Snowman Says: On the AT - Franconia Notch to Crawford Notch

July 27, 2008 | Miles: 13.0
Start: Route 93, Franconia Notch
End: Galehead Hut

The day started early. I don't want to talk about it. Of course, we didn't start hiking until 6 hours after we got up. Here's why.

We had a reservation at Galehead Hut for the evening, and instead of taking two cars, we decided to take advantage of the AMC Hiker Shuttle. Staying at the hut allowed us to forgo carrying sleeping bags, tent, stove, etc., since they provide a bunk and serve dinner and breakfast. The only issue with that plan was that the shuttle didn't drop us off at the trailhead until 10:55. Normally, a late start to the day isn't an issue, but dinner is served at the hut at 6:00p.m. We DID NOT want to miss dinner. This meant that we had 7 hours to go 13 miles...in the Whites. Everyone to whom we mentioned our plan thought we were nuts. Lots of "Don't you mean Greenleaf?" (the hut 6.5 miles before Galehead) and "Oof, that's a big day." Our nuttiness actually worked in our favor because the shuttle driver, who was really, really nice—just a great guy, took pity on us. As it turns out the shuttle stop for the "Liberty Springs Trailhead" does not actually stop at the beginning of the Liberty Spring Trail. It stops .9 miles from the start of the trail. We did not want to go an extra .9. We told the driver our plan for the day, and because he thought we were insane and would never make it, he reluctantly agreed to drop us off where the AT crosses underneath Route 93. (Against "the rules" I'm sure.) This save us a ton of time and frustration and most importantly .9 miles of hiking. He pulled over. We jumped out. Thanked him, and off we went.

The hike itself started with a splash as five minutes into the hike D took a huge wipeout into a mud puddle. Not a very auspicious start. After she recovered, she proved once again that she absolutely rocks the uphills. The first 2.9 miles climb about 2800', and she had a tempo that I could not match. I stayed with her for a bit, but then reality set in, as I would only see her when she stopped to wait for me. That being said, we (mostly her) flew up the trail. We were having lunch at the top of the ridge by 12:30.

Since we were under a time crunch, we had a quick lunch. Plus, we were a bit chilly because it was humid and we were drenched with sweat from the hard climb. Also because of the time constraint, we had planned to run as much of the trail as possible, i.e. the flatter sections. We attached our hiking poles to our packs, and went for it.

The trip along the Franconia Ridge is mostly a blur. We ran when we could. We powerhiked when we could. We walked when necessary. We just took what the terrain gave us, and kept motoring. And, in truth, it was a really cool way to see this ridge. The Franconia Ridge is one of the nicest ridges out there, and we had a blast cruising along it. By 2:00 we reached the summit of Lafayette, the halfway point of our hike. We were 1/2 hour ahead of schedule and feeling good, but we knew that Mt. Garfield was looming. No one likes. Mt. Garfield, it's cranky.

With Garfield on our minds, we completely underestimated the difficulty of the trail between it and Lafayette. This "forgotten" part of the ridge was tough. The descent from Lafayette really slowed us down. It was rocky and tricky. We were slower, but we kept moving. And, as it turned out, the climb up Garfield wasn't that bad. I once again trailed D, but we hit the summit a little after 4:00. If the descent of Lafayette is hard, the descent of Garfield is twice as hard. We were feeling good about the time we had to go the remaining 3 miles to the hut, but we were tired. A rocky, gnarly descent when you're tired is pretty much the least fun thing in the world. It's definitely the terrain that slows us down the most, and the mile to the junction with the Franconia Brook Trail was a long one.

A check of the map a the Franconia Brook Trail led us to believe that the remaining 2 miles to the hut were pretty flat with a slight up at the end. Well, the map is full of lies and deceit. We had hoped to run most of this section, but it wasn't meant to be. There were a couple sections where we could stretch out, but for the most part we were dodging rocks, roots, mud and more roots. Oh, and it's straight up to the hut at the end.

Despite that, we reached the hut at 5:30. We'd done it. We were tired, sweaty and our legs were covered in mud, but it had a been a great day. Definitely a challenge, and certainly a different way to section hike the AT.

July 28, 2008 | Miles: 14.7
Start: Galehead Hut
End: Route 302, Crawford Notch

Last night at the hut was great. There were only about a dozen of us staying there. Coincidentally, one of those was my boss, which was pretty funny. There were also a couple thruhikers, and a nice, mellow group of people. Dinner was great, too. Although I could have eaten twice as much. A little sunset time, and then the earplugs were in place. My bunk was moderately comfortable, and I slept great.

Despite the tasty breakfast, this morning kind of sucked. As I was packing up, I put my pack down on the bite valve of my water bladder and it leaked all over the bottom of my pack. D decided she needed to instruct me on the proper use of a water bladder. (This is the same water bladder I carry on all of our hikes, and this has never happened before.) With thoughts of murder on my mind, we headed up the trail. And, really up. From the hut, the trail goes up South Twin, the anti-switchback. The trail goes dead straight up the side of the mountain. Of course, D motored, and I struggled. We topped out and headed down (not nearly as steep, thankfully), but I still wasn't feeling right. Even though we didn't have the same time crunch, we had decided we were going to run as much of the day as possible anyway. (Most likely, because we're insane.) So, I decided to put my poles on my pack and get moving. I figured this was the best way to get the motor running. It worked, as I felt better almost instantly. Plus, the trail was good for running here, and off we went.

Run, hike, snack, hike, run, run, hike, run, hike, hike, run...you get the idea. We reached Zealand Falls Hut at 11:45, 3.5 hours after we left Galehead. This was a fun section, but we were ready for a lunch break. We refueled, and headed out onto the only truly flat section of the AT in the White Mountains. The railroad grade from Zealand Falls Hut to the Shoal Pond Trail is awesome. We flew, and a good time was had by all. After the junction with the Shoal Pond Trail, the trail gets a little rougher, but the climb up South Twin was the only big climb of the day, so we were still able to keep moving at a good clip. Well, it felt like a good clip anyway. We stopped for our last snack break at the Ethan Pond Shelter at 2:15. We had 3 miles left to go and most of it was a knee crushing downhill. Knees crushed. We reached Route 302 at 3:45.

For those keeping track, it was 27.7 miles in two days, and our total hike time, including breaks was about 12 hours. A pretty solid two days of work, especially based on the terrain. The Whites are rugged, and we were pleased to have moved along at such a good pace. It was certainly a different type of trip for us, but it was really fun. The beauty of the terrain certainly helped, and the running was really cool. The worst part? Waiting to hitch back to car at the Highland Center. Luckily, it only took us about 20 minutes to get a lift. All in all, an awesome weekend. Oh yeah, I almost forgot: New Hampshire is done! Woohoo! Plus, were' under 200 miles left to go! More Woohoo!