Garfield

Total trip duration: 4:39:30
Distance: 7.9 miles
Hikers: Jayme, Cori, Brigid, Vance and Quinn
4000 footer completion count: Garfield #43 (4,500 feet)

[Galehead Hut] > Garfield Ridge Trail > Garfield Trail [Garfield] > Garfield Trail

Up and at 'em!  We got cleaned up and made our way outside to enjoy the stillness and beauty of the morning in the mountains.  We squeezed in a game of Magic and then joined everybody for a group breakfast.  Cheers!

 We packed up our gear and said our good-byes.  Back on the trail again!

It didn't take long until the Ninja Warrior came out.  Must have been some good oats at the hut!

Well, a trip wouldn't be complete without some handy boardwalks!

The trail from the hut over to Garfield was a solid challenge of varying steep and rocky terrain.

Quinn's mom had been planning on meeting us at the top of Garfield but we were surprised to find that she had beat us to the summit!

It turns out that the summit bears the remains of an old fire tower foundation.  However, the truly unexpected was what was waiting on the other side of those remains.  To our surprise, Quinn's friends, Jayme and Cori, unexpectedly jumped out from behind the foundation.  He was beside himself with joy!

The summit of Garfield is unlike any of the peaks we've done to date.  The views are exquisite and there are all kinds of rock formations which made for great exploration.

We hung out at the top for a while taking it all in.  Amazingly, the woman who took our group picture was from Jayme and Cori's hometown and was best friends with one of Jayme's favorite teachers.  What are the chances?!

 If you look closely, you can see Galehead Hut just to the left of the Galehead summit in the picture below:

Quinn couldn't have been happier!

We grabbed a picture from atop the fire tower foundation before heading out.

Everybody was excited to go bombing down the mountain.  Maybe a bit too excited?  Here's Brigid at the point where we should have gone right!  We headed toward Lafayette for a while before deciding that we were heading in the wrong direction.  Oh well, what's an adventure without some adventure?

We got back on track and clipped along at a nice pace for a while.  We came upon this awesome rock and decided to stop for a rest.

I like that boulder.  That is a nice boulder!!!

Stopping by the stream to take advantage of the clear, cool water.

We made it!

I thoroughly enjoy hiking with Quinn but it was extra special getting to hike Garfield with Jayme, Cori and Brigid today.  Great hiking buddies combined with sublime weather on one of the 48's finest summits made for a truly memorable experience.  Quinn and I are so thankful they joined us today!

Quinn's Take

 In the morning I had some breakfast, played on the bunk beds with Reina and packed up to continue our adventure.  We were heading to Garfield.  The hike over was hard in some places because there were a lot of rock slides.  At the top of Garfield, my dad and I spotted my mom!  I was really excited to see her!  There were sick 360 degree views!!  There was a cement box at the top that used to be a fire tower.  My mom told me to go check it out.  Surprise!!!  Out popped my friends, Jayme and Cori!!  I couldn't believe it!  We had fun climbing around and exploring the rocks. After a while we decided to head down.  We were about .4 miles down and dad realized that we were going the wrong way.  NO!!!!  We got back on track.  Half way down we stopped to stretch our muscles.  We were all getting tired.  On the home stretch, my legs turned to jelly and I tripped and fell.  At the bottom we were so happy to sit on the bench and relax.  That was a really awesome hike!  I got to stay at a hut and hike with my mom and friends.  Happy trails to all!