Date: 2017-07-18
From: The Notch Hostel, North Woodstock, NH

To: Stealth site near Galehead Hut, NH
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: clear sky

7/18/17, Stealth camping near Galehead Hut, NHMiles hiked: 1511.9, Miles to Katahdin: 360.0, Miles to go: 679.9Today ranks as one of the best days I've spent on the trail. We awoke to beautiful skies at the Notch Hostel. Sitting Bull and Hoops had to wait for the post office to open to pick up packages, so they were still sleeping when I left on the 7:45 AM shuttle to Franconia Notch. The climb out of the notch was long and steep. Just to clarify, what we called gaps in the South are now called notches here in the North. Just like "Gap", "Notch" is a four letter word. It took me two hours to climb the 2.3 miles to Franconia Ridge. As I neared the top of the ridge, the trees began to thin out. I finally broke out of the tree line to a spectacular scene. The ridge stretched out in front of me, with the AT running along the spine. It was rugged and beautiful. The White Mountains are the toughest hiking we've done on the trail; but, the views are spectacular. When I reached the summit of Mt Lincoln, there was a former thru hiker named Trail Mix providing trail magic. He and his friends hauled a bunch of food up several miles of steep trail to provide trail magic. He even had frozen margaritas! Wow!As I started down the back side of Mt Lafayette, started hiking with two women who were heading to the Galehead Hut for the night. We hiked together for several miles, with them asking me question after question about thru hiking. It was a lot of fun. They were both marathon runners and reminded me of my "7@7" girls. The Huts are an interesting phenomenon in the White Mts. They are rustic lodges that sleep 30-90 people. They can only be reached by hiking to them. The Huts predate the AT and are managed by the Appalachian Mountain Club. They are expensive and require reservations to stay. The are manned by "croos" of college age kids. They are famous for their incredible meals. They also allow a couple of thru hikers to "work for stay" every night. In exchange for sweeping the floor, or washing the dishes, etc, the thru hikers get to eat leftover food after the guests eat and are allowed to sleep on the floor in the dining hall. Getting work for stay in the Huts is one of those iconic AT experiences. There is a bit of an art to getting chosen for work for stay. If you arrive too early in the day, they send you on your way. If you arrive too late, they've already filled the spots. I arrived too late. They had taken in four thru hikers already.I tried the puppy dog eyes. I tried the kilt and funny hat, explaining that I could regale the guests with stories of thru hiking. I thought I almost had him there; but, he said he just didn't have room. He did tell me about a nice stealth spot nearby and offered to feed me leftover breakfast if I stopped by in the morning. I am now set up in the stealth site. There are actually six other work for stay rejects camping here, mostly SOBOs. We had fun eating our dinners together and discussing what lies  ahead on the trail. It looks like it will be a nice night and tomorrow is forecast to be another beautiful day. Yay!