Date: 2017-07-21
From: Lakes of the Clouds Hut, NH

To: The Barn Hostel, Gorham, NH
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: overcast clouds

7/21/17, The Barn Hostel, Gorham, NHMiles hiked: 1562.5, Miles to Katahdin: 319.4, Miles to go: 637.2The thru hikers were up and out of the dining room by 6:30 AM when the hut guests were awakened by the croo at the Lakes of the Clouds Hut. We sat over in the corner while the guests ate breakfast. When they were done, we ate the leftovers. Since my $10 just reserved a spot on the floor and didn't technically include food, I went ahead and did some chores. So, in essence, I paid $10 for work for stay. I guess I should have asked for my $10 back; but, I really wasn't that worried about it. My chore consisted of picking up the trash the guests left on their bunks when they left - candy wrappers, used ear plugs, socks, hair ties, a package of birth control pills, and a large garden trowel. Whatever. I'm sure that the guests were not impressed with the thru hikers. That's OK, because we weren't very impressed with them. They ignored the signs that directed people to stay on the paths and off the fragile alpine plants. Many felt it was necessary to swim and bathe in the fragile alpine lakes for which the hut is named. And they felt that since they were paying big bucks to stay there, they didn't need to pick up after themselves. I didn't get started hiking until 9:30 AM. I was hoping the late start would give the mist time to burn off on the summit of Mt Washington. No such luck. I climbed the 1.5 miles to the summit in a heavy fog. When I reached the summit, I was assaulted by even more tourists. These were pouring out of cars, buses, and the cog railway cars to rush across the parking lot and stand in line to take selfies at the summit sign before hitting the gift shop. To say the least, I didn't hang around long at the summit. Of course, as soon as I left the summit, the fog dissipated and left the summit in full sun.  As I passed the cog railway tracks, I refrained from taking part in the long tradition of thru hikers mooning the tourists as they chugged up the mountain. I think the tradition has died out somewhat since the engines switched from coal to diesel and the engineers are no longer armed with chunks of coal to throw at the bare hiker butts (although, I did hear from one hiker who did moon the tourists this week). The next eight miles of the hike were spent crossing a boulder field above treeline. The hiking was definitely tough; but, the incredible views made it so worth it. We have been so lucky with the weather through the White Mountains so far. Although this has been the hardest part of the entire hike, it has definitely been my favorite section. I arrived at the Madison Spring Hut around 2:00 PM and had soup and baked goods for lunch again. Then I climbed to the summit of Mt Madison - another incredibly steep climb up a boulder field. Finally, after the summit of Mt Madison, I began to descend. I dropped 3000 ft over the next seven miles. Most of the drop occurred steeply over the first three miles.   Eventually, I reached NH Rt 16 at Pinkham Notch a little after 7:00 PM. The long hike across the boulder field in the full sun, followed by the long descent, left me totally spent. I had planned to find a stealth site for the night; but, the thought of finding a site and performing all the evening chores seemed a little too overwhelming. In the end, I called and booked a bunk in the Barn Hostel in Gorham. When I walked in the door of the hostel I was shocked to see Antman sitting there. I haven't seen him since Franklin, NC, and thought he was way up in Maine about to summit Katahdin. It turns out that, like everyone else, the relentless pace has taken its toll and he's slowed way down and spent time off-trail. After showering I headed out to McDonalds to get some quick dinner. As I was passing another restaurant I was surprised to see Ramsey Bolton standing out front! He was waiting on some friends  to take him to their cabin for the weekend. The surprises kept coming. He took me inside, where Hummingbird was waiting. Wow! I hadn't seen Hummingbird since Partnership Shelter way back in Southwestern Virginia. Once again, I thought he was way ahead. It took him a second to recognize me because he hadn't seen me since I cut my hair and beard. Soon, Ramsey's friends arrived and they took off. I finished my dinner, and headed back to the hostel, where I am sitting in a comfy chair writing my blog. I also got a text from Sitting Bull. It turns out that they are just few hours behind me. They summited Mt Washington early this afternoon and were planning to hike to Pinkham Notch and this evening. Hopefully, we will be back together tomorrow and may even be back with Ramsey and Hummingbird Sunday night. Unfortunately, we've pretty much given up on catching 1st Sgt before Katahdin.This month, I've received word of two acquaintances my age or younger who have passed away. Those deaths have reminded me that none of us know how many days we've been allocated. If there is something you want to do, don't put it off any longer than is necessary. There have been days on this hike that I haven't enjoyed or when I've been bored; but, the past few days, with the incredible scenery and seeing friends I never expected to see again, have reminded me once again just how lucky I am to be able to undertake this incredible journey. Get out there and do that incredible journey you've always planned to do yourself someday.