Garfield

I went back and forth on what to hike today, the weather didn't look so good, but I really wanted to get in a hike. I've been seeing posts on Facebook that there's snow in the Whites, and I wanted to make sure that my first "winter" hike wasn't too hard. But I also didn't want to do a really easy one like Cannon - I figure I should save that for real winter. Garfield has all the requirements, plus an access road that closes once there's snow so it can't be hiked in the winter. The only thing is that the top is opened so there's a really nice view, and it was supposed to be cloudy....  Still, I went with it, and was glad I did!  It was a really nice hike, one to put on the list to revisit (unlike The Owl, Isolation, or Adams) on a day when it's clear out.

I did pretty well getting up. I left home at 7 am! I had put some stew in the crock pot last night, and put it in the fridge. I even remembered to put it on to cook when I left :)  I added corn when I got back, should be done in like 10 min, which is good because my stomache is rumbling. I got to the mountain at 9:30. I was pretty impressed with myself for finding it because it's on this mostly unmarked access road with pretty much no signage until you get to the parking lot and trail head a mile and a half in. When I got there, though, I was a little horrified to see a Meet up group with like 20 people gathering! Sigh. I also realized that I didn't have my 3 season boots, and was going to have to wear the winter ones, and that I needed to wear two pairs of socks with them (I confess, I found one pair in the back seat of my car, balled up from my last hike). I was glad I had them, though, because up high there was snow!

I decided to take my time and let the Meet up group go ahead. In addition, there were two groups of three guys, one of Spanish  speakers, one of whom kept whistling which was annoying and one that was three guys in like their 20's + a really nice dog.  I let them go ahead too, because I assumed they would be faster, but I actually wound up passing the dog guys!  And the Latino men too, though they passed me again.

The hike was really gradual for the first part, with two pretty nice stream crossings. The first half didn't even have a ton of rocks in the path which was refreshing. It obviously got steeper, but not too steep until the last .2 miles. There were even a few switch backs!  Eventually it started snowing, lightly. It's 5 miles up and it took me about 4 hours.

One woman from the Meet up was having a hard time. I passed her on the way up, she was eating a rice cakes with something on them, which I thought was a funny trail snack. I ran into people going down in a bit, and they were all like "do you have a purple parka? Are you with the meet up?" Everyone had a message for her on the way down, and they kept asking me because I was a woman hiking by myself. It was a little weird because in the middle of nowhere do you want to tell a stranger you are alone? Usually with hikers it's fine, but I feel like most people don't ask.

Anyhow, the top was cold and windy and no view. I walked around for about three minutes and then went and stood in a  grove and ate something. There was actually a tent set up - it's right on the AT, I wonder if someone's still through hiking? It's an in and out hike, so after a snack and a chat with a few other people in the grove (I was alone on the summit for my 3 min, but you are never alone up top), I headed back down.  My 3 guy and a dog friends were headed off to Galehead. Brave. 10 miles is good for me!

The top was slippery, and I got to use my spikes! I was about 2 hours down and starting to have dark thoughts, when I realized I hadn't sat down, and I really hadn't had much to eat. So, I through a jacket over a rock, sat, and ate a power bar. I felt so much better! The last hour was a lot easier. Must remember for future.