Wednesday, July 27th

AMC Highlands Center (1848.9 mi) to Lakes of the Clouds Hut (1860.0 mi)

Hiking Miles: 11.1

Total Ascent: 5,066.9 ft

Total Descent: 1,295.6 ft

Total Grade: 573.2 ft/mi

Steps: 30,721

HALL & OATES – Sara Smile

Gator/Sunrise: It was wonderful sleeping in a bed located literally right next to the bathroom, not to mention we had the entire room to ourselves. I honestly didn’t expect to be staying in such luxury, compared to camping at a stealth site, while in the Whites. We took our time packing up and eating breakfast this morning whereas the AMC shuttle departed at 8:30 am. We only had 11 miles to reach the Lakes Of The Clouds Hut at the base of Mount Washington, but again (sounding like a broken record), we had five thousand feet of elevation to climb at about a 600 ft/mile average grade.

We crossed over a few Presidential peaks (Jackson, Pierce, Eisenhower and Monroe), all 4K footers. The latter two “peaks” were technically not part of the AT, however we elected to by-pass the Eisenhower and Monroe Loops and take the harder way to the top of each mountain to achieve two additional 4K footers. By that time, I was getting tired (and hungry) and I may have cursed those climbs a few times.

By 5:30 pm, we reached the Lakes Of The Clouds Hut, one of the major structures maintained and operated by the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC), with a little time to spare before dinner. We reserved two bunks however pickings were thin and I had to settle for a top bunk (three levels high) with very little head room.

We did check out the quarters in the basement of the hut that hikers called the “Dungeon”, a first come-first serve room where hikers could stay for no cost. Not the finest accommodations (grungy and musty) but certainly a viable option given tenting was prohibited.

The hut was beautiful and the inside was clean and well maintained. But the highlight of the day were the absolutely breathtaking views and stunning sunset we caught after dinner. Literally every guest at the hut was outside taking it all in and snapping photos. I video called Teresa and shared the scenery with her. From where I stood, I could see the top of Mount Washington, just one mile up the trail. I was so looking forward to summiting it tomorrow AM and perhaps even catch the sunrise.

Croc: Even though we only planned on going 11 miles today to the Lakes of the Clouds Hut, it was likely going to be the toughest section of the trail to date. This is where I would say the Whites truly start as we would begin hitting the highest peaks (as noted by their names referencing the presidents). Fortunately, we got to sleep in and grab a big breakfast before our shuttle came to pick us up at 8:30 AM. There was an option to hike a blue blaze up Mt. Jackson (~5 miles and same distance as the AT portion) from the AMC Highland Center, which would have been very convenient to skip the shuttle process. However, we decided to start at the actual trail since we skipped 7 miles the day prior. There was an elderly fellow who had been matching our pace for the last week (Gator mentioned him in the previous blog) that I am convinced took this blue blaze. He kept leaving after us yet kept appearing in front of us at every end location. I will second the “who am I to judge” sentiment, but he legitimately moved at Snail Mail’s pace and kept teleporting ahead. Gator and I joke (or maybe I joked in my own head) that the “hot chick” who picked him up the day prior also picked him up and carried him down the trail at record pace.

The hike did prove difficult with the numerous ups and downs, and we also completed nearly all the elevation gain needed to peak Mt. Washington, the highest point in New Hampshire, which we’d be hitting the following morning. We didn’t help ourselves by completing a few blue blazes to knock a couple of 4,000 footers off our list (Eisenhower & Monroe). It was definitely worth it since they weren’t that much of a detour and we were only hiking 11 miles today. We also thought that we’d never really be back to this section of the trail again and figured it was easier to spend 30 more minutes hitting the peaks now rather than make a future day trip for them. We did find ourselves getting dangerously close to missing dinner, but we ultimately made it just in time. And wouldn’t you know… the old guy beat us again!

As Gator mentioned, the downside of showing up late was that we got the last two bunks in the hut, which weren’t great locations. But hey, it was better than the “dungeon.” Gator graciously gave me a middle bunk, and he was forced to take a top bunk that looked rather hard to get into. At first, I was a little frustrated that several younger hikers took the bottom bunks (basically on the floor), but it turned out to be a horrible decision for them since they were sleeping next to everyone’s dirty clothes and boots and must have heard people jumping down all night.

After grabbing our bunks and putting down our gear, we headed over to dinner. It was a great dinner but nowhere near as good as Galehead hut. They really didn’t have that much food, and Gator and I found ourselves still hungry afterwards, so we ended up having to buy baked goods to fill ourselves up. I’m not sure why I didn’t eat any of the food in my bag, but I was still weirdly convinced I’d run out of food in the middle of the Presidential Range (mountain range in the Whites named after presidents) even though I still had several pounds of food.

There were also a lot of people (maybe 50+?) in the hut, which made everything crowded, especially the bathrooms. Not to mention several kids that were running around screaming well past hiker midnight. The one plus for the night was the incredible sunset. I’m not usually a sucker for sunsets, but this was truly incredible. I quickly called it a night after taking a short video knowing that Gator and I planned on getting up early the next morning to hit Washington for sunrise. I went to bed thinking about the volunteers who work at these huts and how long their shifts are. Do they hike up here and stay for several months? Are they actually paid? Do they do this as a school project since most of them look no older than college students? Something for me to research later.