Date: 2005-09-09
From: Saco River

To: above treeline - Mt. Washington
Miles today: 13.6

Today was a spectacular day on the trail. Definitely one of my most favorite days out here so far. We broke camp early because we knew we had a long day ahead of us. We were climbing out of Crawford Notch by 6:20. The climb began gradual and then began steep boulder climbs. We had to scale a lot of sheer rock faces which forced us to crawl up on all fours. When we reached the top of the cliffs the sun had disappeared and misty clouds had rolled in. It was very chilly up there. Low on energy already we decided to stop and make a hot meal to get us going. We listened to the weather and all broadcasts were in agreement that the clouds were going to burn off and bee a beautiful day. After downing a double order of mac and cheese which barely fit in our pot we were ready to go. This was the beginning of the Presidential Range and we were so excited. We started by climbing Webster nd then Jackson. A lot od rock climbing through sun and clouds. We noticed right away that the weather didn't seem to know what it wanted to do today.       With all the energy we were able to move quickly and were at Mizpah Hut before we knew it. Piker immediately remembered it from his hike in The Whites as a kid. When we walked up we met Rob and Don. Rob worked there and was extremely welcoming and told us to go in and have some blueberry coffee cake. That sounded great to us. Don was visiting with his son and was very friendly and asked us about our trip. We went inside and some of the croo offered us left over breakfast. Eggs and oatmeal with all the coffee cake we could eat. we were in heaven. We saw our buddy Moonshine at the hut and talked to him while we looked at our guest book on Don's Blackberry. Very cool. Mizpah Hut has been our best hut experience. Great food and terrific croo. They definitely made us feel at home. As we were preparing to take off Don came out and had bought us four Snickers. Awesome Trail Magic. We were all so happy and thankful. Thank you Don. We each downed a Snicker and headed down toward Lake of the Clouds Hut. An AMC employee told us that the section between huts was flat. I don't know what she was talking about. We were above treeline for most of the hike walking the ridge line. There were ups and downs but surprisingly after the Clinton the AT went around Eisenhower, Franklin and Monroe. That is the first time that we ever remember going around a mountain. The hike was pretty mild and we were at Lake of the Clouds Hut staring at Mt. Washinton before we knew it. It was very chilly and blustery at the hut. I was hiking in my hat and fleece. We quickly checked out the hut, signed the register, took a few pictures and bravely started the 1.6 to the summit. I have always had a fear of Washington. Maybe it's because it has the worst weather ever recorded and it is all above treeline. We felt like mountaineers. It took us less than an hour to climb the mildy graded rock scramble of Mt. Washington. The visibility was poor and we were mainly walking through clouds. We could not see the "Factory" on top of the mountain as we were climbing us. The wind was whipping around and as we climbed the air got colder and colder. When we reached the summit it was totally covered in a thick moist cloud and we could not see anything. We headed right for the Summit House. I felt as if I had walked into a ski lodge after doing many runs. The cold air was behind us and we walked into the warmth of the Visitors Center. We headed right for the snack bar. Hot chocolate, pizza, hot dogs, chili and cookies picked us right back up again. We also had to to do a little resupply since we have been eating so much. We wanted to get going because we knew we had to find a campsite. Piker's dream was to camp on top of Mt. Washington. I was very hesitant. We climbed back onto the Trail and were almost lifted up by the wind. The weather up there is extreme. We lost about 1,000 feet in elevation. The wind died down and the temperature seemed to go up. We found the most beautiful camp spot sandwiched between Mt. Washington and the last half of The Presidentials. This is the best view that I ever remember having. This spot should be in Packpacker Magazine.       Blaze, Dreddy Bear and Sampson are camped up here with us. We had a great time hanging out with them and watching the sunset. From both sides we had magnificent views of mountains and if we look up we can see "The Factory" on Washington and The Cog Railroad tracks. I feel pretty tough for stealthing above treeline. My favosite spot yet. I hope that Piker will cuddle with me so we stay warm. What a wonderful day in The White Mountains!Ms. Mileage