Date: 2014-08-09
From: Eliza Brook Shelter, Mile1803.4

To: Franconia Notch, Mile 1812.2
Miles today: 8.8

Note: Everything is updated!!!! I've loaded all my pictures from June 25 on, and updated my journal from July 30 through today, and embedded the pictures in all the posts since June 25!-----------------------------------------------I woke up in the night thinking about what I was going to do, so I got out my guide and did some planning. I knew that if I still felt fatigued, I should take a zero/nero day to recover before I went much further. If I did that and continued on, I'd have trouble getting to a road crossing where I could get back home easily in time for our son's arrival. On the other hand, I could simply go home with Swede to CT tomorrow - he and Nancy have invited me to spend the night there. Linda's in Albany with her family and could just pick me up at Swede and Nancy's. I decided that I'd go home with Swede tomorrow. Depending on how strong I felt, we'd either stop at Franconia Notch or hike up onto the ridge beyond before returning to his truck. I feel good, but fatigued.I got up early and packed up and walked down to the shelter from my tent site. Swede was up and had eaten breakfast. The shelter was full of mostly older guys so they were all up by then. I got my food out of the bear box next to the shelter and had some breakfast before we started hiking.It was another beautiful day. We started out by climbing the steep rocky trail up Kinsman Mountain. It didn't take me long to figure out that I wasn't at my normal energy level. I soon decided that I'd save Franconia Ridge for my return in September. That took a load off my mind, and I enjoyed today's hike, albeit at a slower pace than normal.We stopped at Lonesome Lake Hut on the way down to check it out. The White's have a series of "huts" along the trail where one can sleep and be served dinner and breakfast, but for a price. A few thru hikers can also "work for stay" at them, where they get the left overs, sleep in the dining area, and help with chores but don't have to pay. When Swede and I got to the hut, there were still some left over pancakes set out for anyone to eat, so I ate a bunch! I also bought a cinnamon roll to complement the pancakes. Since we were not in a hurry, Swede and I relaxed a bit and enjoyed the view and chatting with other hikers and the caretakers.I may have mentioned this before, but last Christmas Sarah gave me one of the wall posters of the AT - a long skinny poster showing a map of the AT as it progresses through 14 states up the east coast. She wanted me to mark the sections of the AT I have hiked, thinking it would cover a bunch of the trail. Since I knew I'd only covered a couple hundred miles or so, I knew it wouldn't be much! When finished, it looked like a bunch of dots and a few dashes highlighted along the trail!So this year I've been connecting the dots. As Swede and I left the hut and headed down the trail, I was connecting the next to last dot. Several years ago Sarah and I camped in Franconia Notch and hiked the blue blazed trail from the campsite up to Lonesome Lake Hut, then hiked down the AT to another blue blazed trail that took us back to the campsite. Swede and I covered that dot today. The following day Sarah and I hiked a blue blazed trail from the campsite up to Haystack Mountain on Franconia Ridge, where we hiked on the AT along the ridge to Mt Lafayette and then descended down another blue blazed trail to Greenleaf Hut and then back to our campsite. I'll connect that last dot when I come back in September! Cross that Creek!Swede and I continued on down the rocky trail to the bottom, crossed under I-93, and took the side trail one mile to the parking lot where he had his truck. There was a nice section of trail near the bottom where I could open it up and stretch my legs. I could reach my faster hiking pace, but could tell I wouldn't be able to keep it up for long. It was time for a rest. But it was great to hike fast for a bit before getting off the trail! :-)Guess I've come to an interesting place when I consider hiking 8.8 miles in the mountains while carrying a backpack as doing a short day because I'm fatigued!The best part of my decision to get off the trail today was that I got to spend time with Nancy again and to meet their son Owen. Tomorrow, when Linda comes to pick me up, she'll get to see both Swede and Nancy! Good times!I don't know how much I'll be journaling over the next few weeks, but may have occasional updates. Linda and I have all sorts of family activities for the next several weeks in VA, CA and Zion NP. I'll be flying up to CT on Sep 4 and Swede will join me for a couple more days as we get back on the trail on Sep 5. In the meantime, be blessed and consider it pure joy! :-)