After taking our dried rain gear inside, we settled in the common room. People were talking, going over maps, and reading old hut log books. There were big windows giving great views up to Lafayette and the ridge. While we sat at the tables talking, a sudden storm came in. The rain blew sideways, and a dark cloud appeared over Lafayette. It dropped so fast I couldn’t believe it. In seconds the entire mountain and ridge were gone. I turned to Joe, and when I turned back, there was a solid wall of white outside the windows. The wind blew, and the rain beat at the hut. You couldn’t see it, but you could hear it hitting. We’re always told weather can change fast in the mountains, but I’d never seen anything like this. The room became quiet as everyone watched and listened. I hoped there were no hikers on the ridge! After giving us a good thrashing, the storm lifted. I think we were all glad to have been inside.

The huts are known for their hearty food, cooked and served by the croo. This year the head cook at Greenleaf is a talented fellow. I had the best meal I’ve had at a hut, and the soup was perhaps the best I’ve had anywhere. The chicken pot pie was delicious and filling. I ate so much I didn’t have room for desert. Joe managed to squeak some in, though.

After the evening program about the local geology, we prepared our gear for the next day, filled our water bladders and stowed stuff away. Then we spent some time in the common room, reading and talking. Just before 9:30, the "lights out" time at the hut, we headed for the bunk rooms. Better to avoid the rush.

Next morning I was up early and checked out the common room for coffee. As soon as it was ready I went back and woke up Joe. He seemed to think it was a bit too early, but we got coffee and headed outside to watch the morning greet the mountains. Our surroundings were beautiful. The hut sits at the transition line between boreal forest and tundra. The ground surrounding the building supported a couple of different grass species, moss, and a protected patch of mountain sandwort, an arctic plant. Lafayette, Lincoln, and Little Haystack were looking as far away as they had the night before. After talking with another early riser we went back inside, and were happy to hear the rattle of dishes, which meant breakfast wasn’t too far off. I fear breakfast didn’t impress us as much as the evening meal. The pancakes were okay, oatmeal is oatmeal, there wasn’t enough bacon for everyone to have two slices, and no eggs at all. Not much protein for the hard hike ahead. Oh, well.

We chatted with the couple across the table. I commented that I’d had to crawl part way up the mountain to get there, and they said they had too. The lady beside me was a volunteer at the hut. She asked what our plans for the day were, and I told her we would go up Lafayette, across the three mountains, and down Falling Waters Trail. She said, "You’re going DOWN Falling Waters Trail?! That’s not recommended!" That surprised me. I did some fast thinking about trail descriptions I’d read. Most people prefer to go up Falling Waters, but then, most people like to go up the steeps, and I prefer to go down them. Now she had me doubting my decision. The couple across the table said they’d come up Falling Waters the day before, and we should be fine. Next, the lady asked them their plans. They were climbing Lafayette and then hiking Garfield Ridge Trail to Galehead Hut. She asked them if they’d been on that trail before and wished them good luck, as it was a bad trail.