Date: 2007-08-15
From: Mispah Hut

To: Lake of the Clouds Hut
Miles today: 4.9

Up at 5:45 am and out the door at 6:20 am - pretty good for me! The day started out clear and sunny, but it soon became cloudy, then overcast, and within a few minutes after arriving at the Lake of Clouds of Hut, myself and the other hikers were socked in, which is the way it has remained since. This ¢hideout - zero visibility¢ condition is perfect for sleeping, so sleep I did! I took a three-hour power nap and then revived myself for some afternoon conversation. Many of the same Thru Hikers who have worked for accommodations at the previous huts are here today as well. Under this arrangement, they do dishes in exchange for food and are allowed to sleep on the dining room tables for free. The true Thru Hikers who have been at the same huts where I stayed the past three nights are ¢M&M,¢ ¢Two Dogs,¢ and ¢Grasshopper.¢ ¢Boopoo¢ did a ¢zero day¢ here today, as did ¢Teddy Bear¢ who came staggering in late in the day, having taken the wrong turn in the poor visibility. He spent most of the afternoon wandering the wrong trails up here above timber line. He is exhausted. So, for the second night in a row I am sharing a bunk room with Patti and her twin 15-year-old daughters, Amy and ¢Becca, who are from New Jersey. They are also using the huts for sleeping arrangements as they walk the Trail. They are all very, very nice. Because Lake of the Clouds Hut is only 112 miles and 1,500 feet from the summit of Mount Washington, there are some people here who you would not normally expect to find at an AMC Hut above timberline. The reason is because you can drive to the summit of Mount Washington and then walk down. A more likely place to see some of these people would be on an electric cart in a Wal-Mart! But, God bless ¢em - they are here and not there. I just hope they can make it back up to the summit come tomorrow. After my nap I spent a couple of hours chitchatting with ¢Grasshopper¢ (David Edmunds), who is very a pleasant and distinguished looking gentleman. He just retired from having been a circuit court judge in northern Alabama for the past 22 years. His journal is being published in the local newspaper back home, which has made him even more of a local celebrity than he already was. I like him a lot. Dinner tonight was soup, salad, turkey, corn, rice, and coffee with pumpkin cake for desert. The main hall is now filled with the usual crowd: AT hikers writing in their journals, card players, talkers, and a couple of guys playing chess. One of the Thru Hikers is giving a small lecture and answering questions to a good sized of eager listeners about his journey (The atmosphere is very comfortable and communal). This morning¢s hike over here, though short, was remarkable. Most of it was above timberline, and in 4.9 miles the trail went over Mt. Clinton (formally Mt. Pierce), whereupon I folded out my trusty orange shovel, which I promptly put to work on Clinton¢s dome. Other peaks included Mt. Eisenhower, Mt. Franklin, and Mt. Monroe. Looming behind us in the cloud cover was Mt. Washington - at 6,288 feet, it is the second highest peak on the AT. The highest peak is Clingman's Dome near Gatlinburg, Tennessee. It is 6,643 feet in height. Unlike most mountain peaks, the ones that I crossed in today¢s hike were different in that there was no ¢downside¢ to them. Once you reach the top, there is only a slight drop before beginning the upslope of the next one. This made the hike very civilized. *you may want to offer more of an explanation here. How is it civilized? Is it easier to move from peak to peak, as their wasn¢t far down to travel before you began another climb to the magnificent views form atop the next mountain crest? Just a few minutes ago, as I was about to get ready to get organized to go to bed, a large cheer roared from the main hall, and everyone ran to the windows. The cloud cover had lifted, and a distant sunset was momentarily visible. Right now, the clouds are out, and the wind is whipping the top of the mountain, separating the cloud covering. I can see my breath. In the valley, I can see the lights of a small town in the distance and of the Bretton Woods Resort. Spectacular! I think the cheer from the crowd was not only for the view of the sunset, but also for release from our prison of white walls that we endured throughout most of this day, and perhaps even more so for the promise of good hiking tomorrow.