Date: 2008-07-29
From: Franconia Notch, NH

To: Mt. Lafayette Summit
Miles today: 6.3

(additional 4 miles back down from Lafayette, non-AT miles, for a total of 10.3)Got started at the Liberty Spring trailhead at 7:15 am, having dropped one car off at the end point last night, saving time for an early launch this morning. Nice day. Felt good, especially with a day pack. Fairly steep, but did not have to use hands on the first section.Once you get up on Franconia Ridge, it starts out as a sandy path in small trees, then becomes all rock ridge, extremely dramatic, but just as we were getting the full appreciation of it, thick, fast moving clouds moved in, obscuring much of the view and making us super glad to have toted good rain jackets and warm clothes. It went from the 70's to the 50's in a short time.Many other people were hiking the ridge, as well, some well-equipped and others seeming not to be. There were a lot of folks in shorts, t-shirts, sneakers and little else, in this suddenly cold, damp moonscape, hours of difficult climbing from any shelter.The ridge involved some flattish walking interspersed with steep, rocky ups and downs. Several summits lay between the intersection of Liberty Spring trail and Mt. Lafayette. Much of the rock was rough granite, which has pretty good traction. It was a different story when the mist accumulated and everything was wet.At the summit of Lafayette, now about 12:30, we headed down the Greenleaf Trail toward the hut, which put us heading into the strong west wind - suddenly much colder than when it was blowing at us from the side. I zipped the rain jacket right up to my chin, amazed since I haven't needed that level of protection since North Carolina. You build up heat walking up hill, but now it was down AND into the wind, and I felt for the folks who hadn't realizd this can happen here. (Later, the fellow at the motel said the rescue folks had taken 8 hikers off the ridge that afternoon - my guess is all for lack of a good rain parka).Greenleaf Hut emerged out of the mist, an AMC establishment that offers two meals and bunks to hikers,and also lets dayhikers eat their lunch inside and get warm. I was so hungry by then, since it was just too cold to sit down and eat on the ridge, and I was so worried that it was going to start raining hard that I hadn't wanted to linger there. Lunch, inside, sitting at the picnic table, was wonderful, and then we started down the Old Bridle Path for the last 3 miles. By this time I was seriously reconsidering our plan to hike over Garfield Ridge the next day - I was very tired already, the weather was predicted to be getting more unstable, and I realized that as a section hiker I would never head out after today's physically and mentally stressful hike to hike even more rigorous and remote terrain the next two days.This worry, how the others would think if I pulled out of the plan, preyed on my mind all the way down to the car. Finally,as we pulled out of the parking area we started talking about the plans, and Auntie Mame ran in to the ranger station to get more recent weather info. I was so relieved that Certain and AM did not think my worries were silly. We called the AMC to see if we could transfer the hut reservation from Galehead to one of the base camps, and were able to get space at Crawford Notch. Then we decided to do the 8-1 plan, the Ethan Pond Trail, tomorrow, 7-30, and save the two-day Garfield Ridge/ Twinway section for better weather. WHEW!