Whoops

Some days you wake up planning on walking 18 miles and you end up doing 12. Some days, like today, you plan to go 10 miles and end up doing 22 over some of, arguably, the most difficult terrain on the trail in order to have a roof over your head when the pending rain comes in and when you get there you have to tent anyways because the hut master is a prick on a power trip. Or he's just following the rules but whatever I'm peeved. I'll come back to that.

The morning after our zero at Chet's we woke up early only to discover that Red Knees's rain jacket had disappeared in the night. We searched high and low to no avail and ended up in the predicament of having to wait until the outfitter opened at 9:30am before we could get a new jacket before we could hitch before we could get back on the trail. It was a long morning. (Note: breakfast sandwiches from Subway are a terrible idea. My digestive system is still recovering from their pre-cooked egg white fiasco.)

We finally got back to the trail around 10:15am and began the steep climb out of Franconia Notch and up to our frat exposed ridge line. The climb began gradual and became increasingly steep until we hit the ridge going almost hand over hand. Giddy with excitement for the views we were about to see we nearly sprinted through the pine trees and up Little Haystack Mountain until we burst forth from the forest and were treated to one of the best sights I've seen to date: rising in front of us was Mount Lincoln, the trail cut into the exposed ridge with hikers slowly moving up, like the blood pumping through the veins of the mountain. No picture I could ever take would do justice to the magnitude and awesomeness of that view. 

From the top of Mount Lincoln you could see the remaining climbs for the day rising in the distance, looking almost close enough to touch - Mount Lafayette and Mount Garfield. Hikers have a terribly difficult time judging distance and change in altitude above tree line and we were no exception. We used our energy poorly and early leaving us spent by the time Garfield and the ensuing vertical descent were upon us. 

By the time we arrived at Galehead Hut RK and I were spent. Our knees were locked up in pain, our feet throbbed and we were absolutely famished. Before I could even inquire about work for stay I downed three glasses of water and at least two of pink lemonade. Though the hut typically only allows two hikers to do work for stay (and McJetpack was already there) they generously agreed to accommodate both Red Knees and myself. 

We sat patiently while the paying patrons enjoyed their dinner and once they began to dissipate after dessert we sprang into action to aid with the cleanup. When all 3 long picnic tables were cleared off the hut "croo" invited us back for pasta, two kinds of soup, homemade crusty bread, veggies and mocha-caramel cake. We feasted until we couldn't possibly fit in another bite and then went about earning our stay by deep cleaning the storage cabinets and finishing up the last of the dishes. 

Tired and full but unable to put out our sleeping bags in the dining area until after lights out at 9:30pm we lounged in the corner out of sight counting down the minutes. By 9:35pm we were set up and asleep, sprawled across the benches in the dining hall. 

6:30am came far too soon as we hurried to finish packing our things to clear room for the guests to enjoy their breakfasts. We hung around just log enough to snag some delicious leftover multigrain pancakes before heading out on the trail. 

The first climb up to South Twin was aggressively steep for our first climb of the day but we took our time and hammered it out. From there it was all downhill into Zealand Falls Hut where we had the opportunity to work for fresh baked peanut butter-chocolate chip cookies. Damn right I did those dishes. 

Somewhere between Zealand Falls Hut and Crawford Notch we decided to make a serious dent in our climb up to Mount Washington and the 3 miles to Webster Cliffs somehow became 6 miles to Mitzpah Springs Hut. The climbing and descending was steep and terrifying across the board. I wiped out several times, being rescued largely by my pack which took the brunt of the fall on more than one occasion. The late afternoon views of the valley, however, were magnificent, with the dwindling light bouncing off the mountains and lighting our way up the cliffs. 

We arrived at Mitzpah Springs Hut just after 7:00pm after a grueling 21+ miles and waited patiently to inquire about work for stay so that we could have a roof over our heads when the rain comes in tonight. The hut master quickly turned us away saying that they were "full". From the last hut we knew that the huts, especially those at or above tree line in the Presidentials, will almost always bend the rules since there is really no place else safe to camp that is accessible in the remaining hour of daylight. But not this guy. Some combination of power trip and rule follower had him sending us, and me on the verge of exhaustion tears, out to the tent site. Thankfully the tent site attendant took pity on our plight and gave us a platform for free (well, work for stay technically but it got too dark to pick up trash tonight so we will do it first thing in the morning).  

Tired, we set up quickly and ate dinner in silence. Here's hoping it doesn't rain or, if it does, that it gets it all out overnight tonight.