Date: 2005-08-16
From: Kinsman Pond Campsite 8:22pm - Amish Paradise

To: Mt Liberty 6:49pm - Amazing
Miles today: 7.4

Mt Liberty 6:49pm - AmazingSongline and I set off this morning for Lonesome Lake Hut on Dingle's advice. Sure enough, they had a couple of leftovers from breakfast. It was nowhere near a meal's quantity, but we'd already eaten breakfast and were thus content with a midmorning snack of eggs, half a muffin apiece, and cold oatmeal with liberal helpings of granola and brown sugar.Songline pushed on harder than I did and I soon lost sight of him. No matter - he was planning to hike Franconia Ridge today while I planned to go into North Woodstock to resupply. I hope he enjoyed the ridge - he sure had a beautiful day.I indeed hitched into town and got the groceries I needed. I also got a burger. Whether I needed the burger is a debatable point but it was positively fantastic and large enough to require a strategy. With a heavier pack and stomach I returned to the trail. I was dropped off at the official trailhead, which is nearly a mile's walk from the trail. I wish I knew it existed when I headed into town - I walked in the grass next to an Interstate until its first exit instead.I proceeded to start climbing up Liberty Mountain to Franconia Ridge. Halfway up I realized I was still wearing my camp/town shirt - whoops. I try to keep one shirt presentable for when its needed. Hopefully it won't be until I reach Gorham and a washing machine.I arrived at Liberty Springs tentsite, my intended home for the evening. However, there was one small problem. I use a hammock tent and none of the unoccupied tent platforms had trees the necessary distance apart. I did come across a gentleman who hadn't set up his tent yet and happened to be on a platform with good trees surrounding it. I explained my situation and asked if he'd mind swapping me for the platform I was temporarily occupying. He refused without even looking at my platform. Needless to say, he wasn't a thru-hiker.I decided to do some recon work. First, some background for you, the reader. In the Whites, there's a small fee to use the established campsites. You're allowed to camp elsewhere but it must be below treeline, 1/4 mile from campsite or hut, and at least 200 feet off the trail. Thru-hikers have a tradition of "stealth camping" the Whites. I set off to search for a spot.I found one, too, right where the trail intersected Franconia Ridge. Immediately after the 1/4 mile warning sign, I found a trail leading to a perfect site about 250 feet off the AT. I backtracked to Liberty Springs, grabbed my pack, loaded up on water and relocated.I dallied around a bit, made dinner, and set up camp. After making sure everything was squared away I set off for the top of nearby Mt Liberty. So that's where I currently am, I've got a 360 degree panorama and can actually see the surrounding mountains and valleys. I'm hoping for a good sunset; it looks like the show is just beginning. All I have to do is hope the dark cloud directly above this ridgeline keeps its troubles to itself. This is the Whites. It's one of the most beautiful places you're likely to ever see, but it also has some of the most unpredictable weather. But I suppose that's part of the charm.It's quiet moments like this, surrounded by a vast ocean of indescribable beauty, that make the trail worth hiking. If only everybody could experience a peaceful mountaintop sunset below a ribbon of black cloud. Words don't do it justice. It's a sunrise in reverse, with fiery red-orange light sweeping up from the valleys to the mountaintops. Amazing.