Date: 2016-06-26
From: Lakes of Clouds Hut

To: Pinkham Notch, then Sebago
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was the end of my 15th week on the trail. Coincidentally, Hiked 15 miles from Lakes of the Clouds Hut 1000 feet below Mount Washington to Pinkham Notch where Kim surprised me and is driving me back to "camp" for the night as I write.   Coconut macaroons, bananas, and chocolate covered almonds are making a great drive even better! After summiting Mount Washington at 6:45 this morning (I was the only person up there at the time which was incredibly cool) circled around Mounts Clay, Jefferson, and Adams, and summited Mount Madison. The ascent on Madison was challenging but the 3000 foot descent brutal! Tomorrow the big challenge is the Wildcat Ski area, peaks A, C, D, and E of Wildcat Mountain. Maine's Mahoosuc's will be the next big challenge in just a few days!For the past few days I have "worked for stay" with a number of other through-hikers at Lakes of the Clouds and Galehead Huts. In lieu of paying $125 to sleep in a bunk, I've cleaned dishes, defrosted a refrigerator, and organized a messy Hut basement. In return, I've gotten all I can eat for dinner and a roof over my head...even if it was on the dining room Floor! The first picture below are some of my fellow through hikers doing the same. We are waiting for the paying guests to finish their dinner. Lots of comraderie at the end of a long day. The other pictures are of Mount Washington, my first selfie at the top of Mount Washington, the cog railway up Mount Washington, and some other pictures near Mount Washington. That will be the last you hear of Mount Washington!Here is some info on the Hut System from Wikipedia: The High Huts of the White Mountains eight mountain huts in the White Mountains, in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, owned and maintained by the Appalachian Mountain Club. Modeled after similar huts in the Alps, they are positioned at intervals along the Appalachian Trail, allowing "thru-hikers" (those who hike the entire Appalachian Trail) to benefit from their services. They are generally separated by six to eight miles, about a day's hike.Hikers can reserve overnight bunks at the huts, which hold from 36 to 96 people each. In summer season (June through mid-September) the huts are "full service", serving dinner and breakfast. Three huts stay open the rest of the year as "self service", allowing guests to cook their own food in the kitchen.The huts are staffed by a team of five to nine caretakers - often called "the croo," using that spelling[1] - during full-service season. Each crew member works for eleven days on, three days off. During the eleven working days, they must make four trips back down the mountain to get perishable food and other supplies, carrying heavy loads. At the beginning of each season, fuel and supplies are flown into the huts by helicopter. The huts were built and are maintained by the Appalachian Mountain Club's construction crew.The huts are very popular, having handled thousands of hikers entering the back woods and environmentally sensitive areas above tree line. Four years and an environmental impact statement were required to get the huts' permits renewed by the U.S. Forest Service in 1999.[2]Sent from my iPhone