Date: 2009-07-04
From: Lakes in the Clouds Hut

To: Madison Spring Hut
Miles today: 7.1
Weather: fog

Just as the forecast had suggested the weather changed for the worse over night. Got to sleep in a little in the dining hall because the crew overslept. As usual Birdman was the first up and at 6:45 am when he noticed there was no one in the kitchen he poked his head into the crew room. They all exploded out of bed and managed to serve breakfast only 10 minutes after the scheduled 7am. We ate our leftovers after the guests were finished and swept up the dining hall. Then it was time to face the elements which were rather severe. The temperature was in the low 40s with winds from 40-50 miles an hour. Visibility was around 30 feet when we set off for the 1.5 miles to the summit of Mount Washington. As the Dans were in shorts we moved pretty quick to try and keep them warm, we passed about 30 people in a dash to the observatory on the summit. When we got to the top we had a tourist (came up on the cog) take our picture in the wind and rain that made it difficult to stand. When we got inside we found that the picture did not come out but we were not eager to retake it. As members of the weather observatory we wanted to show the Dans around the weather station. At first the woman at the desk was not accomadating at all asking for them to join with $20 memberships to get a tour. We decided there was another way and ignored her. We went up and asked the observers in person and they said they had no problem with it. So we got a tour of all the instruments and went up in the tour which was frigidly cold and windy. Had a good time but realized that we still had a big day ahead of us and we'd better get going. The 6 miles or so to Madison Spring Hut are all way above tree line and very exposed to the elements. The observers said that this was the windiest day so far this summer with temperatures that might get below freezing. It felt that way as we struggled along the ridge. At one point in a gap on the shoulder of Mt. Adams the wind was blowing around 60 miles an hour making it difficult to walk. A gust came along which we later found out was about 75 miles an hour. While 40 and I were in good places to keep our feet, Birdman and Squeak were absolutely flattened coming up a big rock. The wind also blew off all our pack covers and made us find shelter behind boulders. The other interesting wrinkle was when we were about a mile and a half away we started to hear thunder very close by and the rain got hard. We practically ran the last section to avoid being caught as the highest point on a ridge. We got to Madison soaked and exhausted. According to our original plan we had another 7.8 miles to get to Pinkham Notch and hitch into Gorham, NH. We got to Madison at around 3:15 and realized we wouldn't make it down until near dark when it would be hard to get a hitch. We gladly called it quits and applied for work for stay with the staff. The Dans got the two spots available and we paid 10 dollars to stay. A member of the crew will be a senior at Bates College so it was fun to talk to her about school. We had a good night sleeping on the dining tables glad to be out of the bad weather.