Date: 2003-08-15
From: Mt Eisenhower , NH

To: Madison Springs Mtn, Presidentials, NH
Miles today: 8.9

Since we missed the sunset, we decided to get up early and catch a good sunrise. I awoke at 5:30 to find everything clouded over. We had a big day and we wanted to spend quality time with the Presidentials, so we started packing up despite the reistance from our eyelids. This was the first night in a while that the slugs didn¢t find a way into our cooking pot. Maybe there aren¢t as many above the tree line? Although it didn¢t seem quite as windy this morning as it did last night, we still wore most of our clothes to pack up. As we packed up, the fog started to lift. So, I climbed out of our hole to discover the makings of a great sunrise over ridges to the south of Mt. Washington. I called Chicken up and we got a fabulous spectacle. We got to see the sun rise while the clouds opened up and the Whites came alive. The only remaining clouds, which had earlier limited visibility to a few hundred feet, now clung to the tops of the mountains. As we climbed Mt. Franklin, I felt like we were a part of another land. It really was like something you¢d see in The Lord of the Rings. Mt. Monroe, Mt. Washington, and Mt. Clay loomed dark and dismally ahead and Mt. Jefferson stood to the north side of all of them, lit up brilliantly by the sun as if it were a promise land. With the wind whipping at our faces, we couldn¢t wait to reach Mr. Jefferson¢s Mountain. We blue blazed to the top of Monroe next. At every summit, we took a picture of one of us making the first letter of the mountain we were on. For Monroe, we both arched over to make a piece of the ¢M¢. The clouds filled in completely, but they blew clear within a few minutes. It was downhill to the lake of the Clouds Hut for breakfast. We were starving since we were conserving food and hadn¢t eaten yet. They were somewhat friendly, but they offered only cold eggs and left a huge pile of bread back in the kitchen. Then we passed the hordes leaving the hut on the way to Washington. It was a pretty easy climb. Washington was in a state of constructive disarray as they repaired the damage from a fire last year. People were everywhere. Two cog train loads were dropped off while we were there. We ate some overpriced food and , luckily, got a mail drop from Chicken¢s mom ¢ Thanks Penny!! A train conductor asked me if I was planning to moon him. There is a thru-hiker tradition on Washington to moon the train, and, in return, the conductor heaves a piece of coal your way. He made sure to flex his biceps to show me what I¢d be getting into. We thought we weren¢t going to get a chance to moon, but fortunately, we got a train coming up. We were pretty far away but the passengers went nuts. They were all screaming out the windows. Luckily for us, the conductor didn¢t throw any coal. Then it was up a long loop to the top of Mt. Clay. The views were absolutely gorgeous. The wind was strong all day, but it was fierce at the summits. We could barely stand up on the tops, and it made the rock hopping slow and difficult. Side note ¢ on Washington we found out that the wind yesterday evening was sustained at 75 mph with gusts well over 100!! From Clay, we got a great view of Jefferson, our next one! The climb down Clay was slow, but we were atop Jefferson before too long. We could look back and see every mountain back to Pierce, and ahead we could see Adams. We ate lunch and took a long break on the founder of our alma mater. The climb down Jefferson was even slower than Clay. It was steep hopping and scrambling down a pile of rocks. The weather continued to be perfect for a day in the Presidents, a tad windy, but cool and sunny otherwise. Our last mountain before the hut was Adams. Unfortunately, we didn¢t have time to climb it because we were worried about work-for-stay and it was the longest steepest descent of all the loops. WE made a promise to each other that we¢d come back for Adams down the road. As we came around Adams, we could see Madison Springs Hut waiting below. We were sore and tired and anxious about work-for-stay. Luckily, we were the first to slow up, so they let us in without a problem. After we set the tables, we hung out with Nick and Paladis, hungrily awaiting the guests to finish dinner. Nick was reading a book by Ann McCaffrey, which he later finished and gave to Chicken. Then we got our fill of spinach calizones and pasta. It was delicious, although slightly cold. Then it was more waiting ¢ this time for the guests to go to bed. We got a crystal clear sky filled with stars ¢ now where¢d you say Mars was? All in all, it was a dream come true for a hike in the Presidentials.                                                                Flanders