Date: 2023-06-26
From: Lakes of the Clouds Hut

To: Joe Dodge Lodge
Miles today: 14.9

Today we were planning to do the Presidential loop. From the 8 o'clock position at Lakes of the Clouds, the plan was to hike to the 2 o'clock position and stop at the Osgood Tent site about 11 miles. Forecast - rain, wind, but not thunderstorms until tonight. If we were feeling up to it at mile 11, we were going to continue down to the 4 o'clock position and stay at the Joe Dodge Lodge, about 15 miles.Tim started at about 7:30 and Seadog and I followed about 8 or so. I left the hut in shorts and a T-shirt but as soon as I turned the corner of the hut the wind hit me. Back inside to down rain gear - pants and jacket. As we were already at 5000 ft, the climb to Mt Washington at 6,293 was not that high. The trail was not bad, a little rocky but generally easy to get up. We were in the clouds so there was a constant moisture in the air even when it wasn't raining. The rain came and went periodically up the mountain. The trail was full of running and standing water. Just water everywhere. There apparently was 4 inches of rain last night with the full thunderstorm/lighting package. I never heard it.On top of Mt Washington I was to meet Tim. Visibility was 25 ft. A local hiker we were with, John, had said that the top was closed for renovations. Three of the buildings i could find said closed for renovations. The fourth, a gift shop and hiker lounge should have been open 15 minutes ago. I tried using my phone to see if I could find out anything about the visitor center, but everything was wet so I couldn't get the phone to do anything. Couldn't even take a picture. I didn't see Tim anywhere so I assumed he just went forward.Leaving the summit we went down the north side of the mt. Had to cross over the cog-railway track. The trail crossed the track at what seemed like the track's highest elevation from grade - about 4 ft. I learned here that the metal tip of my pole had come off. The track was supported by several stacked rail ties. As i planned my tipless pole it skidded off and I fell off the track. Hit my quad on the rail ties but fortunately landed on my back on my pack. The pack saved my back.Picked myself up and moved forward. About 1 mile down the trail I was able to find a leeward spot. Dug out a dry cloth from my pack to dry the phone. Noted Tim had been waiting at the Visitor center on top and was wondering where we were. Apparently I didn't search in the right place. He made the decision to skip the rest of the hike and take a shuttle bus to the Joe Dodge Lodge since he did not want to tent in the rain and he knew it would be difficult to finish the hike to Joe Dodge. I was able to make a call to Tim and review the strategy. Hopefully Joe Dodge would be my finish.At this point I told Seadog that I was going to put the press on so that I could make it to Joe Dodge, or at least had the option to try after we got to the Osgood tentsite. Almost immediately Seadog was dropping off. He was spending time talking to John instead of hiking. I would periodically wait for him to catch up. Luckily it did because I did not secure the raincover on my pack after talking to Tim and it blew off without my knowledge.Seadog fell so again I was waiting. He was ok but taking his good ole time. I decided I just had to go at my pace. Pushing up and around Mt Jefferson (sometimes the trail avoids the peak - rarely but this time there was no point in making the summit as you couldn't see a thing) the wind was blowing at about 50 mph with a driving rain and mist. Luckily it was off my back right shoulder.Made it 7 miles to Madison hut at 1:00. That was a long 5 hour hike for 7 miles. The hope was that after the Madison descent, the trail would become easier. Waited till 1:30 and messaged Seadog. No response. John did make it to the shelter and he told be that Seadog had fallen again and broke the handle off of one pole. He stopped to fix it and told John he would be slowing down.So up the boulder Mt Madison. I had to put my poles away and simple scramble up the 1/2 mile to the summit. Somewhere in there, as i had stretched my arms above me to pull up I heard a pop and felt stabbing pain in my left shoulder. I quickly pulled my arm back and heard another pop and the stabbing pain went away. The shoulder was a little sore. I figured I must have dislocated my shoulder, not the gruesome dislocation I imagined where you have to go have someone relocate it, but only partially (I had no idea if that was possible, only what I imagined). My choice was to go back to the hut where they would tell me I had to hike down the mountain to get attention since I was not incapacitated in anyway, or continue on. So on I went.At the top of Madison, I was again in the driving wind, but now I had turned the corner and was headed into the wind. Down the eastern side of Madison it was bolder hopping in the rain and wind. Still worried about lightening and thunderstorms (even though not forecast) I wanted to get down below the tree line. One and a half miles to the tree line - stopping at rock cairns waiting for the mist to move so I could see the next cairn, I finally made it to the tree line about 3:30. I figure I was hiking at around 1 hour per mile.Out of the wind finally, fewer rocks on the trail, I was able to go a little quicker. Made it to Osgood around 4:00 leaving only 5 more miles to go. Still no word from Seadog. The 5 miles to Joe Dodge was relatively flat as it went along the contour lines through the woods. Other than two angry stream crossings, the trail was good. At the stream there was no way to get across by rock hopping. At this point you just decide to step in the stream and soak your shoes. Anything else is just adding risk. Sloshing out of the stream I made Joe Dodge at 6:30 - 5 hours for 8 miles.What a please Joe Dodge was. It's more of a hotel than a hut. They had HOT SHOWERS! A boot dryer (really for snowshoeing) and hot food. Met up with couple, Strider(?) and Songbird, whom we have crossed paths with before. They are in their 50 I'm guessing. They had made the same hike from Madison in 7 hours.  Songbird had decided to end her hike as she needed to get back to work in July (see was allowed 4 1/2 months off) and she didn't see the point in hiking in the rain for another week.