Date: 2005-07-30
From: 1 mile north of South Twin Mountain, NH

To: Franconia Notch, NH
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: few clouds

14.6 miles todayFranconia Notch, NH. I woke up at 5:30, but layed in my tent until 6:30 before I started to pack up and get ready to walk. It was in the mid 40s when I woke up, so it felt good to get moving. My first climb was the rest of the way up South Twin Mountain. When I was going down that mountain, I saw a cow moose running up the trail towards me. I figured another hiker scared it. I yelled at it and when it saw me it stopped. It looked at me trying to figure out what to do. It decided to pee in the trail and started running towards me again. The trail was narrow and thick with small spruce trees on the sides that nothing could fit in between. I edged back into the spruce as far as I could get and just 10 feet before the moose got to me, she saw a spot to the side and took it. I walked on a little further and saw a nobo by the name of Old Yellow coming up the trail. He was much smaller than me...I don't know why that moose didn't head towards him.  ;-))) Old Yellow and I talked a while. We had met earlier this year near Fontana Dam in NC. I hiked on down to Galehead Hut and went in and bought 3 cups of coffee for a dollar. I met 2 more sobos there by the names of Dub and Yetti. I also saw a flip flopper by the name of Choochoo. I caught up to 2 of the paying people that were out for an overnight trip. They were heading out today after going up Lafayette yesterday. Every step they took hurt. All I could hear when I passed them was ooh, ow, aug, ouch, aah, ooh. They said they had never been so sore as they were today. I met 3 nobos next by the names of Water, Wave and Hardcore. I stopped at the spring by Garfield Ridge Campsite and tanked up on water because it's dry from there to Liberty Spring Tentsite on the other end of Franconia Ridge. It was a steep up to there and then continued very steep up to the summit of Mt Garfield. It was a long down to Garfield Pond where I was looking for moose, but didn't see any. I ran across another nobo by the name of Northman. I started climbing up towards Mt Lafayette. It was a fairly long climb with a bunch of false summits. I knew about all the false summits so it wasn't too bad. I ran into more nobos on the way up...Gel, AJ and Ironfoot. It was beautiful day and when I got to the summit of Lafayette, there was a north wind blowing and the temperature was in the upper 50s. Alot of hikers were wearing jackets. There must have been over 100 day hikers up there. I've never seen it so busy. Last year there was a cold rain blowing sideways and I only saw 1 other person up there and he was lost. Out of all the people this year, I only saw one thru hiker on top. She was sitting down eating, so I sat down next to her and we talked a while. Her name is Red Rover and she started the same time as my friends Moosie and Goldilocks. She said that Bear Bag Hanger was at Liberty Springs Tentsite last night asking about me...hummm, I wonder if he brought fried chicken. ;-))) I started falling asleep because the weather was so nice. I decided I'd better get moving or I may not make breakfast tomorrow. ;-))) I hiked over Mt Lincoln and Little Haystack Mountain before heading down to Liberty Springs Tentsite. When I got to the spring, I saw a couple girls I had met last year by the names of Dances With Scarfs and Nails. They are out filling in some of the trail they didn't do last year. It was early in the day, but I decided to make me some split pea soup. I sat up there for about an hour before I hiked on. It was still about 3 miles downhill to Franconia Notch. I just walked slow trying to waste some time. I was just about to the parking area when I saw 2 hikers coming my way. They are 2 more sobos by the names of Horns and Bandit. They had spent most of the day in town today. I got to the parking area and sat down and tried looking pathetic hoping someone would offer me a coke, but it didn't work. ;-((( I guess that no matter how hard I try, I just can't look pathetic. ;-)) I'm only a mile from the really good breakfast buffet at Indianhead Resort. My plan since I left Gorham a few days ago was to get in for the Sunday morning buffet. My friend Moosie missed it. I gave him all the info and he couldn't make it work...and he thinks he's a real hiker...he's just a liteweight!!! A real hiker makes buffets happen. ;-))) I was back setting up my tent and I heard my name being called. Dub and Yetti went into town and I asked them to pick me up a couple poptarts and a couple Milky Ways bars. I told them my stealth spot and they found me. I'm in my tent for the night and going to sleep dreaming about the buffet in the morning. :-)))