Mt Garfield Dream

In the story 'Mt Garfield Dream', the author and a companion, after camping for two wet days at 13 Falls in the Pemigewasset Wilderness, ascend the Garfield Ridge in a May rainstorm, enduring a frigid and dangerous water crossing on the way. After reaching the Appalachian Trail (AT), that travels along the crest of the ridge, they turn west and continue their ascent toward Garfield Shelter, negotiating the steep climb up the rocky cone of Mt Garfield. As the freezing runoff from the rain cascades down the trail like an icy waterfall, the rain turns to a blinding driven snow and they worry about hypothermia and their ability to erect a tent if Garfield Shelter is no longer there. But they press on, unaware of what awaits them higher up the mountain.

The entire story is available only in 'The White Mountain Chronicles', a collection of 22 travels, memoirs, and adventures. The eBook may be purchased and downloaded at Smashwords or Amazon.

Enjoy!

Two hyperlinks appear below; visit Smaswords to download the eBook in any format or visit Amazon to download the eBook to your Kindle.

'The White Mountain Chronicles' at
Smashwords

'The White Mountain Chronicles' at
Amazon

(approx 53,900 words)

Chapters
My AMC White Mountain Guides
May Camp
Red Flannel Hash
In the Shadow of Monadnock
Carter Notch in Winter, the First Trip
Through the Past Darkly with Sven Saws and Candle Lanterns
Winter Night at Hermit Lake
How Things Come to Pass
Second Sojourn
Camp 16
Ghosts and Summits
Golden Girls
Pilgrimage
Mt Garfield Dream
Closing Galehead
Remembering Ray Evans, 1909-2001
Mountain Pond and Carter Dome
Riddle of New Hampshire
Mt Carrigain Trilogy
On the Garfield Ridge with Jack Kerouac
Out of the Fog
The 48 Summits

Mt Garfield Dream

In the mid-1980s, Bob and I were once again off on a May adventure. In a solid rain, we hiked in on the Wilderness Trail, located off the Kancamaugus Highway in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, until we reached the Franconia Brook Trail, and then continued north to the 13 Falls Campsite. We made camp and hoped for good weather to ascend to the Garfield Ridge Trail, and later climb the cone of Mt Garfield until we reached the shelter at Garfield Spring. The weather did not cooperate; instead, it got worse. After two days at 13 Falls, we climbed Mt Garfield in a blizzard, a hike that had its own challenges. Read the story at the link below.


Mt Garfield Dream

Laudizen