a picturesque several acre pond to the left, so closely that one has to go rock-hopping to cross between the pond and a tributary. A canoe for the use of the caretaker rests on the shore. The calm blue surface reflected the sun's rays, making a picturesque postcard setting. All that was missing was a bull moose dipping it's head into the clear cold water to make the idyllic New England scene perfect. According to caretaker Ball Park, a moose had been showing up every morning until recently, but has not been seen for awhile.Sitting squarely at the end and above the sidetrail, stood the sheler, my home for the night. More trails led to other areas of camp, including Ball Park's tent, privy area, tent platforms, and kitchen area. Ball Park was insistent that we do no cooking in the shelter, but rather under the tarp in the kitchen area, where we huddled together against a slight sprinkle.Ball Park is a former thru-hiker, a Red Sox fan with a thick Beantown accent. If you pronounce his name "Bah Pahk", you'll have the accent. Now he is the caretaker at Ethan Pond Campsite, employed by the AMC, mockingly referred to by some as the Appalachian MONEY Club (instead of Appalachian Mountain Club). There is an undercurrent of animosity and resentment on the trail towards the AMC, due to the high-priced hut system bringing to the Whites thousands of tenderfoots every year who otherwise would not be there, therefore marring the experience for some.From my understanding, the AMC makes little or no profit, for any money made goes back into preservation of the area. Yet, many trail-hardened hikers do not care for the crowds the hut system invites. Not after hiking 1800 miles through snow, heat, rain, cramped quarters, blisters, sore knees, hard ground for a bed, and all the other myriad of trials one has to go through to make it this far. Granted, we volunteered for this, and everyone has a right to be here, but the throngs of tenderfoots a mere hour or two from their hut is just not what one wants to see at this moment. You want just you and the mountain, and the others who shared in your journey. It takes a focus of will to remind oneself that the people out here are the good people, the right people, they are your kindred spirit, and some of them even admire what you do, even if most of them ignore you.In lieu of paying the moderate campsite fee (I believe it is $15), another hiker, by the name of Pete, and I helped with the compost privy. It's a complicated, but organic process involving 3 or 4 steps involving large boxes which are used to sift the waste. We were involved in the final step, which was to remove the practically fully sifted contents from the final box and distribute it on the ground. "Better than washing some rich yuppie's dishes" I remarked to the caretaker, referring to the hut work-for-stay. Enigma showed up some time later, and he, Pete, and I went to sleep as a gentle rain tinkled on the roof of the shelter, lovin' life and livin' large.