Day 39. Seeing Progress

Mile 1828 – Garfield Ridge To Mile 1842 – Ethan Pond

The main goal for today was to set ourselves up to start the presidentials tomorrow, but it turned out to be a really enjoyable hike too. The terrain coming down from Garfield Ridge is challenging, but we are getting better at it. This is good because we’re going to be seeing a lot more trail like this for the next couple of weeks.

Slow terrain most of the day

There was a lot of exposed area along the ridge with views back toward where we’ve been and also ahead to where we are going. It has been really fun for Rocket to be able to see our progress in such a tangible way. It is pretty amazing to be able to point to a mountain in the distance and know that we walked over it just a couple of days ago.

Trying to identify peaks that we’ve crossed

Above the trees

The AMC operates a series of huts in this area that provide lodging and meals to hikers. They are expensive and are typically booked far in advance, so they are not really a good place to stay during a through hike. But they are great for a break as they allow through hikers to use them during the day and even have soup and baked goods available. We stopped in to one of the huts for the first time today for soup and some freshly baked bread for our afternoon snack.

Amazing views today

Sunset

A group of high school freshman from an East coast boarding school were on a class trip and staying at the same area where we were camped this evening. For many of the kids, this was their first time hiking or camping. They had lots of questions for Rocket about what it is like. The especially were anxious to hear about things they were afraid of, such as heights, animals in the woods, etc.

Chatting with highschoolers