Date: 2016-08-22
From: Garfield Pond Stealth site

To: Zealand Hut 
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: scattered clouds

What a wet and wild night. The storm really started to ramp up around 9pm and lasted most of the night. It poured and poured. Luckily I stayed dry except for some mist that blew into the tent. The temperature plummeted and hovered somewhere around 45. I was snuggled in my sleeping and was content. I woke up to a baby crying. Wait is that really a baby crying or is it a child crying. I unzipped my rain fly and stuck my head out into the fog to see and didn't see anything. I went back to bed and heard it again. This time I got up the use the "gentleman's lounge and saw a girl mid 20's sitting on a log but didn't hear crying. Hmm. I began packing up and started on my way but passed the girl and a guy. I asked them if they were ok and found out that their tent poles were left at the last place they camped so they had to sleep out in the rain. They looked pretty miserable and she was crying from being so cold. I suggested they get moving to warm up and not sit too long in one place. They were packing up when I left and I began my ascent of Mt. Garfield. With all the rain last light the trail was a creek. Lots of water running down the trail. It was in the mid 40's and winds gusting to 50-60 mph. I reached the summit of Garfield in pea soup fog and high winds. Didn't stay too long and then I began my descent down Garfield stopping at Garfield Shelter to make some chicken noodle soup. I relaxed and stayed for about a half hour and then pushed on. I filled up my water at the creek at the junction of the trail and the side trail to the shelter. I saw the couple who slept out in the rain coming down from the summit of Garfield and they were moving. They didn't look happy but at least no longer looking like hypothermia. I pushed on and continued my descent down. The trail looked like it crossed over the creek but then there was no path. I looked down the creek and there were the white blazes which went straight down. You got to be kidding me. I think normally without the heavy rain the creek stays under all the boulders. Today however it was pouring into my boots on top of my head as I weaved my way down holding onto trees, roots and anything I could to avoid slipping. I was pretty wet. The trail leveled out with only small ups and downs. I was getting pretty cold and arrived at Galehead Hut. I went inside to warm up and met Pharmacist and Sneaky Pete. They were having soup and coffee and I joined them. I joined them and we talked about our plans for the day. It was raw and even chilly in the hut. They were calling for wind gusts up to 85mph on the peaks today. Pharmacist was talking about staying at the hut and seeing about getting work for stay. Sneaky Pete and I were going to move to Zealand Notch Hut. I packed up and headed out at around 2 to try to get to the hut for 5. I began my ascent up South Twin Mt. It was straight up at a steep pitch for a mile. When I reached the top the wind was so strong I could barely stand up. It kept blowing me over. I began the descent down and Sneaky Pete caught up to me. We started hiking together the rest of the way to the hut. We went up and over Guyot Mt and Zealand Mt. We came to Zeacliff and had a fantastic view of the notch and valley below. When we arrived to Zeacliff the sun came out and the skies cleared. Finally!! We made the final ascent and arrived at the hut. Sneaky Pete is a fast hiker and I had fun trying to keep up with him. We asked at the hut if they had any work for stay left. Sneaky Pete was more interested in work for food more than staying over night. They told us they could use one of us and he told me to take it. They were getting ready for dinner and asked us to wait outside. Sneaky Pete and I sat on the benches in front of the hut taking in the views. Two south bounders who were on the other side of the hut came over and said hi. They were doing work for stay as well. One of the hut workers brought out leftovers for sneaky Pete who was gonna be moving on tonight. After he ate he headed out to find a stealth campsite down the trail. At 7:45 they invited us in for left overs. They cooked us some bow ties with sauce as there were not a ton of leftovers. There was salad, rice, fresh bread, pasta, corn chowder and chocolate chip cookies. Yum!! After dinner the two south bounders had some work to do but my work wouldn't be until the morning as I was in no rush to go anywhere. I kinda felt under the weather and was trying to relax and enjoy myself. I read for awhile while the two south bounders cleaned the stove. At 9:30 they shut the hut lights off and I went out to look at the stars briefly. We pushed some of the tables over and made room for us to roll out our mats and sleeping bags to sleep on the dinning room floor. I zonked out almost immediately.