Hut Backpacking on the Appalachian Trail
July 18 - 20, 2021
Wow, Wow. A special thanks to the Appalachian Mountain Club for their dedication to the protection, enjoyment, and understanding of the great outdoors. The AMC is the oldest outdoor group in the US. It was created In 1876 to explore and preserve the White Mountains in New Hampshire. What a treat to experience the incredible Galehead and Zealand Falls Huts.
Dan, Mary, Mark and Coral began our Journey of the White Mountains with a few miles of fairly flat trails. We then began our climb on a few miles of rocky trails. The forest was vibrant green with ferns, wild flowers and a mass variety of trees. We arrived at the Galehead Hut in about 3.5 hours. Galehead's "Croo" provided a warm welcome and showed us to our bunk room area.. There were 10 of us staying at Galehead for the night. Nice people, sharing the love for the great outdoors on foot. Galehead provided a cheesy pasta dinner, peas, split pea soup, salad, fresh homemade bread and dessert. Accommodations were terrific and we all slept well. Galehead Croo was at it again with a marvelous breakfast of oatmeal, bacon, pancakes and eggs. Thanks to Dan for packing in fresh cream for our morning coffee! After breakfast, we began our second day of foot travel and backpacks heading toward Zealand Falls Hut. The rain was with us through this second day journey for about four hours. Dressed in our rain gear and poles in our hands, we put one foot in front of the other, walking and climbing over rugged rocky terrain, steep climbs and descents, boulder climbing and stream and river crossings. The day was full of "mind over matter" as we struggled to get to Zealand Falls Hut. After 7.45 long hours of hiking, we finally arrived exhausted, mentally spent and wet. What a joy to see the rooftop of Zealand Falls Hut amongst this incredible mountain range. We all dropped our backpacks and quickly changed into dry clothes. Hot tea and dry feet were on tap. We enjoyed a hardy meal of baked chicken, homemade bread, broccoli, soup and salad. We tucked into bed by 8:00 pm as our bodies and legs couldn't take anymore upright position. The next morning we woke with the beautiful singing of a Croo member playing her guitar. After enjoying a complete breakfast, we packed up and headed out on the trail once again. The last day of hiking was about three miles of soft flat dirt trails with only a few rocky steps to endure. An accomplished journey.