After our rainy and cold hike to Zealand Falls Hut we settled in the the evening. We were the last group in for the day, so we scramble around to find empty bunks and places to hang up our wet gear before we could take the opportunity to relax.
Zealand Falls Hut wasn't my favorite. While the bunk rooms were recently remodeled, the common area was older and cramped, so it was difficult to find any place to relax. Even more difficult since the hut was full, and everyone was staying inside. A large number of our fellow guests were from a high school, participating in a pre-school year trip. Nice kids, once you broke the ice, which I did by taking on their ace chess player in a couple of games. He played a pretty scattered game, so I didn't have any trouble beating him.
We also killed some time getting to know a Dutch family who we'd first bumped into at Galehead Hut. Mom, dad, and three kids - they were having a great time in the mountains.
One other interesting sidelight of the evening was our guest "croo." The regular croo was off for the day to attend the annual all croos summer party at Galehead Hut, so a family of volunteers took over for them. While they tried their best, they didn't quite have the same polish and skills as our regular bunch, especially in the kitchen. Nonetheless, kudos to them for volunteering!
 |
| Cloudy, but at least no rain for today's hike! |
 |
| Our school group hut mates at a morning meeting. |
After breakfast we crawled back into our damp clothes and shoes and prepared to hit the trail. Today was a pretty short hike, mainly down, to the Highland Center at Crawford Notch. There we'd be able to shower, wash clothes, resupply, and get ready for the next leg of the trip.
For the first time in several days, our trail took us out of the alpine and sub alpine forests down into lower elevations. More streams were in evidence, including an impressive beaver pond, and we observed many more flowers in later stages of growth than we had at the higher elevations.
 |
| In the lowlands, after three days among the peaks. |
 |
| Carmel and Traci take advantage of an excellent bridge. |
 |
| A lovely beaver pond. |
The lower elevations didn't end the rocks, which included a rough scramble up and over the shoulder of Tom Mountain, but after a while we began to descend along the stream leading to Crawford Notch. Encouragingly, we started seeing an increasing number of day hikers coming up from the Notch. We knew we were close!
 |
| Moss-covered rocks were a common sight. |
 |
| Time for a break! |
A little after lunch time, we could hear US 302 carrying traffic through Crawford Notch, and we soon popped out of the woods near the Highland Center. Taking their ease and greeting us on the front lawn was our Dutch family, and we were happy to dry out in the sun with them while we waited on our rooms to be ready.
 |
| An international crew chills out at the Highland Center. |
 |
| Four days in the books! |
Next time - Back on the trail!
No comments:
Post a Comment