Date: 2008-06-14
From: zealand falls hut

To: lakes of the clouds hut
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Keep waking up earlier and earlier. Maybe its because the sunrise is now 4:50 or so. Days are really long too since I'm up north and the solstice is near. Packed by 6 and didn't really want to wait around for a couple hours till breakfast was ready so I convinced one of the croo to just let me have leftovers for breakfast. Pretty good, oatmeal and ham. Breakfast of champions.Hit the trail at half past six and for once in the Whites, I booked it for a couple hours. Did almost 8 miles at my normal pace. Some flat trail.However, after those eight miles, I hit Crawford Notch, and had to climb up to the Presidentials. A 3000 foot climb up to the first one, Mt. Webster. Wasn't a big deal and I took it pretty quick. Tons of false summits, and I wasn't sure when I was at the top. Eventually discovered it when I hit a sign pointing backwards to the summit. Running fast so I took a half hour off on a nice ledge.On to the next summit: Mt. Jackson. Took lunch on top with some sectioners. Really nice and experienced hikers, so the questions weren't the usual ones. Eventually I got "Yeti, do you like ginger?" I knew where that was gong, so of course I answered to the affirmative. Homemade ginger cookies for the win. Also scored some trail cookies that were quite good from another one. Great trail magic.A few miles to my first hut of the day. Had been out of water for a while so I filled up and grabbed a look at the trail topo. Notice the AT skirted a few peaks but there were side trails up to them. Noted for the future. Scored some free pancakes, the food of the gods.Onward and upward to Mt. Pierce. By this point I was pretty much permanently above the tree line in the fantastic Presidential Range. Some incredible terrain: rugged, high, and even some snow.The rest of the day was the same: climb a treeless mountain. Take a break. Enjoy the view. Get closer to Mt. Washington.Hit Mt. Franklin next, each rise better and higher than the last marching closer to the grand finale.Decided to blue blaze and climb Mt. Eisenhower since it was only 300 feet or so. Great bald. Missed the trail and scaled some steep boulders I shouldn't have on the way up. Too steep. Bad idea.Onward, ever higher, growing more incredible with every step.Took another blue blaze to Mt. Madison. Rugged boulder hop. Surprising the AT doesn't go straight over the highest points, so I figured I would make my own path and do the trail the way it wanted to run.Buggy atop, but got some great pics of Washington and the actual Lakes of the Clouds. There's snow right next to the hut I'm staying at. Its mid June. Apparently most of the snow just melted in the last week.Hit the Lakes of the Clouds Hut for a work for stay. Picked up some trash around the hut. Afterwards I started chatting with some couples who were enchanted with my hike. Got a glass of wine and beer. Great people. One climbed Denali a couple years back and is doing a trailless trek across the peaks of the Sierras in a couple months. Sounds like fun. Awesome people.Everyone is eating as I eagerly await their finishing so I can devour the leftovers.Can't really put today into words again, so I will say it like this: it was another clear day above the treeline with incredible views and lots of breaks and great people and astounding views and fantastic views and amazing terrain. That sum it up? An absolutely amazing day. I love the Whites {in good weather}.