Day 9

Day 9- Today was the longest hike of the trip. It was a 12.7 mile traverse across three 4,000+ foot mountains. We started out on Galehead trail and hiked up to the Appalachian Trail. Along the way I learned what poison sumac looked like and saw a gigantic piece of slate in a stream. We knew it was slate because it was a dark black and smooth rock that was broken apart in flat slabs. We tried to find a small piece that had broken off but it was to no avail. Once we got to the Galehead Hut, I finally learned the difference between a Balsam Fir and a Red Spruce. The Balsam Fir has its cones actually on top of its branch and the branches make a V out from the trunk. The Red Spruce on the other hand has its cones on the bottom of the branch and the branches make more of a U shape out from the trunk. It was then a slow and steady path down the rest of the mountain and the 12.7 miles wasn’t as bad as we thought it was going to be.