Day 163
Start: Garfield Pond
End: Ethan Pond Shelter
Miles Hiked: 15.4
Miles on AT: 1848.9
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Today was a big mileage day for the Whites. I was on a bit of a strict schedule because I had a special event to attend in a couple of days. Janitor and I were going to Miami to attend a friend’s wedding and I didn’t want to miss this trip. Even though it was already a bit late in the hiking season, I knew that if I could make it to Miami on time, I could still make it to Katahdin before winter hit. Plus, the weather was so mild, it didn’t seem like winter weather was going to be hike-ending if it did come a little early.
With that on my mind, I woke up early so I tackle the day. I wasn’t sure how far I could make it, but I wanted to go far enough to set myself up to start my climbs early the next day. Today, however, it was time to tackle Mt. Garfield. Honestly, I expected a bit more from this ascent, but it really wasn’t bad at all. Near the top, I ran into someone I had only met once or twice years ago. It was a miracle that I even recognized him because his sunglasses and hat obscured his face.
“Hey, didn’t you hike the CDT in 2021?” I asked.
He looked at me, a bit surprised but also seemingly amused that someone recognized him. It was coming back to me now. I had met Sia Lizard somewhere back in Wyoming, probably. We hadn’t talked much, but I still remembered his face. We chatted for a bit at the top of Garfield, the topic being the trails we’d hiked in the intervening years. He’s what you’d call a “lifer,” someone who spends most of the year on various trails when they’re not saving up money for the next hike. He was going SOBO this year, so we parted ways and kept on in our respective directions.
The summit of Garfield was gorgeous this morning. Part of me wished I had slept up here last night so I could stargaze and watch the sunrise. I had a pretty cool view of a cloud-capped Mt. Lafayette, and the clouds started rising all around me as the temperature did. Unlike the ascending clouds, I had to start heading down. I mentally prepared myself for the crazy descent that was to follow, but I was still shocked by what I had to do to get down this mountain.
Once again, the trail was a steep waterfall. Luckily, there was only a little bit of water trickling down the rocks this time. But, there were plenty of steep drop offs and hand hold-less areas where I had to get on my butt, slide down, and pray that I could catch myself on the way down. This was the steepest descent yet, in my opinion, but I was grateful that I had beautiful weather to do it in. It would have sucked to do this in the rain!
A few miles later, I took an early lunch break at Galehead hut and enjoyed some time in the sun. There were a lot more weekend and day hikers out in this area. The next climb up South Twin Mountain was brutally steep but mercifully short. A few day hikers that I had passed before arriving at Galehead said, “Oh, we better get out of your way. We know you’re fast.” when I came up behind them on the ascent. I guess I was pretty fast compared to a day hiker, but I still felt like a slow thru hiker.
The top of South Twin had a party going in full swing. At least that’s what it felt like. Someone was playing music, there were groups of people chatting scattered around the mountain, and there was the feeling of buoyancy and relaxation in the air because the weather was so amazing. I saw Mud at the top and chatted with her for a while before moving on. There was a little too much activity up there for me, so it was back into the trees.
When I reached Mt. Guyot about a mile later, I was speechless. There was something about this area that instilled such a feeling of peace and calm. Maybe it was because the mountain was surrounded by other mountains instead of overlooking a deep valley. I felt nestled in a calm pocket of forest that brought me back to being in Montana or Wyoming. It was so gorgeous. I took a snack break and enjoyed it for a while, wishing I could end my day early to stay at Guyot Shelter. If I wasn’t on such a strict deadline, I definitely would have.
But, I had to keep moving. I stopped by Zealand Fall Hut just before 5 for a water and snack break, and then was rewarded with the flattest, easiest trail in all of New Hampshire. It was glorious! I hadn’t seen a trail this flat since the riverwalk in CT. I was flying! Those 4.5 miles passed in no time and, before I knew it, I was at Ethan Pond. The sun started to go down, but I got in just before I needed to turn on my headlamp.
When I got to the shelter, there was only one other person there and it was Halfpint! She had left the hostel the day before I had, so I was happy to see her again. She was an easy person to talk with and I enjoyed her company, making her the ideal sheltermate. And, yes, I was going to break my no-shelter streak and sleep in the shelter. Since I wanted to be up as early as possible in the morning, Halfpint and I called it an early night and got some shuteye.
And that’s day 163.
A version of this post originally appeared on TheTrek.co.