Date: 2004-09-03
From: Whitehouse Brook Stealth Camp

To: Garfield Ridge Campsite
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: clear sky

There aren't many days when I come into camp dragging butt; today was one. The option to go 2.5 more miles to a hut was ours, but even I voted it down tonight. My feet took a pounding and were burning up.Camp was vacated at 7:45 this morning. I had hoped to be gone between 7:00 and 7:30, but we putzed a bit too long getting packed. The 2.5 mile climb to the start of the Franconian Ridge Trail was long, long, long, and steep. Fortunately it didn't present us with steps totally impossible to reach by anyone under five feet, four inches, but it was taxing for everyone. Cygnet did a heck of a job conquering the climb. I remember my first huge ascents in the mountains of Georgia. I'm not so sure I managed as well.Franconian Ridge: the section of the AT to which I have looked forward with the greatest of anticipation. These miles offer what is considered to be the grandest and most spectacular views of the entire AT. I concur. We tackled four mountains: Little Haystack at 4760', Mt. Lincoln at 5098', and the mighty Mt. Lafayette at 5249', ending atop Mt. Garfield at 4488'. Golly -- no wonder we're pooped! Looking ahead and then behind us at these majestic peaks we find ourselves in awe that we are capable of climbing them and proceeding to traverse the miles between. Above treeline the wind seldom dies. Today was no exception. We were blown around and chilled by the strong gusts but managed to stay on our feet. Each time we reached a wall of rock serving as a buffer we soaked up the warmth of the sun beaming down on us. I cannot imagine the nasty scenario one would encounter in less than perfect weather. We were blessed today.From a distance one would guess the ascending paths to the summits would be narrow and treacherous. They were neither. I was relieved to see plenty of flat mountain on both sides of the four to six-foot-wide AT. At least on these mountains there was no such thing as taking a misstep and plunging down the mountainside. We may have that terrain in our future, but we have 10 more miles and one more day behind us without facing that fear. Because of the extremely hard and rocky trail many hikers do injure themselves here in the White Mountains. I keep admonishing my trail sisters to use extra caution and be confident of their every step. Especially towards the end of the day when we are fatigued does this become a real issue. I read in the shelter register earlier the unfortunate news that April Showers has done just that: suffered an injury. A twisted ankle has knocked her off the trail for at least a week. If you are reading this my friend, we all wish you a quick recovery so you can return and complete your thru-hike! Perhaps you have returned already; I'll be reading the registers regularly to find out!How I wish I had the poetic vocabulary to describe the vistas we beheld today. But I fear any attempt would prove futile, especially as I'm fighting to stay awake right now. I took videos/photos, but even those cannot do justice to the majesty and glory which overwhelmed our visual senses. Perhaps in days to come I can spit out some picturesque description. For now all I can say is "WOW -- Toto, we aren't in Minnesota anymore!"