Date: 2016-08-08
From: Garfield Ridge Campsite

To: Ethan Pond Campsite
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: broken clouds

It got very cold last night and it rained but I slept very well. I was in my tent for 13 hours and slept for probably 11 of those hours. I did not want to get out of my sleeping bag at all! It reminded me of when I was in the Smokies when it was cold and rainy every night. I motivated myself to get up and get going knowing I had a long journey to make across what might be described as treacherous terrain. I got off to a late start at 8:10am after getting a full supply of water. Initially, the trail was steep downhill with many large rocks but, it leveled for a while until the first climb to South Twin Mtn. It was steep and therefore I moved slowly. Just before it got really steep, I arrived at Galehead Hut. The Whites have a series of huts that can be described as nice and expensive hostels! They have triple bunks with kitchens and bathrooms but no showers though. Some huts can sleep 90 people...they are pretty big. They cost about $120 a night with breakfast and dinner included. Hikers can do work for stay which involves cleaning up after dinner and maybe some dishwashing then they can eat dinner and sleep on the dining room floor. They also have to clean up after breakfast and then they can eat breakfast. That's a good way to get free meals and an indoor place to sleep. When I got to the hut at 10am they had cornbread, cookies and coffee for sale. I ate 3 pieces of cornbread and a cookie and drank coffee that was cold and tasted awful! Not bad for $5 I guess. I also filled up with water. There were good views when I got to the top of the South Mtn. It seems like the wind is constantly blowing on top! I kept leapfrogging Google, Littlefoot, Corn Cob, Cheetah and Taco most of the day. The rest of the hike was mostly downhill with some steep sections. Steepness equals move slowly for me. I had some good views from Mt Guyot and a few other spots since I was walking on a ridge. After 10 miles I arrived at Zealand Falls Hut where there was a couple of nice little waterfalls. I had all you can eat potato dill soup and bread for $3. Now that was a great deal! I talked to some people that were staying there and some of them hike from hut to hut and stay the night at each one. To do that you have to make reservations well in advance to be sure that you have a spot. My other hiking friends arrived as well. I plan on going to Ethan Pond Campsite for a 14 mile day but they are going a couple of miles further. The trail for the next 4 miles was pretty flat and mostly very easy to walk on. That was quite a pleasant change. When I arrived at the campsite at 5 pm, Aurora and Conundrum were there already. Ethan Pond Campsite was like many others on the hike, very pretty and surrounded be green hills. After washing up, I sat on a rock by the pond for a while. It was very peaceful. I ate dinner and settled in for the night soon after. I lay down at 8pm but even though I was tired, I was not sleepy yet. It felt good to have my feet up and resting after another long day. Tomorrow the plan is to start climbing Mount Washington and stay in Lake of the Clouds Hut which has 6 bunks for thru hikers. I am hoping to get one but, if not, then maybe I can do work for stay. After all, I am very domesticated! The Hut is 1.5 miles before the summit. Mount Washington is the second highest peak on the AT and it has the highest recorded wind speed in the USA. The weather is very unpredictable up there, that is why I want to stay at the hut then summit the next morning...It is safer that way. I hope my plan works!