Date: 2007-09-04
From: Lake of the Clouds Hut

To: Osgood Campsite
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: scattered clouds

The day started with some dreadful sounding weather - 35F and 50 mph winds, with higher gusts. Our first stop of the day was only 1 mile from the hut - Mt. Washington. We dressed to the max, then headed out. As we walked uphill from the hut to the summit of the Mt. Washington I took off my hat and gloves, and opened up my jacket. The high winds and gusts made it hard to stand up, never mind walking a straight line. I'm thinking the wind chill was in single digits positive or negative, but that striptease is the measure of our exertion. We went to the summit first to get pictures taken. Our braving of the temperatures was rewarded by 130 mile visibility at the top. This almost never happens - clouds obscure the peak most of the time. We were able to easily see all around us, including the Atlantic Ocean 75 miles away. Looked like a big pond. There was a visitor center where we ate and I toured a museum there that discussed the tourism and science that has gone on at Mt. Washington over the years. Mt. Washington has recorded the highest wind speeds on earth - over 200 mph. Also at the visitor center, a cog railway brings visitors up who don't want to hike. $80 round trip. These folks REALLY don't want to walk. I saw the brakeman and asked how good his aim was. He said don't worry about him - there are cops on the trains now. Nonetheless I did keep the lunar tradition of the AT alive, albeit at a safe distance (no coal in the area) and waiting until the train resumed travel after stopping right even with me as I walked by. Peach and Loose Bruce were with me, but were unaware of my intentions,and walked on while I performed what I considered a duty and responsibility.   Not long afterward, I met a familiar face I did not expect to see again - Jack Carter, who I hiked with in the Roan Highlands. He flipflopped with a couple of guys that Peach and Loose Bruce seemed to know. It was great to see him and to know he was going to finish the trail.   The clear pleasant weather held up all day. This made for a spectacular hike through the Presidential Mountain Range. Fuzzy Monkey and Tuna Bag had gotten way ahead of Loose Bruce and I, but we watched them almost all day, perhaps 2-3 miles ahead of us. The scenery was really what made it though. Sometimes I think that the things I am seeing are all the more dramatic to me because I worked so hard to get to them. Would I be as impressed if I'd just gotten a ride up the cog railroad?   We reached Madison Springs Hut and all 5 of us decided to keep going. This turned out to be a bit of a mistake, I think. FM and Tuna Bag made it to their final destinations, but Peach, Bruce and I ended up cowboy camping at a less than perfect site, and I didn't have enough water for a cooked dinner. Then a funny story happened that made it clear we would have had an interesting evening had we stayed. A person was coming up Mt. Madison while we were headed down. She walked by me and started talking to Bruce who was right behind me (Peach was maybe a half mile ahead at this point, and the others were even further). When she talked I thought the voice was familiar. In fact, it sounded like a one of Peach's travel companions the first week of the hike. But this didn't make any sense - first Peach hadn't mentioned any arrangement, and second she would have just walked by Peach. So I asked 3 questions. First, is your name Sara? . This wasnt enough. I asked Were you on the trail in Georgia in April . I still wasnt quite there. So I asked Are you from Traverse City MI? . Then why didn't you stop and talk to Peach on your way up here? Sara freaked, and started yelling down the mountain but it was no use. I introduced myself (she didnt recognize me because I am hairier and skinnier), then she mentioned she was a week early, and expected us to be past this portion of the trail. They must have both just had their heads down ready to move on as they passed. Sara had to keep going, because her itinerary called for her to spend the night at the hut we just passed - wouldn't that have been cool? Anyway, Bruce and I caught up to Peach. She had waited for us. I got in a little trouble because I had not expected to see her, and almost in front of her I asked Bruce whether I should tell Peach we saw Sara. Peach didn't like that I was thinking of withholding information in case it would upset her - She's a big girl. sorry, my bad. We hiked until it was too dark to hike, and then I finished the day warm and fed and dry and healthy and bug free and among friends and fulfilled so life is good.Continued a lunar AT traditionRemaining narrative pending