My daughter Katie and her friend Jenn, both 13, came along for their first hiking trip.
We were at the Garfield Trail at 9:00 A.M. and started the long hike to the summit. The summit
is 4.6 miles away. The girls started off slowly but after crossing the brooks, they were
taking the lead. We took lots of breaks because it was hot, in the mid 80's. The trail
started ascending by a series of switchbacks, we counted 7. After the last switchback we
headed up steeply to the junction of the Garfield Ridge Trail. Taking a left leads to the
tent sites. Climbing steeply for .14 miles brings you to the treeless summit of Garfield.
The summit was beautiful, a very clear day, temps in the 70's and a slite breeze. The views
to Lafayette, Owls Head and the Bonds were great. We saw a couple of gliders soaring over
Franconia Ridge.
We rested and ate our subs and just relaxed for about 2 hours. No one was in a hurry to go
back to civilization. I think the girls realized how rewarding all the hard work was.
When we started down we took the wrong trail for a couple hundred feet, but it was steep
down and again back up. Following the right trail we cruised down. It was a long walk back
out, but it was a great first hike for the girls. I hope they caught the hiking bug, so I can
get up more.
DMP