Date: 2018-07-26
From: Eliza Brook Shelter

To: Lonesome Lake Hut
Miles today: 5.9
Weather: light rain

I slept fairly well in the shelter. I woke up a couple of times, probably in anticipation of the 4:30 alarm. Every time I woke up, all I could hear was pouring rain. Eliza Brook was about 75 yards from the shelter, and the roaring white water kept getting louder through the night. I knew that the boulders in the brook I had scouted out for crossing would not be an option by morning because the water was rising with the rain. The alarm went off at 4:30. It was still raining. Puddles and I had a brief discussion, I shut off the alarm and we went back to sleep. The other hikers started packing up and eating a couple of hours later. The rain finally stopped and they were ready to move on. There was a lot of scouting by several hikers to find the best place to cross the now raging brook. These hikers were much younger and athletic than I, so it made me nervous that they were nervous about the crossing. One hiker who had hiked in to camp this morning wearing a santa hat, had realized that the brook needed to be crossed 1 mile up, after crossing it near the shelter. His plan was to ¢bushwhack¢ up to the trail 1 mile away without crossing the brook twice. Most people were on board with that plan. Puddles and I discussed several options including hiking back southbound and coming off trail, then come back and do the section. We also considered bushwhacking. Rainbow had also been part of the discussion. A short time later, the younger thru hikers had built a makeshift log bridge, crossing to a large boulder in the brook. Rainbow watched the construction, and six people cross over it. She came back and said she thought we should take a look at it, and give it consideration. Puddles and I agreed, and quickly ate our breakfast and packed up. I was very nervous about the crossing and feeling a lot of anxiety over it. I took my time packing, trying to get myself to calm down. I figured if six people had crossed already, there was no reason why we couldn¢t. I strapped my pack on and headed to the brook, doing breathing exercises along the way. I stopped to take a couple of quick photos and bushwhacked to the location where the logs were, and where Rainbow and Puddles were waiting.Rainbow went first, crawling carefully along the small logs, with the whitewater rushing below. As she reached the boulder, she accidentally knocked one of the outside logs off from the shore side. The end of the log went down into the water, with the end that was resting on the boulder popping up and momentarily getting stuck under her. After she cleared the water and was completely on the boulder, the log was pulled completely into the water and swept away. Puddles and I agreed that the log was unnecessary for the crossing. We waited for Rainbow to reach the shore from the boulder on the other side, then Puddles crossed, and I crossed. It was a slow and careful crawl, as I kept my feet hooked on the outside of the logs to ensure they stayed in place. My hands were shaking when I reached the boulder and I slowly and carefully stood up. I took a few minutes to stop shaking, then took my boots off and put on my water/camp shoes to complete the crossing through the water to shore. It was a crazy way to cross, but worked. The rest of the day consisted of an additional fording of water and walking down wet and muddy trail. A hiker going the opposite direction told me about some bog bridges that were underwater a short distance after the ford, so I left my water crossing/camp shoes on and hiked in them until I was past the under water boards. At one point, I had stepped in the water and sunk up to my knee, so I was careful to walk through the water on the boards as much as I could. It was a very wet day with the hike going over South Kinsman Mountain (4358¢) and North Kinsman Mountain (4293¢), among with several waterfalls. Parts of the hike were over steep, wet rocks and rock faces, and very difficult. We arrived at Lonesome Lake Hut where we were able to get ¢work for stay¢. Work for stay is available to a limited number of thru hikers at the huts through the White Mountains. It includes dinner, breakfast, and a place to sleep on the dining room floor. In exchange, a hiker does whatever work is requested by the hut master. Work for stay hikers don¢t eat until everyone is done eating. The meals consist of whatever is left over. Usually, most of good food, like bacon, is gone. Sometimes chores are in the evening, but most of the time they are in the morning, which delays hiking start times. After dinner the work for stay hikers have to wait until quiet hours, which start at 9:30. Most hikers are usually in bed no later than 8:30, so staying awake until 9:30 is a challenge. Once the ¢paying¢ customers clear out of the dining room at 9:30, hikers quickly move tables, sweep, and set up sleeping pads. In the morning, all the hikers need to pack up by 6:15 a.m. and be out of the dining room. After everyone is done eating, hikers eat the leftovers and complete their work. The paying customers are not told about the work for stay hikers. When the early risers come to the dining room for coffee and see hikers packing up and getting dressed, they sometimes have a confused look on their face. Besides Puddles and I, Rainbow and one other hiker were work for stay hikers. Lights were out at 9:30. We settled in for a good nights sleep.