Date: 2017-08-10
From: Galehead Hut

To: AMC Highland Center
Miles today: 14.7

I wake around 2 in the morning and step outside the hut to see the stars. The sky is crystal clear but the waning full moon obscures almost all stars and bathes the world in a strong silver light. Earlier the stars were out but there was only a hint of the Milky Way. Guess this is not quite remote enough, or the moon was influencing things from below the horizon. One of these nights I will catch a true dark sky.Pilgrim and I are up at 5:30 to clear out our junk so breakfast can be served. While we wait the sun rises on the other side of South Twin mountain and takes another hour to show itself. Finally the guests are served and entertained by Monty Python skits and we are called in for leftover oatmeal, eggs, sausage, and zucchini bread. Our chore in exchange is to straighten the bunks and sweep out the rooms. While we work, thruhikers from Garfield shelter start to filter in for water and snacks. Finally I'm off shortly after 9. Work for stay was something I wanted to try but it's a mixed blessing. I lost a couple hours in evening and morning and the leftovers, while appreciated, were cold and the items I craved were almost gone (last night's pulled pork and eggs this morning). Plus you sleep on a wood floor identical to a shelter. But it was nice to spend time just gazing over the valley and resting the feet. The huts all seem to be well situated for views.The climb up South Twin is the first order of business. Similar to Garfield, i.e. very steep and rocky, but 2 or 3 times higher. Still, it goes quickly and the view above treeline is awesome. Again the whole Franconia ridge is laid out, plus the Presidential range to the east with Mt. Washington majestically obscured by clouds. The hues of distant ridges are picture perfect blues and purples.For several hours I navigate the rocky and muddy ridgeline past Mt. Guyot and Zealand and down to the Zealand Falls Hut. This part is slow going and I become concerned that I may never adapt to be quick enough in this kind of terrain, of which there will be much in Maine. I'm still watching every step to avoid turning an ankle again. I pass far more section hikers and weekend trippers than usual. Many are just going from one hut to the other. At 8 miles it's a good day's hike in this terrain. I see a number of kids along the way. Some look like they need a little boost, and I try to lift their spirits, assuring them they've mastered some of the most difficult hiking around. Some college-aged kids and middle-aged section hikers seem to need similar reassurance. One remarks to his buddy as I part ways "See, I told you this was tough!"I pass southbounder Caveman. He's making an environmental documentary called "It's our planet too, dammit!" and interviewing everyday people along his journey. He's also hiking to raise money for college science scholarships for poor kids. He has a lot of passion and a big heart. Everyone is out here for a different reason.At Zealand Falls Hut I try their homemade Corn Chowder. It's delicious, and at two bucks a steal. Again all the thruhikers congregate here to eat their lunches, get water, and socialize. I part company and head downhill towards Crawford Notch and Rt 302. I've decided to hitch a few miles north to AMC's Highland Center hostel for the night. The Ethan Pond trail is excellent tread and goes quickly. It's the fastest I've gone since that first morning out of Hanover. I still find time to admire scree fields, waterfalls, and the hidden valleys of the Pemigewasset Wilderness. I dip my head under Thoreau Falls to cool off, and let four yapping dogs lick me when I wander too close for their comfort. As I near the Notch and the parking lot a number of people are walking up to see another waterfall. It's a half mile off trail so I skip it. Can't chase every side trail! I chat with Sunshine and Trail Goose on the way down, both from Bethlehem in PA.  Sunshine started in February and Trail Goose is her support system. They are meeting friends and headed towards a shower and home stay. I scan the lot but see no one ready to leave, so start walking up the road. I get a mile before someone stops. Julie, a local college student studying environmental science, picks me up. She just dropped off two hikers at the trailhead as she heads home to Littleton. I am also on the way. There's only one road in the area so it's not that remarkable. She drops me at AMC's Highland Center. It's a lodge with private bunk rooms and a separate building with a common (and cheaper) bunkhouse. I ask about work for stay but they don't do that down in the valley, only at the huts. A bunk and breakfast is modestly priced, but dinner adds 30 bucks. There's nothing else around here though, so it's either that or my tuna packet. The weather is beautiful and I eat outside surrounded by mountains I just climbed on one side and mountains I will climb tomorrow on the other. I feel like I'm turning thru-hiking into a gentleman's sport. As I like to say, I'm hiking the Appalachian Trail, not camping the Appalachian Trail.