Hiked by: Tim and Valerie on July 7, 2007 - via Garfield Trail
Conditions: Driving to the trailhead, we got to see a baby black bear cross Gale River Loop Rd in front of us. We assume that he was following momma bear and other siblings, but we only saw the tail end of the little one. He was a galloping ball of black fuzz.
When we arrived at the parking lot, there were already about six cars there. We suited up quickly and headed into the woods. It was a really nice walk up. Nothing really steep at all for the first 4.8 miles. There were quite a few people on the trail. There were three easy brook crossings near the beginning, and a set of switchbacks as we got up towards the ridge. Before we knew it, we were at the junction with the Appalachian Trail.
From this point forward (last 0.2 miles), it was a bit steeper. The summit was open and filled with people. We met our first AT thru-hikers of the year. The sky was overcast, but for the most part, the clouds were high enough that we could still get a good view of the surrounding mountains. We could see the tiny Galehead Hut off to the southeast. Franconia Ridge to the west was gorgeous. Owl's Head was big as life right in front of us.
The hike back down was, as usual, a bit tougher on the toes, but not bad on the knees. Tim got some great pictures of a snake on a log and a red squirrel who posed for him.
We made good time and were back at the car by 2:15PM.
Stats for the day: 10.0 miles, 3000 feet of elevation gain in under 6 hours. This included a long chatty stay at the summit.