Date: 2005-09-16
From: Lakes of the Clouds Hut

To: Madison Spring Hut
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: fog

There were 54 people at the ¢Lakes of the Crowds¢ hut last night, so the #7 bunk room filled up pretty quickly with wet and noisy hikers. The mist occasionally cleared to give tantalizing glimpses of the top of Mount Washington.   Slept well and arose early, as did Nick, and after the standard breakfast fare, and the obligatory skit by the croo designed to show you how to fold your blankets, fluff your pillow, pack out your trash, and tip the croo, we were off into a misty morning.   The climb up Mount Washington was not that difficult today, and soon we saw the summit buildings looming out of the mist. Nick and I stopped at the top and he bought me a Diet Coke ¢ they only had the plastic bottle kind ¢ while I called home on the public phone. There was a partial clearing of the mist for a few minutes on the summit and some glimpses of the surrounding mountains.      Then it was a short steep descent down to the Gulfside Trail in rapidly clearing weather, and for the next hour or so we enjoyed rapidly and progressively better and better weather and visibility.      Our timing was perfect and we saw, not one but, two of the cog railway trains chug slowly on by, clanking on the cogs and belching out black coal smoke and brilliant white steam. Although it is a tradition for hikers to ¢moon the cog¢, I resisted, since it is also a tradition for the engineers to throw lumps of coal back at the mooning hikers in return, and I was unwilling to bet my exposed butt against their accuracy. There is actually a large amount of scattered lumps of coal near the trail where it approaches the cog railway.   The weather stayed good as we went around Mount Clay, and then the fog began to close in again and it remained pretty much socked in for the rest of the day. The trail after Mount Clay became difficult, with large rocks and boulders and rock screes constantly across the trail.   Around about Monticello Lawn we actually passed two hikers, Susan and Phyllis, who had stayed at Lakes of the Clouds last night. This is the first time that I have actually passed a ¢true¢ hiker since I passed those two guys on the approach trail to Springer Mountain in 2003!      Nick and I progress slowly but steadily across a strange surrealistic landscape with the looming rock cairns as welcome signs of the, otherwise hardly marked, trail across the rocks. On we toiled, up and down Jefferson, across Edmands Col, and up and down Adams. By the time we were coming down off of Adams, a stiff wind was whipping the mist against us with the net effect of a moderate rain shower, and the temperature was rapidly dropping. It was a welcome relief to finally see the hut looming out of the mist.      We have found ourselves a bunk spot. A tough and difficult day after an unexpectedly easy climb of Mount Washington. I am realy beginning to feel the cumulative effects of over a week of hiking, albeit of short mileage days, over these beautiful but very difficult mountains.      Nick and I talked a lot of philosophy and life views and experiences as we hiked, and when we had enough spare breath to do so. Again ¢The Other¢ was well at bay for all of this day. I have enjoyed hiking with Nick; we will be parting our ways in the morning. The presence of another hiker makes the trail less fearsome, but it also makes it harder to think. It did lead to some unexpected twists on our conversations that opened up new and interesting facets of my own views on life and the nature of things.Thought for today ¢   Don¢t be afraid to try the new!