Date: 2013-09-06
From: Zealand Falls Hut

To: Lakes of the Clouds Hut
Miles today: 19.1

I woke up to the smell of pancakes. A breakfast lover's dream. But I did not wait around. I wanted to make it to Lakes of the Clouds Hut, 19 miles away, and I knew I would not get there before dark if I waited for breakfast. So at 7:15 I was on the trail, hiking away from those pancakes. That was so hard! It was clear and sunny but cold when I started out, so I wore a long-sleeved shirt and a hat, even as I maintained a brisk pace over the level (for once) terrain. It took me a little over 3 hours to hike that first 8 miles, which I must admit was a nice change of pace. I found myself hiking along the length of a valley between two mountain ridges, across boulder fields, which somehow reminded me of Grand Teton National Park, where I had spent two summers in college. I loved it.After reaching Crawford Notch which, like all the notches, is nothing more than a road crossing, the trail rose steeply and I finally warmed up. When I got to Webster Cliffs I caught a glimpse of Zeus's rainbow striped shorts through the trees and let out a whoop. Ahvoh and Zeus were taking a break. On the trail, even if it had only been a day or so since I had seen someone, I am nevertheless thrilled to reconnect. It's never guaranteed that you'll see someone again. You never know what may happen. Case in point: Chopper stayed back at Crawford Notch to track down his maildrops and because he was leaving the trail for a week to go on a trip to Nevada, I never had the chance to say goodbye and I never saw him again. Zeus, Ahvoh and I had a very fun and splendid afternoon hiking up the ridge toward Mt Washington. It was a beautiful day and the views were stunning, though half the time we had no idea what we were admiring. Still, we could see mountains for miles and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. It was amazing. We all agreed that days like these don't come often. At Mizpah Hut we easily convinced the croo member, a 2011 thru-hiker, to let us do a work-for-lunch. Soup, bread, brownies, and lemonade in exchange for chopping veggies and washing dishes? Deal! I got to Lakes of the Clouds Hut, nestled at the base of Mt Washington, at 6:30 and arrived at the same time as Tina and Ted, Fat Man Walking's sister and brother in law. I had met them when I stayed with FMW's parents, but had forgotten they were meeting him there. Inside, the hut was full of guests--and lots of thru-hikers. The croo at LOTC hut can't really turn anyone away since they have no place to send them. I was greeted by FMW who gave me a hug and said he had been worried about me ever since I didn't show up at the Garfield Shelter. Same story with Mooch. It was great to see everyone--Rambo, Acorn, Fritz and Anni, Ridgerunner, LOL, Spider, Chiquita, Zeus, Ahvoh--it was a hiker party! A great group. The only one who wasn't there was Chopper. He texted me to tell me he probably wouldn't see me again because he had to figure out what happened to his maildrops, and he was leaving the trail for a week to go on some trip to Nevada. So sad.Most of us paid $10 to sleep on the floor and scrubbed pots in exchange for leftovers. Considering that the guests paid $90, I can't complain. It was nice, once again, to be inside, warm, well fed...and just a short 1.5 miles away from Mt Washington!!!