Date: 2009-07-26
From: Lonesome Lake Hut, NH

To: Galehead Hut
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: light rain

I woke up to rain again this morning. I had kind of a weird experience when I woke up. When I went to bed the night before I was the only person in the room. When I woke up I heard someone cough and roll over in their sleep. I met him later and asked him where he had come from. He said he was staying in one of the bunk rooms but that someone was snoring so loudly that he had to leave and find a quieter place to sleep. That¢s why I carry ear plugs (and use them frequently). Well, with the weather we¢ve been having and the nasty looking forecast, I decided I didn¢t want to go through the White Mountains without having a pre-defined place to stay each evening. I mapped out a route through the Whites that would have me staying at one of the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) huts each evening and I asked the hut-master to call in reservations for me during their radio call this morning. It really gave me peace of mind to know I¢d be staying as a guest at one of these huts for the next four nights, especially with the potential for bad weather at these higher altitudes. Mount Washington and the surrounding Presidential Range is said to have the worst weather in the United States. They¢ve seen winter conditions during every month of the year up there at one time or another, so it is very unpredictable. Mount Washington also has the world record for the highest on-land wind speed which was recorded at 231 miles per hour. Not a place to fool around or to be unprepared. There is a display at the summit of Mount Washington with the names of all the people who have lost their lives in this area. The huts up here are quite different from the shelters and lean-tos I¢ve been staying in to this point. These are more like rustic lodges staffed by AMC employees. They have bunkrooms in which to sleep, running water, bathrooms (no showers), and they serve paying guests breakfast and supper. A limited number of through hikers can do work-for-stay at the huts as they pass through the Whites, but it is a first-come, first-served basis and there is no guarantee you¢ll get it. I did work-for-stay last night, but opted to make reservations and stay as a guest the rest of the way through the Whites this time. The work is usually minimal and well worth the food and floor-space they give you to sleep, but aside from the uncertainty of getting to stay one of the drawbacks of work-for-stay is that you eat after all the guests have eaten the next morning, then you do your chores, and that gets you on the trail pretty late in the morning. I didn¢t hit the trail until 8:45 this morning. I¢m looking forward to seeing what it is like to be treated as a guest the rest of the way through the Whites. Oh¢¦and the food is awesome. I¢m amazed by how well these kids can cook and especially at the great, hearty breads they can make. It is served family style and is all-you-can-eat¢¦ready made for a hungry hiker! Anyhow¢¦I had a very strenuous hiking day today but still did14.9 miles in under 7 12 hours¢¦an average of almost exactly 2 12 miles per hour. Pretty respectable for this terrain¢¦starting in Harper¢s Ferry, WV definitely allowed me to gain my trail legs before getting here. The Franconia Ridge was windy, wet, cold and foggy today, a stark contrast from my 2007 hike through here. I really took my time through here in 2007 because the weather was perfect and the views were incredible. Guess I¢ll have to rely on my memories and the pictures in my 2007 journal. When I got to my hut, Poseidon was already there. He had decided to be a paying guest as well. Then Greenleaf and Blue Sky came hiking up and they are going to do work-for-stay. I scrounged them some gingerbread cake, cheese and crackers during supper (as they awaited their turn to eat) and they were extremely grateful! It sounds like all of us have the same plan to go to Mizpah Spring Hut tomorrow. I hope it works out for all of us again.