Date: 2014-07-28
From: Pinkham Notch

To: Carter Notch Hut
Miles today: 5.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Fairly glad to be in the hut bunkroom tonight - it has been raining all day and getting everything soaked! This makes up for the day we missed around Waynesboro when it rained about 4" - it is the same kind of rain!The morning brought overcast skies but not too much rain - it looks like we might be able to make it to the hut before the big rain starts! Enjoyed the awesome breakfast at the hostel - Marni cooks everything in the morning and it was very delicious - especially the rolls! Everyone gathered around the table made for lots of noise and conversation.Optimistic about the forecast we rode to Pinkham Notch with Twizzler and Purple Blaze - they planned on doing the full 21 mile slackpack back to Gorham. We wished them luck since they were going to be doing the trail mostly in the rain and that is a long day!Ready? Set...GO! And we were off to the races...not really but we all left the notch and headed up the Wildcat Range - called the Wildcat and her kittens! If only they were as soft and fuzzy and friendly as kittens - today they acted like cats that are getting soaked by water! The rain started shortly after we started up the first Wildcat - it became a much tougher long climb up from the notch requiring several wet rock scrambles.Slowly but surely we conquered the first peak and moved on to the next one - lucky for us the rain wasn't coming down too hard yet but we were still getting soaked from sweat since we were wearing the rain suits. On Wildcat Peak D we passed the ski lift (no one was using it...wonder why) and temporarily started following a ski slope - we quickly decided it wasn't the AT because it was too smooth and easy! We went back and the trail goes past the ski patrol building so we followed it over to the observation platform.Another point of confusion here - the trail isn't marked well and several side trails all come in under the observation platform. We searched around for a bit but luckily some SOBO hikers came up the AT and we helped direct each other around the platform - NOBOs go to the right of the stairs and then follow the path down to the right.We finished out the rest of the Wildcat peaks before it started raining harder - it started coming down in earnest as we were climbing down to Carter Notch. The trail turned into a river and waterfalls - so much water was flowing everywhere! We had to place our feet carefully and slowly move down the rock steps to the bottom of the notch - no one fell even with all that rain going on!It was only a short day to the hut but it was still enough time for our clothes and shoes to get wet - time to get inside and dry out! The hut itself is very nice and has separate bunkroom buildings away from the main hut - a hassle walking between them in the rain but nicely laid out. The buildings are in very good shape and the hut croo was awesome - a great group of kids! The hut didn't have many guests tonight (wonder why) so we got a little room to ourselves in the bunk cabin! In the main hut we met Bypass and Songbird (doing a flip flop) and several SOBOs - all very nice people! The SOBOs were heading out to get down to Pinkham Notch to go to a hostel and Bypass and Songbirds were staying the night - they didn't want to walk in that rain and I don't blame them! Songbird and Bypass were a very nice older couple and we spent a lot of time talking with them. It was nice to be inside the hut throughout the day - the rain intensified after lunch and kept coming down!The evening was filled with meeting new people and chatting with them in the hut - from thru-hikers NOBO and SOBO to section hikers to day hikers! Dinner was served at six pm and it was delicious - a full spread with soup and salad and enchiladas and a secret dessert - death by chocolate cake! The meal was delicious and very satisfying - the food was good and the conversation with the table was pretty good too!After dinner the groups started drifting off to do their own things and the naturalist of the hut gave a history lesson on the hut system - very neat to learn about it! Found out each hut has relics and other huts will go in the night and steal them on raids - sounds pretty fun!One of the Lakes of Clouds hut crew was at Carter Notch preparing for his hut challenge - the objective is to hike to all eight huts in 24 hours! A very intense plan the requires almost fifty miles of hiking - he is crazy trying to attempt that in this weather but it is the only day he can do it. Good luck to him!We settled in our room later on and once when I went out to go the restroom I was treated to a special surprise - the sky had cleared and I could actually see the stars! After a full day of rain it was great to see them and I was stunned - it was such an amazing view! Went to bed happy after that - warm and dry!Hut experience was a success - good job AMC!