At the end of the day yesterday, we made the mistake of following Cascade Brook rather than Cascade Brook Trail after seeing a sign telling us where to cross the stream since the old bridge was now gone. The result was we had to go fill in a small gap where we had been off trail. We also fired Talloaf as navigator, and after voting him off the island, today we became the Gang of Four. Getting back to the point we went astray as quickly as possible was the goal, and as we tried to work out the details of that, who do we bump into at the AT parking lot but Steve Lobombard, in the area to be a trail angel. With his assistance, we were soon back on track to pass every single white blaze on the trail.

Today we crossed Franconia Ridge, one of the AT’s most scenic locations. The climb up to Liberty Springs was grueling as we were carrying the heaviest packs we’ve had since Mt. Rogers, way back in early Virginia. But when we first broke above the tree line at Mt. Haystack, there was a collective sigh from the group. Another clear day in the Whites, and the views just got better and better as we ascended Mt. Lincoln and Mt. Lafayette.

The trail down from Lafayette was steep and rocky, and we were already beat when we had to climb up and over the even tougher Mt. Garfield to reach tonight’s campsite. Although things here are a little spread out (read “a long walk down to an excellent water source”), all the facilities are very nice. Another amazing day in the Whites, and we will sleep well tonight…