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After
climbing the final stretch up to Mt Lafayette, we caught up with
a family that we had run into multiple times on the trail that
day. They really liked Muffin and asked if they could take her
picture with their kids. They were also nice enough to take my
picture with Muffin as we posed next to the summit signpost.
Since
the afternoon was beginning to wear on, we didn't hang around
long admiring the views, but started almost immediately down the
rock-strewn Greenleaf Trail toward the hut. Along the way, I took
several pictures of the hut from the trail, each as we got successively
lower and closer to the hut. About halfway down, the Cannon Cliffs
began to appear deceptively close; from that angle, the Franconia
Notch itself is hidden from view.
At
the hut, I tied Muffin up outside and went in for a short rest,
and to get a look at the new composting toilets. The addition
of the new bathrooms at the end of one hallway also created several
smaller bunkrooms out of one of the former large bunkrooms. I
thought that the new design was much nicer. Before I left, I bought
a Coolmax t-shirt and a fleece. Unfortunately, the fleece later
turned out to be too small; its marked extra-large size would
have been better suited as a medium or a smaller large.
From
the hut, we bounded quickly off down the Old Bridle Path, passing
over the Agonies, and stopping to peer off the cliffs at the edge
of Walker Ravine. By the time we descended the last rocky pitch
into the woods, I was getting tired, and as always, the last mile
or so dragged on until we finally reached the trailhead and the
welcome rest of our car. |
Me
and Muffin on the summit of Mt Lafayette. A family from Quebec
that we kept running into on the trail took the picture for me. |
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