Zealand Falls Hut, Thoreau Falls, Ethan Pond, and Webster Cliffs

Greeting readers! I apologize for my almost three month hiatus from this blog. I still have dreams of finishing, at least for my own sake. As I immerse myself deeper into "real life" the details of the trail become blurry memories of the past. I know if I don't take the time to document everything now, it will continue to slip away. That is not to say that I don't think about the trail every day, or that I wish I could start all over again in March.

Anyway, to pick back up where I left off:

From the glorious view, we hiked one more mile to Zealand Falls & Hut. Hungus & Pace were already there and had snagged work-for-stay spots, as had Warrior & Honest Abe before them. Gribley and I asked the girl in charge, and I could tell she wanted to tell us no, but somehow we convinced her to agree - on the condition that we would have to turn down other hikers, since she hated saying no. Haha that was fine! Lots of other hikers came by asking for work-for-stays, and we did feel bad, but I think everyone understood that there just wasn't more room. Gribley had the task of cleaning out all the dry food storage (which he said was pretty loosey-goosey in terms of hygiene..), Pace cleaned out the freezer, and Hungus organized the library. I had the morning task of sweeping after breakfast. I remember feeling totally exhausted, more than what seemed normal. I just wanted to nap but felt that it would be a bit inappropriate to roll out my sleeping bag and sleep on a porch where guests had paid about $80 to stay. I kind of snoozed sitting up and watched the sunset. 

Hanging out on Zealand Hut porch after everyone completed their tasks
(Gribley, Hungus, Pace, Honest Abe, Warrior)

Watching the sunset

After the guests' dinner (but before our dinner, which was their leftovers), we were invited to listen to a lecture on geology of the Whites. I learned a bit about frost action, glacial striation, and other geological quirks that happened in the Whites. The most memorable thing though, was that the speaker referred to the northern terminus of the AT as "KatARdin" instead of "KatAHdin." From that moment on, we lovingly referred to our goal as Katardin. In addition to that distraction, it didn't help that we were all STARVING. The guests got to eat around 6, the talk was from 7-8, so you can imagine how hungry we hikers were. We finally got to eat the still-warm leftovers: soup, stuffed pasta shells, bread, and green beans to our hearts content. And then they brought out a sheet of carrot cake and said, "bet y'all can't finish that" - oh boy, it was on! We all shoveled down seconds and thirds of this yummy cake. Warrior added some butter to hers, and then Gribley decided to put butter INSIDE his cake. 

Almost done! Delicious carrot cake

Gribley's culinary creative genius - butter INSIDE the cake

Unfortunately, my stomach was starting to feel a bit uneasy and I was convinced I had just overeaten, and was really ready to be horizontal and rest. Everyone but Warrior and me decided to sleep under the stars. Knowing how cold natured I am, and not feeling that great, I knew I'd sleep better inside on the floor of the warm dining room. I'd been warned of the mouse problem and sure enough, heard mouse traps popping all night. I slept well and the next morning, my stomach felt a little bit better but not quite 100%. Since I was inside, I had to be out early before the guests came into the dining room wanting coffee, and not wanting to see sleeping hikers. I quickly packed up and headed outside and walked over the falls. Hungus had decided to sleep on the rocks, and I saw Pace sweetly waking him up.

Pace waking Hungus up from his sleep spot by the falls

Zealand Falls

Gribley & Honest Abe were coaxed into being the Rise & Shine team to wake up the rest of the sleepy guests. Abe with his ukulele and Gribley with his voice. Look I have a video!

The dining room/my sleeping quarters (by the bookshelf)

After eating a light breakfast, I did my sweeping duty, and was ready to get hiking. Gribley stayed back to hang out by the Zealand Falls and said he would catch up soon. It was a pleasant morning - the weather was nice and the trail was easy (which was a nice change for the Whites!). Hungus and Pace had left before me and told me I didn't have a choice - I was to meet them at the Thoreau Falls, a short side trip away. I followed these instructions and met them over there, which was one of the most beautiful moments on the trail - pristine natural beauty with some of my favorite people. 

Gorgeous day for hiking!

Thoreau Falls

Thoreau Falls

Thoreau Falls

Thoreau Falls

We stripped down to our undies (which doubled at bathing suits when the occasion arose) and found a swimming hole big enough to dare each other to jump into. The water was freezing, the laughter was loud, the sun was bright, and the smiles were wide - it was a very happy morning. Gribley showed up and quickly realized this was a special occasion that called for mustache wax, so he and Towelly started waxing up and looking sharp.

Hungus & Pace enjoying the sun 

Grib & Towelley waxing their mustaches

We left the falls and headed to Ethan Pond for lunch. It was absolutely beautiful. 

Ethan Pond

Cheesewater returning from fishing with gummy worms

After Ethan Pond, we had about four more miles before the big climb up Webster. Hungus had told us that in the Whites, you have 4 major climbs - Moosilauke, Franconia, Webster, and then Wildcat. We hung out as long as possible and finally started up the beast of a mountain.

