Date: 2004-09-13
From: Lake of the Clouds Hut 

To: Osgood Tent Site 
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: broken clouds

Whatever...Start: Lake of the Clouds Hut @ 0920Finish: Osgood Tent Site @ 1533 Miles: 10Weather: Rain, cloudy, high winds on Mt. Washington in morning. Outstanding rest of day.Breakfast: Oatmeal, Apple Crisp.Lunch: Fudgeround, Starcrunch, 2 Snickers. Dinner: Cheddar Potato w/ Ham & Croutons, Snickers, Fudge Round, Starcrunch.Trail Conditions: Above tree line all day. Very rocky, some scrambles.Animals: Birds.People: Blues Brothers, Ranger Jan, Day Hikers, AMC Croo's.The weather didn¢t improve at all during the night and it was still raining out when I awoke at 0600. A bunch of the tourist were already up and running about, so I didn¢t go back to sleep. I dragged my stuff out of the dining hall before the peoples breakfast was served and got packed up for the day.The weather forecast came in from Mt. Washington and it said the rain would be clearing by mid-morning and the rest of the day would be sunny. There was hope. After doing the morning chores I yogi¢d a trash bag from the croo and improvised a rain cover for my pack, and headed out to climb Mt. Washington. Clouds Parting Enroute to the SummitFortunately the rain had stopped but we were still in the clouds and winds were blowing about 40mph. Hiking up Mt. Washington reminded me more of Mt. Doom from Lord of the Rings. The mountainside is one huge jumble of old, dark, weathered rocks. Although you go up 1,200 feet in about a mile, I didn¢t find the hike itself to be too strenuous. As I moved up the mountain the clouds began parting at random moments, revealing the valleys below which were blanketed in their own cloud systems. The sun was also shining brightly. Clouds Parting Enroute to the SummitAs I got to the summit the clouds around Washington completely parted and there were perfect 360-degree views. The wind was blowing around 60 miles per hour and it was a brisk 40 degrees outside, so it was chilly up top. I stood on the observation deck of one of the buildings and was nearly blown over by a gust of wind. When I faced into the wind I couldn¢t breath it was so strong and cold. Me in 60mph windsI warmed up in the State Park Visitors Center and hung out with Ranger Jan and Blues Brothers. We went up to the summit sign and did the usual photo shoot and began the descent into the Presidentials. Standing on the Summit I must admit that I did find the walk up Washington to be quite easy. It wasn¢t too steep and there were huge rocks everywhere that you could hop from. The most disappointing part was how ugly the summit was. It was more or less a paved over tourist Mecca. Huge concrete buildings, large towers, roadways, railways, all converged to create a real eye sore. It is a summit I rate with Clingmans Dome and Roan Mountain, you don¢t have to put in any work to get a great view if you don¢t want to. Oh well is all I can say about it, but it really annoys me.After about 2 hours on top the skies had cleared nicely and we began our descent into the Presidentials. I was above the clouds in the valleys in front of me and as I progressed down they gradually came to eye level. Hiking into the Presidential RangeI got to the cog railway and briefly rested. Then, off in the distance I saw huge plumes of disgusting black smoke. The cog train was chugging up the mountain and that I meant I could participate in the age old thru-hiker tradition of mooning the train passengers! The cog train slowly drew closer billowing out its black smoke, as it is coal powered. It is ironic that this train even is able to operate considering the environmental concerns of being in an alpine area above tree line. There are signs plastered all along the trail and the huts telling you were to walk, to not step on so and so plants or lichen. There are so many cautions it seems as if you were to fart you¢d kill some type of endangered plant. But alas, the cog train runs and there is a swath of land about 10 feet wide on both sides of the track blackened with soot. Very healthy I¢m sure for the alpine vegetation. Finally the train passed and Vince and I dropped our pants and I exposed my GB much to the delight of the tourists as they were all taking pictures. Fun times it was. The Infamous Cog TrainBy one o¢clock the skies had completely cleared and there wasn¢t a single cloud in the sky. All afternoon not one cloud passed over the summit of Mt. Washington, a very rare occurrence. The entire day we could see precisely where we were going to be headed and how far we had come. Enroute to Mt. JeffersonI really took my time and enjoyed every moment of the days hike. I feel I am truly blessed to be passing thru the Whites in such ideal conditions. There were numerous day hikers out and people moving from hut to hut. I stopped on occasion to talk with them and had several take my picture at scenic viewpoints. The Great Gulf - Presidential Range is on the RightAll day walking I was above tree line and the mountains and valley were all one gigantic boulder field of weathered and jagged rocks. There were literally no blazes or defined trail, rather it was a game of what I call ¢connect the cairns¢. About every 50 yards there were large man made rock cairns that distinguished the direction to travel, and I just made up my own way to go from cairn to cairn. Connect the Cairns Me in the PresidentialsI stopped in at Madison Hut and was tempted to just stay there. The croo was very friendly, but the two hours of work was either scrubbing pots or washing down the bathrooms with bleach water. Neither sounded too much fun so on I went. Mt. Madison (Madison Hut is at the base)Mt. Madison was definitely the steepest climb of the Presidentials and offered a superb view of what I had just hiked. The evening sun silhouetted Mt. Washington in the distance and gave an amber hue to the gulf between Washington and the Presidentials Range. The Great Gulf from Mt. MadisonThe descent back into the treeline, and Pinkham Notch, followed a ridge that resembled a dragons spine. It was very cool. On the way down I passed Teatree, an AMC croo worker out for a day hike, she hiked the AT in 2002 and was fun to chat with. I also passed a SOBO named Mystery. She was having a pretty rough go of things and just wanted to get stoned atop Mt. Madison. I advised her against doing so as it was a tough climb.Tonight I am at Osgood tent site. It is a good tent site with plenty of platforms. Blues Brothers have a nice campfire going. I am very very tired and there is a definite chill to the air. I will be calling it a day shortly.