Date: 2003-08-09
From: Lakes of the Cloud Hut

To: Campsite
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: light rain

TAKE THE GOOD WITH THE BADReally hard to come up with a title for today. It could've been "My Heroes of the Day," "Beauty," "Lessons Learned," "My Eyes Opened," the list goes on and on. We had a clear view of Mt. Washington this morning. The crew at the hut was absolutely amazing! Weather report: 80% chance of rain and thunderstorms bringing 2 to 4 mph winds.Did our work for the morning, then doctored up my blisters with moleskin and duck tape. The climb up Mt Washington was very rocky. The whole day was above treeline. Weird to see bulldozers at the top. Got pictures by the summit sign. For those who don't know, Mt Washington is the highest peak in New England. It was supposed to be the original end of the AT. The worst weather reported winds recorded at 231 mph - highest speed ever on earth. A cog railroad ran up to the top, so it was crowded up there. Good that it wasn't the end. Wouldn't want to finish with that many people around. They have their own post office up top. There was a list of over 180 people who had lost their lives on the mountain. Most were from exposure.We left, climbing down rocks. Crossed the railroad - a place where most thru-hikers moon the train. We passed on that. Soon we got in a cloud. The guys got pretty far ahead of me. Not moving good over the rocks. Then, I got sick. I ran off the trail 2 times - feeling horribly. Had to sit for a second but knew I needed to just make it to the hut - about 2.5 miles away. Not long after I started hiking, it started to pour. Whew! Deep breath. Walked about a mile with thoughts going through my mind. Feeling bad that I want to stop. Then I ask myself what am I doing. Is that part of the hike worth this? To be sick in some of the worst mountains.Oopu was waiting for me at one of the mountains. When I got to him, I broke down. He carried my pack - not letting me get it back. He carried it about 1.5 miles, along with his. I had no energy and could barely keep up with him. Hiking without a pack wasn't any easier. As we were getting closer to the hut, thunder roared all around. Scary place to be in a thunderstorm. As a tear goes down my face thinking what else could go wrong, I look out over the valley and through the mist at all this. It was so beautiful. A perfect U shape in the valley between 2 mountains. Made it down to the hut to find they wouldn't let more than two of us stay. Got some warm soup. At this point I was really frustrated. Not at the hutmaster but at the entire AMC. Trying to think of how I actually feel about the AMC. Yes, it is great that they allow hikers to work for stay and get meals but the best thing we came up with was that they should have the same limits at each hut. Either allow hikers to stay or not at all. We hikers actually help them out more. We eat their leftover food which they would have to throw out in compost. We help them clean, and we sleep on the floor. It's really frustrating to have to fight or not know where you are going to stay each night. We hike 1800 miles and don't have to pay a penny to sleep in a shelter until we get here where the AMC runs the trail. Sorry I'm rambling but it's what we've been going through.I didn't want to split up the group or give the AMC any money, so we decided to go. The thunder tapered off and the rain let up. The guys split up the weight from my pack. Asked the guys that worked there the quickest way off the mountain. They told us to take the Parapet Trail to the Daniel Webster Trail. Supposed to be a little over 4 miles. I didn't want to go but knew it would be the best. Well, the Parapet Trail was horrible. It went around Mt Madison. Rock climbing - at this one rock it was seriously dangerous - 12 ft dropoff. Had to climb, go over the boulder - keep in mind it's wet - on my knees holding on to tree limbs. We did a quarter of a mile an hour. Finally, we made it to the Daniel Webster Trail. Had a perfectly clear view of Mt Washington. The rain had completely stopped. Sun out, making the thunderhead clouds evident. Started down the Webster Trail. I slid on my butt for about 1/2 a mile down the rocks. It was horrible. Everytime I'd bend my knees to squat so I could sit on the rock my knees would crack and pop. We were barely moving at all. Ran into these 2 older guys who were told to take this trail as well. They were moving much slower than we were. Every now and then I'd just sit and look at the view. Probably one of the best I've seen yet.Climb was really steep. We finally made it below the treeline where the trail gradually got better. The bad thing was that the trail seemed to never end and it was beginning to get dark. Thunder sounded again along with a light sprinkle. It felt like we were walking on a treadmill with the same scenery passing by. Then we passed a sign that said only people in great physical condition should climb this trail. We finally made it to the bottom after 8:00 - took us about 4.5 to 5 hours to do 4 miles. Felt like I was reliving the night after climbing Kinsman. Stopped the forest ranger to let her know of the 2 guys who had no lights or overnight gear. The man working there gave us a ride to the Colonial Inn - hikers paradise. I wouldn't necessarily call it "hikers paradise." The 2 people running it were nice. It was like an apartment - shared bath and kitchen, bunkbeds. It had no ac and the guy who lived in the place wasn't the friendliest guy. We all ate pizza - me being careful of what I ate, then tried to sleep through the heat, the man talking, and smoke. So glad we made it. The man who gave us a ride told me that this one guy who hikes the Whites said that the Daniel Webster Trail is the hardest trail in the Whites. Also said that a week ago from Monday the winds at Madison got up to 114 mph and these 2 guys who were hiking up there got blown around, legs all cut up. These mountains are beautiful but so dangerous.