Crawford Notch to Lakes of the Clouds Hut
Despite the high price tag on the bunk for last night it ended up working out really well, with a great breakfast buffet and a ride back to the trail with Kevin. He was super nice and it is very appreciated for his help this morning.
The start of the hike today was brutal. Very steep climb up Webster Cliffs that seemed to go on forever. I did manage to go over several high peaks including Mt Webster, Mt Jackson, The South Peak of Mt Clinton, Mt Clinton, Mt Eisenhower, Mt Franklin and Mt Monroe. Neither Eisenhower nor Monroe are directly on the AT, but with my short mileage day today, I was able to take some side trips and go for some shameless peak bagging.
The nice thing about today was that I was in no rush and was able to stop and enjoy the beautiful weather and chat with all sorts of people along the way. Speaking of good weather, it would have been a great day to be on Mt Washington since the summit was clear all day and is supposed to be the same tomorrow. The problem is the lack of stopping places after the summit. So I either stayed at the hut or...well, there realy was no plan B. I got here and was able to secure another work for stay deal and for some minor chores around the kitchen got a ton of dinner and a place to sleep just 1.4 miles from the summit of Washington.
Sitting in the hut, everyone here was also treated to a sunset that can not be described in words and I hope my pictures come out reasonably well to show how impressive it was. Definitely nothing like I have seen before.
Heading down off the ridge of the Presidential Range tomorrow and then back to mainly below treeline walking except for some periodic summits along the way.
Lump limped along at subsonic speeds.
(also good and appropriate for the name of the band - Presidents of the USA)
- Snowfox
Sent on the go from my Peek
It was our pleasure to listen to your stories about your adventures on the AT. The least we could do was buy you a beer and drive you to the trailhead. We are sort of living vicariously through your time on the trail.
ReplyDeleteTurns out, no flat tire. Just cold ones. Once they warmed up from the driving, no problem.
The hike up Tuckerman's Ravine to Mt. Washington was a leisurely one. We managed to make it up after a nice long lunch on the trail and a not-so-nice long trek about the rim of the ravine to the summit. Brutal! The view from the summit was amazing. We spied Lakes of the Clouds Hut from the summit and we all wondered out loud if you were there. We passed on an opportunity to catch a lift back down to Pinkham and hiked down instead. It was a great first 4000-footer for the girls!
Thanks for sharing your adventure with us. If you have need for any supplies, a beer, or a lift post-AT, please email. It would be our pleasure.
Kevin, Madison, & Rhiannon