June 30, 2012: Mt. Garfield (#33)

Looking up at Mt. Garfield's summit from the south

I have visited the White Mountains on three separate occasions since I "bagged" the Twins and Galehead over a month ago, but on none of those trips did I pursue any of my remaining four-thousand foot peaks.  What could anyone possibly be doing in the Whites that doesn't involve chasing lists?  On one visit my mom and I climbed Mt. Willard, a 2800-foot peak in Crawford Notch that offers perhaps the best view in the forest for the minimal effort required; on another visit my brother and I climbed to Glen Boulder and up to Boott Spur (a subpeak of Mt. Washington), where we wandered around and enjoyed the alpine zone; and finally I camped in the shadow of the Presidential Range before spending a day exploring the rugged and wild Mahoosuc Mountains that stretch into Maine.  Best of all, on none of these visits did I feel any regret for passing up the opportunity to bag 4000-footers.  Pursuing the 48 brings structure to my hiking, but it was nice to get away from the list for a while to assure myself I was still enjoying hiking for the bliss that the mountains bring and not getting caught up in a game.
With a hopeful forecast this Saturday, it seemed like an opportune time to get back to work on my list before I move down to Pennsylvania in a few weeks.
The entrance to Gale River Loop Road is rather discreet.  Coming from Franconia Notch, if you find yourself crossing the bridge over the Gale River, you've gone too far.  There isn't much to say about the Garfield Trail itself.  I was surprised at how moderate this trail is - the grade is reasonable for almost the entire length of the ascent and there are few rocky sections until you reach higher elevations.  As far as trails to 4000-footers go, this might be about as good as it gets.  At the junction with the Garfield Ridge Trail, the ascent becomes significantly rockier and steeper, but the summit is only two-tenths of a mile away, so the climb isn't terrible.
After a hot ascent, the strong gusts at the summit were a treat, but even more so were the jaw-dropping 360 degree views.

Franconia Ridge towering to the southwest

Adams, Jefferson, Clay, and Washington rising above North Twin

I don't want to speak too soon and proclaim the end of black fly season, but we weren't bothered by any at all, perhaps due to the winds.  We chatted with the many others out enjoying the mountains on such a beautiful day.  Although I expected the views to be hazy today, it turned out to be a pretty clear day.  We could see all the way to Camel's Hump and Mt. Mansfield in Vermont.
We spent time eating, drying out, looking through the binoculars, and just relaxing.  While naming peaks, one particularly sharp peak rising just behind the Bondcliffs seemed to perplex everyone within earshot.  Our best guess was Chocorua, but I have yet to consult the map.

South Twin, Galehead Hut, and Galehead Mountain

Mt. Bond, West Bond, and Bondcliff with Mt. Carrigain at center (distant)

Westward view toward Vermont's Green Mountains

North Kinsman and Cannon Mountain peeking over the north flank of Mt. Lafayette

After lounging for an hour, it was time to head down.  The only bummer about Mt. Garfield is that the trail is completely in the trees until reaching the summit (meaning no views for our descent).  We took one last good look around at the killer views, then dove into the trees.  Good conversation made the descent fly by and before we knew it we were back at the cars.  What a day!