Date: 2019-07-08
From: Mt Washington, White Mtns, NH

To: Lake of the Clouds
Miles today: 5.0

TD 1,282  TA 532  TG 819Ready to experience the beautiful White Mountains of New Hampshire.  GipCGirl and I caught the slow cog train to the top of Mt Washington, a majestic 6,288 ft weather defying giant in its own right.  Weather is extreme and unpredictable at Mt Washington, but today was a clear day with lots of visitors. It was 30 degrees cooler at the top and I got a pair of gloves and a hat for added warmth. Alpine zone here we come. We started down the AT toward our first hut, Lake of the Clouds. The trail is composed of layers and layers of granite and schists boulders that were formed from catastrophic events millions of years ago. The salt and pepper appearance of the rocks, from deposits of minerals and crystals, shine in the sunlight and give the mountain its white appearance, thus its name.  Hiking in NH is different than any other state that the AT goes thru.  In NH the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) regulates camping in the Whites. Huts are for available by reservation and a hefty fee ($90), but they offer a bunk, dinner and breakfast. No camping is allowed above tree line or within the vicinity of a hut. The huts seem to serve day hikers and paying customers.  We thought it would be worth the experience. Usually thru hikers on the AT stop by for lunch and can eat left over food or pay $2 for soup, or they can ¢work for stay¢; that is, if there is a small chore to do, they will be able to eat left over dinner and sleep in the dining room after the paid guests have gone to bed. We made reservations for the night at the hut, so over the large monstrous boulders and hugh outcropping of bedrocks we go and hike down 1,282 ft to the hut. We passed day hikers going to and from the hut; bolder hopping and happy, only we were slow and happy. Along the trail are fragile flowers and sensitive tundra vegetation. Around the hut I see tiny bunch berries (Canada dogwood), Mtn Wood Sorrel that looks like a shamrock, and a flower that grows only in this area...name escapes me! This hut houses 90 guests and we stayed in a 12 bunk room housing men, women and children.  There is a staff of 7 young adults who climb up the mountain to bring supplies down to the hut on a wooden back frame pack. And they carry trash up the mountain for disposal. The huts are self contained. Solar energy, treated well water, compostable toilets, no showers. Reminds me of the community huts in Nepal. We had soup, salad, home made bread, lasagna and dessert and saw an amazing sun set.  I asked one thru hiker why he was on the trail and he said that he had spent the first part of his life looking for answers and the later part of his life giving answers, but now he was on the AT looking for questions. What? That one was for free. There is another reason hiking in the White Mountains in NH is unlike elsewhere on the AT. In the White Mnts the AT trail takes on many other trail names and is usually not marked with the familiar white blaze.  It is easy to get lost in the Whites. GipCGirl has been in the Whites 5 times now, as it is her favorite place to hike.  Only once did she get lost and that was on her way up Mt Washington during bad weather. She could not see the kairns or the path and arrived to the summit cold and exhausted hours later having gone around the other side and straight up the mountain. Many people have died in the Whites. I use AWOL 2019 AT guide book and Gut Hook¢s electronic guide that uses GPS, but none of that is helpful if you are off trail. Having GipCGirl as a trail guide and hiking mentor is priceless. Besides she a delightful trail mate, I might add.