It was not a very nice day to resume our hike, but there really wasn’t much of a choice. Luckily we only planned a 10 mile day… up the Franconia ridge. With full packs, we had a long, wet hike up to the ridge from the Liberty Springs Trailhead, where my dad dropped us off.
We really took our time today, but didn’t really stop too much. It was a cloudy, rainy day, and we were hiking in the clouds all afternoon once we reached the ridge. There was really no point in stopping anywhere since any views that might have been were completely ruined by the dense clouds we were in. Luckily we had done this section of trail last year, so we’ve seen the views from the Franconia Ridge, though it would’ve been a more pleasant day if we had the views today. We did get a few breaks I’m the clouds on the north slope of Lafayette Mountain which gave us some views to the north west down into the valley.
We finished our day with a steep hike up and over Garfield mountain and ended at the Garfield mountain campsite and shelter. This is a very nice shelter, pretty new and big. The AMC caretakers do collect a $10 per person fee for overnight campers at the campsite, which is apparently typical of the Whites. We seem to be the only thru-hikers here tonight, but there are quite a few weekend backpackers out spending the night. We had a nice time chatting with everyone while cooking dinner. We’re sleeping in the shelter tonight to avoid packing up wet gear in the morning, as it’s supposed to rain again tonight. I think it’ll prove to be a good choice.
