Aug 23. AMC

There is a reason it is not recommended that you sleep above tree line. The structure, we called it our bunker, that we slept in was the foundation from an old fire tower. It became very windy and cold. If we were not in our tent, I am sure it would have blown away. The sound of the flapping, the metal poles on the concrete, and learning how flexible our tent is made for little sleep. There is a reason that the trees cannot survive up there. Knowing all this, I would have done it again for the amazing evening we had on Mt Garfield.

This morning there was a nice sunrise but we were busy trying to pack up quickly to get out of the wind. The moment we stepped into the tree line, it was warm and comfortable. We climbed steeply down to Liberty Camp.

They have shelters, campsites and huts in this area. The camps have caretakers, privys, and tent platforms. They charge 8.00 per night. We prefer to stealth camp but they do look nice. The huts are like lodges with bunk houses in them. They charge 80-100 per person and are usually full from reservations. They serve breakfast and dinner for the guests. They sell soup and leftovers to the thru hikers if you arrive at the right time, they offer work for stay and you get to eat your fill with the leftovers and get a space on a bench or somewhere for the night. We aren't too excited about work for stay because you often have to stay till after breakfast when we like to begin early. However, we are going to try to stay in Lake of the Clouds tomorrow because there is quite a few miles above tree line with no place to camp. They will only take four hikers.

Today was filled with open views, steep inclines and declines. We ended at the road and hitched a ride from a family from Montreal to the AMC ( (Appalachian Mountain Club) where we knew a group from our church would be staying. Had an all you can eat dinner with them and decided to stay in the bunk house. Long, tiring day knowing tomorrow will be some of our longest climbs yet.