Date: 2005-08-05
From: Lake Of The Clouds Hut

To: Osgood Tent Site
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: fog

Lake of The Clouds Hut to Osgood Tent Site Longest 10 mi. ever today! We woke up bright and early to the sound of the crew preparing for breakfast at 5:00 a.m.. We finally got up by six and were packed and out in a half-hour. This is by far our earliest out of camp and onto the trail yet. The hike up to Washington went easier than I expected, though by no means did we set any personal speed records. I was expecting it to be a steep at arduous climb, but it was actually nicely graded compared to other mountains we climbed in the last few days. We reached the summit just in time to steal some views and snap some pictures before it socked in. We were up there by 7:30 a.m., so nothing was open. Since we wanted to check out the visitors' center, we hung around until it opened at 8:00 a.m. By then the summit was immersed in a thick damp clouds, and winds were steady around 30 m.p.h. with some stronger gusts. We looked around and hung out, hoping for the snack bar to open. The weather radar screens showed a small front moving through, so we decided the snack bar could be forgone. We headed down the mountain to Madison Spring Hut. It got cloudier and darker as we traversed the rocky and difficult terrain to Madison. Fortunately the dark clouds held back their fury until after we were safe inside. The hut crew there were extremely friendly, and bestowed upon us hearty helpings of blueberry pancakes left over from breakfast, followed by a second lunch course of piping hot soup. Meanwhile, things outside took a turn for the worse. Guest after guest stumbled in dripping wet and windblown. We watched and lamented the weather for a solid hour, trying to decide what to do. We had hoped to make it an extra 4.7 mi. into Pinkham Notch to stay at the bunkhouse there. This terrain has slowed us to 1 to 1.5 m.p.h. though, so in the rain the extra distance seemed like a pretty big stretch. We tentatively decided to aim for the tent sites and make a final decision after seeing how long it took to get there. We left the hut during a lull in the pounding rain, but that lull was short lived. Just finding where the A.T. went from the hut was a challenge, but a small one compared to what we were about to encounter. It took us two and a half hours to walk the 3 mi. to the tent sites, but it felt like a lifetime. We'd go over a long series of rocky bumps, and I'd be certain that surely just past that last big one we'd plunge down to the relative comfort of tree line. Then we'd reach that last steep bump and instead of the hopeful sight of boreal forest just below there would be another seemingly endless series of rocky bumps. Then the hail started. It felt like thousands of tiny needles being pressure driven into my flesh all at once. I guess that might feel good if you like acupuncture, but I can tell you the sky isn't as precise as a specialist and there's definitely something to be said for precision. Just when I was beginning to feel as though I'd never known anything other than this rocky, windy hell ridge in all my life and never would know anything else for the remainder, there it was: tree line. I never thought I could be so happy to see trees. We were so happy that we broke out in song, serenading the forest with our proclamation of appreciation and love. The weather cleared and improved as we descended lower and lower. By the time we reached the deciduous forest it was a warm blue sky afternoon. The fair weather made me feel as though the whole endeavor in the previous hours were but a figment of my imagination. Strange that here we are now, listening to a watery song of a veri, snug and dry under a clear sky. The adventures and summits of the day are now just memories. I wonder what tomorrow will hold; hopefully not quite so much excitement! Gravity