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This 2-day, 1 night trip is led by AMC Worcester Chapter, our leaders are Walt and Wendy, 7 participants including leaders. Very grateful to wander in mother mountain's arms and just relax. We entered from Lincoln Woods Trailhead, stayed at 13 Falls Tentsite, exited at Gale River Trailhead. Total milage is about 16 miles. The Lincoln Woods Trail and Franconia Trail that lead to the tentsite are very flat and peaceful. Part of it was originally a railway track. We could still see some traces of people's life here 150 years ago, such as metal materials half buried in the ground. There are fair amount of streams to cross on this traverse. Some rocks in the middle of streams are wobbly. We took extra caution each time. 9 tent pits are scattered away from each other on the 13 Falls Tentsite, each pit fits 2 one person tents or 1 bigger tent, first come first serve. All pits were full by about 6pm on Monday night. Number 13 means tentsite No. 13 not because there are 13 waterfalls around. The tentsite caretaker's tent looks very nice! His name is Skyler, lives here for 10 days, then 2 days off, then back again. Each time, he carries up 70lb of fresh food, AMC (Appalachian Mountain Club) pays for his food. He said there's nothing better than living in the woods. There are many waterfalls around the tentsite for sure, each one has a personality of its own. The middle one looks like a lady's scarf isn't it. So pretty! The pounding sound cleans one's heart. We have designated place to cook, at least 100 yards away from tents. The bear safety guide can be found on Forest Serve website here. Food and stuff with a smell must be stored in bear boxes. At about 8pm, it was already hard to keep eyes open, time to crawl inside. My little tent is actually very spacious. It is not too bad to be short. Each morning, Skyler receives weather updates from Mt. Washington Observatory by 7am. Hikers plan the day according to the weather. The next day, we traveled from the tentsite through Tween Brook Trail, Garfield Ridge Trail, then Gale River Trail, passing by AMC Galehead hut. It did rain intensively for 10 minutes while we enjoyed hearty bread and soup cooked by sweet hut staff. Lucky on that, or we'll be soaked inside out. When the rain stopped, the mountains were covered by silk like clouds. Were the gentle clouds lovingly massaging mountain's crisp green faces? I tucked the camera away from here, just enjoyed the last 4-ish miles before saying goodbye to the rocks, trees, birds, flowers, chipmunks...... What a trip. Thanks to our patient and knowledgeable leaders and supportive teammates. What's next? Hmmmmm......
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