Love these people! Hungus, Pace, Cheesewater, Toweley, Gribley hanging out by the stream

Well, we made it to the top. It wasn't quite as bad as we thought it would be, but we stopped before the summit at Webster Cliffs. It wasn't listed in the book, but there was so much flat rock area for cowboy camping, and a few small flat campsites in the woods. It was a wonderful evening. Honest Abe & Warrior showed up, and later Dances with Flies surprised everyone - it had been weeks since I had seen him! My stomach was still feeling weird. I drank lots of tea hoping to calm it, but it kept feeling worse. The night was great though - Hungus had a small speaker for his iphone and we played some Sublime & Grateful Dead while watching the pinks and oranges of the sunset.

Most of the group was excited about cowboy camping, but I opted to set up my tent instead, just since I didn't feel well. Actually, I had the genius idea to set up Gribley's tent, so if it happened to start raining, he could just get inside (his tent is big enough to comfortably sleep two people). This proved to be a really brilliant idea, because in the middle of the night, it did start raining. Gribley got in the tent, Hungus slept under Pace's hammock & tarp, and everyone else was left scrambling to set up their tents in the pitch black dark & rain - never fun! 

Ok readers, that's it for now. Stay with me though, I do promise to finish this at some point! 

The Whites: Galehead Hut, Twin Mtn, Guyot Mtn, & Zeacliff

We all slept in a bit the morning waking up at the little random stealth spot in the Whites.

Woooo! Gribley the tent ghost!

After packing everything up, Gribley and I started hiking the toward Galehead Hut - only half a mile away. Pace and Hungus were still dismantling their camping hammocks and we planned to meet them at the hut. We made it to Galehead and immediately asked if there was any extra breakfast. The "croo" informed us that there was indeed some eggs & oatmeal leftover, but we'd have to sweep the bunk rooms for it. Deal! It actually felt really good to hold a broom in my hands and be domestic for a few minutes. We sat down to eat as Pace & Hungus arrived. They had the same breakfast inquiry and were given the opportunity to sweep the dining room. We scarfed down every last crumb, grateful for real food that didn't come from powder packets. By the time we finished, lots of other hikers started showing up. A big group had camped that night down by Garfield Pond, probably in hopes of seeing moose, but no such luck for them. We said good mornings to everyone and exchanged trail news and stories.

(More information about the AMC and Huts can be found here: http://www.outdoors.org/lodging/whitemountains/huts/index.cfm)

Hiker trash out side Galehead Hut
(Ratman, Bowser, Tumbler, Spirit, Y's Guy, and I don't know the two girls on the right)

Hiker trash out side Galehead Hut
(Bill - one of the "Georgia Boys," Hungus, Pace, Dewey, Brad - the other "Georgia Boy," and Bowser )

That day hiking was so glorious - bright blue skies and perfect weather: cool and brisk but with the warm sun shining down. The hike up Twin was pretty tough, but so beautiful. We kept turning around to admire the views behind us.

Hiking up Twin Mtn

View while hiking up Twin (from looking back)

Dewey almost to the summit of Twin

Everyone hanging out on the summit

Summit of Twin

Tumbler & Ratman - The "Honeymoon Hikers" with Gribley & Me
(This was the last time we saw them - they were planning to speed up to finish by 9/17)

More views from the summit

The rest of the day was amazing hiking - exposed areas and beautiful forest. Gribley and I split up for most of the afternoon. We loved hiking together but also knew it was good to have some alone time, to quietly reflect on the beauty around us.

Hiking up and over Guyot

Eventually he stopped for a snack and I caught up. We'd made plans with Pace & Hungus to head toward Zeland Falls Hut, to see if we could stay the night there. We saw them as they were returning from a side trail with a small sign indicating "VIEW." Gribley and I were going to skip it, in hopes of making it to the Hut in time to inquire about an evening work-for-stay (including dinner, permission to sleep on the dining room floor, bathroom access, and breakfast - in exchange for an hour or two of various work). HungPac (as we lovingly referred to the Hungus/Pace duo), insisted that the view was worth it, so Gribley and I made our way over. Indeed it was!

I think it was called "Zeacliff" view. The Hut we were headed was named "Zeland." Pace came up with a theory that the French must have named this area, "zee land and zee cliff and zee falls" haha. Anyway, the view was glorious and we were glad to have made the trip. We later found out that Pants & Tatertot camped on that spot - brilliant idea!

Zeacliff view

Gribley

After taking in the view and enjoying a sunny afternoon, we made our way down to Zealand Hut - more on that next post!

NH: Lincoln, Franconia Ridge/Mt. Lincoln, and Mt. Garfield

After a quick stop at the outfitters, we picked up some snacks & beer at the grocery store before walking over to Chet's. Chet is the name of an incredible man who runs a hiker hostel. I don't know the story exactly, it is something along these lines: he was an avid hiker and was out camping and cooking on his camp stove. There was an accident with the fuel and it blew up and he was knocked unconscious and inhaled fumes and smoke. He was in a coma for a long time and recovered for the most part, but lost feeling in his legs. He's now in a wheelchair, but still very supportive of the hiking community and opens his home up to hikers. There is no charge - just donations, work-for-stay, or barter. He's a wonderful man - looks you in the eye when you speak to him and you feel like he's totally engaged in the conversation. 

