Got up and out early and headed down the remaining 3 miles to Galehead Hut. The rocks continued steeply for most of the way. Just what my knees needed! At Galehead we immediately dived into the thru-hiker leftovers. With inflation, they now cost $1, up from a quarter in 1977, but still a bargain. Sure cuts down on the snacks you have to carry.

Lots of rocks and steep climbs were the order of the day over South and North Twin, then Mt. Guyot. The day took an interesting twist a couple miles from Zealand Falls Hut. Coming across some sharp rocks, the sole of my right boot peeled all the way back. With each step it was flapping badly, I was afraid I'd trip and fall. Didn't have any duct tape (poor planning on our part), but Ronald used an elastic strap, then wrapped it up with adhesive tape. I babied it down to Zealand Hut, where we borrowed a roll of duct tape from the Hut Croo for a little better security. I looked very stylish with my silver-toed boot.

I was thinking we might stop here for the night, but Cowboy and Creeper beat us to the thru-hiker spots. They were napping in the bunkroom to rest up for their work stint (poor babies!). Ronald assured us that the next 5 miles to Ethan Pond were basically flat on an old railroad bed, so we figured we could make it without too much trouble. We had actually gotten a preview of the trail for that section earlier in the day from a viewpoint on a rock outcropping. It slabs along the side of a mountain, following a large stream. While at the viewpoint, we met Papasan, a retired gentleman who was also thru-hiking Northbound. He was staying at Zealand Hut tonight, also, but he had made reservations and paid full price at all the huts, so he didn't have to worry about getting there early.

We left Zealand Hut around 3:00, and since most of the descent was already out of the way before the hut, we were able to fly down the trail. It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon, so we really enjoyed ourselves. We crossed a number of little creeks, and with the sun filtering through the leaves on the trees, it made a lovely scene. I almost forgot about my duct-taped boot. We zoomed on to Ethan Pond Shelter by 5:30. The side trail to the shelter passes along the edge of the pond, with the water gently lapping up to the trail.

During dinner preparations, we had our second event for the day. The stove almost blew up! The gasket on the fuel bottle blew, and gas squirted everywhere, making a dramatic flame-out and melting the pump in the process. So -- scratch two major pieces of equipment in one day. That really upped the ante. Actually, it made the next decision easier. We had been debating about the best course of action to replace my boots. Do I keep walking with them duct taped? Do we try and get to a phone and have the Moaks overnight me my Bass boots from Virginia? And if so, where to send them? Mt. Washington? Gorham? Or, do we try to find somewhere to buy new boots? And if yes, where? The stove melt-down eliminated most of the scenarios. There was no repairing the pump. It would have to be replaced. Therefore, it made sense to replace the boots, too. Now the only question was where?

This was the beginning of a series of events which were once again, only possible with the help of our guardian angel who has been sitting on my shoulder since we left home. There is no other explanation for what happened in the next few hours. There were two men staying at the shelter who knew the area well. They told us that at Crawford Notch, just three miles from here, we would be only 20 miles from North Conway. North Conway apparently is an outlet mecca, and has just about every outfitter we could need, including a big EMS (Eastern Mountain Sports). It would mean a long hitch into town, but at least it sounded like a workable option.

With that decision out of the way, we munched a cold dinner and enjoyed a relaxing evening in the shelter. A fierce rainstorm came up quickly, but was over before sunset. I'll sleep better knowing we have a workable solution to our equipment mishaps.

The hike this morning continued the agony from last night. We finished the rock torture the rest of the way down off Garfield. Followed by a series of assents and descents to Galehead Hut. We stopped at Galehead long enough to get enough food for the upcoming climb. Leaving the hut, there was a steep assent to the ridge. Gentler trail followed and it was enjoyable when we reached the ridge. Clouds from last night hung heavy in the air. Distant views were obscured. We did get enough view to sense the lay of the land.

After we hit the spur trail to South Twin we were able to cruise. We were flying down the trail until I looked down and saw the sole of Linda's boot flapping in the breeze. I don't know why she hadn't noticed it before. The sole had detached from the toe to the mid-sole. The whole thing was in danger of pealing off. We stopped at the first wide spot in the trail for me to do some quick repair. I wrapped the boot with medical tape, figuring it would get her as far as Zealand Hut a few miles away.

All the way to Zealand we discussed possible options. None of which seemed too promising. Fortunately when we arrived they had go old duck tape. I wrapped her foot in a half dozen layers. There was still another eight miles to the next road. It was also possible we wouldn't fix the problem until Gorham quite a few miles up the trail. Cowboy and Creeper have decided to do another night of hut sitting but we wanted to get further up the trail. After a few munchies, we struck out to Ethan Pond.

The five-miles to Ethan Pond are flat, beautiful and follow and old railroad bed. We made excellent time an arrived around 5:30. Shortly after we arrived the rain that had been holding off all day came down. It was nice to sit and watch it from the comfort of the shelter.

After the rainstorm, Linda was trying to light the MSR Whisperlight stove for dinner. One of the parts on the pump had come loose a few days ago and pump and fuel bottle didn't seal correctly. I'd been meaning to fix it but I was getting lazy. When she lit the stove, flames and unburned gas shot out a gap between the bottle and pump. I was laying in my sleeping bag with no shoes on. There was little I could do. I yelled to smother it. Franticly she picks up handfuls of dirt and throws it on the stove. Well the fire's out but the stove is shot. The pump is melted beyond repair. It funny that the exact thing happened last night to another hike at Garfield Ridge shelter. It seemed funnier last night when it happened to someone else.

Well fate has planned our tomorrow for us. With both Linda's boots and the stove shot, there is little we can do but get into town tomorrow to fix things.

Today, the travel was a hard ups and downs morning until we passed Gale Head Hut. After the hut, the trail started to get better. We had to climb up onto a ridge and walk along the ridge for a while. While on the ridge dad noticed moms boot flapping so he taped it with surgical tape as a temporary fix. On the other side of the ridge the trail takes a steep drop off down to Zealand Falls Hut where we ate one-dollar snacks and duct taped moms boot. Then we headed on for we had five more miles to go. The miles went by fast but not fast enough and I began to get bored of all this flat ground. We got to the camp ground by 5:30 and started to make dinner. Unfortunately the stove caught on fire and it melted the top of the fuel bottle. We ate cold dinner and talked to some guys. They lived in the area and knew about good places to go to get new boots and a replacement for the fuel bottle.