Date: 2009-07-05
From: Lakes of Clouds Hut

To: Mt. Washington, then into Gorham NH
Miles today: 1.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Sun Jul 5, Day 117. The wind howled all night long. It was depressing to wake up at times hearing the commotion outside. Each one of these huts has a weather gauge system that measures the barometric pressure and temperature and wind speed. There were sustained winds of 40 mph at the Hut with gusts up to 55 mph during the night.I slept on top of a table inside the hut's dining room. No heat at the huts but my sleeping bag kept me warm.All the thru's had different ideas on what to do today. We all discussed options throughout the night. In the end we waited for the morning weather forecast. At 0700 hours the Hut Croo Betsy made this announcement: Visibility on summit 25 feet. Winds 45-65 mph winds. Wind chill 18 degrees. Trail conditions - poor with puddles and slippery rocks. Ozone - good.Big Bob and his nephew decided to go to Pinkham Notch via Tuckerman Ravine and a side trail. Cabot decided to push through. Allgood, Tabasco, Hot Wheels, and I decided to summit and then shuttle to Gorham. I need to see a doctor for my left leg laceration that appears to be infected. Ouch! Guess I need those antibioticsClick on picture to see full sizeThe 1.4 mile trek UP to the summit (1,276' up in those 1.4 miles - the summit is 6,288') was bad enough. Totally socked in with fog and cold. I bought a light fleece at the hut just in case. Good decision!Mt. Washington has the world¢s worst weather. There have been about 140 fatalities in the Whites that are posted on the summit house wall. We made it up there, the climb was just brutal. Touched the sign, got up there, happy that it was over. Summit sign, Mt. Washington Spokes on Mt. Washington Summit Hot Wheels Mt. Washington Weather StationFrom the summit we called Bruno, owner of the Hikers' Paradise Hostel in Gorham, NH. He came to the summit and gave four of us a ride to the hostel. From there I caught a ride to the Androscoggin Valley Hospital in Berlin, NH. All of the staff there were fabulous. Nurses, doctors, everybody. [thanks to Karen and Faith for already signing my Guestbook!] I've got a little bit of infection in my knee. ER doc Dr. Arthur Ruediger really knows about the hiking conditions and everything so he worked with me, understanding what I have ahead on the trail. I've got some antibiotics that I'm getting ready to pump in me to get the infection under control. [Transcriber's note: This next sentence is so Spokes...]I got the prescription filled at the Wal-Mart so we'll be pushing out tomorrow. We will get a ride back up to the summit of Mt. Washington (the AT crosses the summit) and start hiking to Pinkham Notch (14 miles North of the summit). I¢m excited to get New Hampshire out of the way but not looking forward to Maine. The Southbounders that we are running into say it¢s a mudhole. River crossings are pretty treacherous and hip deep in spots. We¢ll see how it goes, taking it one day a time. That¢s how you do it.Thanks for all your motivational comments in the Guest Book. They really mean a bunch, especially when you are wet and shivering. At least when I get a signal I can read something good.Spokes posted an audio update today. Click here for audio journal