While at that point, Gribley and I were traveling just the two of us (all our close friends were ahead or behind), we were in the middle of a huge hiking bubble. I called Chet to just make sure he had space for us, and he delighted me by giving me a pop quiz about the AT before agreeing to let us stay. "Where did you start?" "Well, today I started from Eliza Brook Shelter, but I started this trip on Springer Mountain, Georgia" "Wonderful, and where are you heading?" "Mt. Katahdin!" "You passed! I'd love to have you stay!" Haha he then gave us directions to the house. I felt fortunate that when we arrived, the place was pretty empty and we were able to offer a beer to Chet and share stories on the back porch, before the crowds arrived. A few more hikers showed up and we all took turns showering and then went to dinner with Lieutenant Dan. 

Henry Shires tents set up in the backyard

Bunk room & library

sleeping hiker

sign for Chet's

Chet's House

Sign in someone's yard on the way to Chet's

The next morning (8/17), we headed out for groceries and to the laundromat. I had my Patagonia down jacket the entire trip and didn't really know how to wash down at a laundromat so I had avoided that task thus far, but at that point, 1800 miles later, it was definitely time to wash it. Luckily, it was totally fine and smelled like new again! We walked back over to Chet's, packed up, and set out to hit the trail again. We stuck our thumbs out at a major intersection of Lincoln, hoping that someone in this touristy ski town would give us a ride back to the trail. Some guys working at a small outfitters across the street saw us and offered us a ride. They dropped us back at the random visitor center and we headed back to the trail, trying to figure out our plan. Liberty Springs campsite was a short 2.6 miles away, which seemed like an unimpressive day in terms of mileage, but a rainstorm was on the way and it was already 4pm. We began the steep hike up, determined to make it before the rain. We arrived just as the rains started and were greeted by a super sweet caretaker. Most of the campsites and shelters in the Whites have a fee, $8/person. The campsite was packed, I think the caretaker counted about 30 people already there, and so she put us down in a little secret spot that wasn't an official campsite, but it worked great. All the campsites in the Whites have wooden platforms built and I really didn't like setting up my tent on them, or sleeping on them. The platforms were all taken, so I was happy to sleep on the ground. The rain was consistent all night and we went to bed pretty early after eating dinner. 

I was super excited to get going in the morning - Franconia Ridge was on the itinerary for the day! Also, the caretaker informed us that Hungus & Pace were also at Liberty Springs, two of my favorite people that we hadn't seen in a few weeks. On a side note, according to Hungus, there are 4 major climbs in the Whites - Moosilauke (check), Franconia, Presidentials, and Wildcat. Lucky for us, we had already completed most of the climb up Franconia on our way up to Liberty Springs. When we set out in the morning, we climbed up Little Haystack Mountain and entered the Alpine zone. Leave No Trace ethics encourage hikers to hike and camp on durable surfaces in all situations, but in the Alpine Zone, this is especially important. 

Trail just before leaving tree-line 

View from Little Haystack Mountain

We continued hiking on up Mt. Lincoln and were gloriously reunited with Pace & Hungus. We also saw Gypsy Soul & Muck Fichigan. This day hiking was just absolutely beautiful. After our first two  days of hiking in the Whites were cloudy and overcast, we were bursting with joy at the stunning views all around. I took about a million pictures and its almost impossible to go through and edit and determine which are the best, but I've shared a few below: 

Muck Fichigan, Hungus, Pace, Gribley, Me 

 

We spent a long time up on Lincoln, just taking in the views and enjoying a leisurely lunch. Gypsy Soul made a big, hot soup for lunch and we laughed at the day hikers nibbling on their granola bars, looking longingly at her yummy lunch. That's the great thing about being a thru-hiker - you always have everything you need right on your back. Eventually we made our way down Lincoln, and then climbed back up to Mt. Garfield. There was a cool old structure there and we all took a break, just taking in the views. 

View from Garfield

We got going again and stopped at Garfield Shelter for water. Once we filled up, we hit the trail... except we couldn't find the trail. The path in front of us was the stream, but there were white blazes on the trees.. surely that wasn't the trail.. oh wait.. Yes, the AT was heading down a rocky path of flowing water. They really thought of every possible obstacle. So we looked each other, smiled and said here we go!

Gribley hiking down the trail/water source

Earlier that day, Hungus suggested that we camp up on Mt. Guyot. Gribley and I agreed that would be a cool place to camp, and made it our goal for the day. Coming down from Garfield, however, Pace had a few falls and decided she wanted to call it a night. Gribley and I were pretty wiped out as well, and the four of us found a little stealth spot at the intersection of a side trail. Hungus even found a teeny tiny dripping spring, and we were all able to fill up on water. It wasn't the most gorgeous campsite, but it was fun to be caught up with Pace & Hungus again, and we all shared our stories about the past few weeks.