Date: 2015-09-05
From: Lake of The Clouds Hut

To: The Perch Shelter 
Miles today: 5.5
Weather: clear sky

Today was a perfect day to summit Mount Washington. We couldn't have asked for better weather and again the views went on forever and filled me with awe and gratitude. The trail from the hut to the top was much easier than I expected. It was all rocks that went straight up, but they seemed to be in some sort of orderly fashion and not as haphazardly placed as normal for The Whites. The sun was bright and shining early in the morning and I could smell sunscreen on all the day hikers making their way to the top. By the end of the day I wished I had sunscreen as well. I ended up with quite a bit of red skin and a funny looking tab around my knee brace. It was amazing to look back at the hut and see it get smaller and smaller in the distance and Mt. Washington get closer. I passed a sign warning hikers to stop because this mountain has the worse weather in the world and has caused many deaths. I know how lucky I am to be up here in this incredibly gorgeous weather and that it could change in a hearbeat. It was so cold in the Dungeon last night but the wool blanket Goose gave me kept me cozy and warm. I felt bad because another thru-hiker on a top bunk was freezing all night and was quite surprised to see that I had a wool blanket. Apparently last night he had asked a female croo worker if he could have a blanket and she told him there weren't any left. Later he noticed a pile of them on a bench and politely asked her again, and she told him no because it would the Dungeon would make it get mildew on it. Everyone has different experiences sometimes based on who they encounter. We also inquired and found out that the $10 dungeon rate for thru-hikers is $10 if you arrive after 4:00. Since we arrived at 2:00 we were charged $20.The elevation at Mt. Washington is 6,283 feet making it the highest mountain we have climbed so far. We there early and were able to have our photographs taken in front of the summit sign before a line formed. Soon it was crowded with tourists who had come in via cars on the auto road which I hear is a feat in itself or the cog railroad. It was a bit of culture shock to be in the midst of such hustle and bustle on the top of a mountain that took such effort and anticipation to reach. One day I would like to come back on the cog railroad with my daughter and granddaughter. It was quite a sight to see chugging up and down the mountain like the little engine that could. I used to love to read that story to my children when they were young. I thought it was a great story to teach them that they can do anything they set their minds to. Maybe that is me now except that I am the slowest thru-hiker that could. I hope so anyway. I have been told more than once that the slowest hiker wins.We probably stayed at the top longer than we should gave, but the cafeteria didn't start serving hot food until 11am. I guess I expected the climb down to be just as easy as the climb up. I should have known better because I am faster going up than down. The rocks appeared all jumbled together and I had trouble deciding where to step and my poles kept getting stuck in between the rocks. It was tedious and slow going, but it kept giving me more excuses to stop and gaze in wonder at the incredible scenery. It is Labor Day weekend and hikers are everywhere creating traffic jams believe it or not. Everyone has the same great idea of how to spend the last long weekend before Fall. I can't think of a better way to say goodbye to the summer. Time has flown by for me. It is hard to believe summer is over and cold weather awaits me as I try and complete my hike.We went around Mt. Clay and Mt. Jefferson stopping often to bask in the sunshine and admire the mountains some more. The trail continued to be mostly rocks and reminded me of the mountains in Colorado with the dry air and lack of trees on top. We were above treeline all day and you are not allowed to camp here because of the fragile alpine system so we decided to hike an extra mile and a half to The Perch Shelter. We could have hiked further to Madison Hut but did not want to take a chance of being turned away for work for stay and having to hike even further. I was happy about the extra miles especially after discovering it was much more difficult than the AT we were on today and I was already exhausted and sore. It was extremely steep and required me climbing with my hands and feet in several parts. The Perch was a nice spot and had the wooden platforms but was packed. A couple was nice enough to make room for us on their platform. We didn't have enough room to set up our tents so we are sleeping in the open in our sleeping bags. I am freezing cold and have on all the clothes and jackets I am carrying. The sky is beautiful though and filled with stars. I love looking up at tree tops and the sky at night. I just discovered I have a very large red hot spot all along the arch of my foot with three blisters starting to appear. Ouch! I haven't had a single blister since Pennsylvania. I really don't need another excuse to hike slower. I am still in amazement that I have made it this far through the Whites. Such splendor and scary moments on this roller coaster.