Day 29 - Monday, July 11

Linda

We were up and out by 6:30 this morning to start the ascent up Mt. Madison. It's a long, steep uphill to timberline, then, once we got above timberline, the trail consisted of what seemed like an endless sea of rocks. It took us 3 hours to travel the 3 miles to Madison Hut. After resting up and enjoying the hut for a bit, we pressed on up over Adams, Jefferson and Clay to Washington. At Edmond Col Emergency Shelter we stopped to rest and take some pictures. Ronald took some salt tablets and hoped he'd feel better.

The trail through this area wasn't terribly steep, but was all exposed above timberline, and very rocky. Also, being above timberline gave us no respite from the sun, so we were worn down quickly. For a while we came along parallel to the cog rail train that takes visitors up to the top of Mt. Washington. We tried racing the train to the top, but we lost. It stopped part way up and we took some pictures, and then had our picture taken by the tourists on the train. We followed the tracks a bit longer, then got back on the trail. The last push to the summit of Mt. Washington seemed endless.

Mt. Washington is more populated with day tourists than most places we travel through. There is an observatory and weather station, since this area is known for having some of the most severe weather conditions in the country. There is also a museum, a big gift shop, snack bar and the old stone hotel. It was very crowded with people everywhere. Many had taken the cog rail, but it's also quite an accomplishment to drive up there, because the road is extremely steep, and cars that make it are awarded a certificate to prove that they actually drove to the top.

There were also swarms of hikers, as evidenced by the long line of backpacks covering the whole side wall of the gift shop. It was quite a sight! Another potentially good ad photo for an outdoor equipment catalogue. Maybe we really should get in touch with REI, L.L. Bean or EMS. We went to get quenched again with root beer, apples and ice cream bars. Les and Pete came dragging in looking really beat. There is no camping above treeline, due to the sudden weather changes, and they knew they'd never make it the 4 miles to get below treeline. They were out of money by then, but tried to get reservations at Lake of the Clouds and be billed. Unfortunately, they were told the hut was full, so they are going to hitchhike back to Pinkham Notch, then come back tomorrow and keep going. Too bad it didn't work out better. It would have been fun to have a big group at the hut with us.

We stayed up at the top for a while to rest and write some postcards before heading down the last 1.4 miles the Lake of the Clouds. The trail wasn't bad, just more rocks, but since the terrain was so open, we could see the hut all the way down, and it seemed like it should be much closer. That, coupled with the fact that we were already worn out, made it all the better when we arrived around 4:00 to get settled in. It had been a rocky 10 miles, and it was nice to rest. Ray arrived around 5:30, just in time for dinner at 6:00. We figured we'd see him here. Glad he made it. Lake of the Clouds is the largest of the huts, and also the most accessible, so it tends to be crowded. It is a huge stone and wood building with a large open dining room with huge windows looking out over the mountains.

At dinner we really chowed down. They served vegetable soup, turkey casserole, tossed salad, homemade bread (tons of it) and the usual beverages. Ours was the last table to finish eating, because we were mostly starving through hikers, and we were having too good a time eating and talking! They served dessert at 9:00 to give dinner a chance to settle, which was timed quite nicely. Brian and Rick had come in during dinner, then two other through hikers from Georgia, Dennis and Greg, and they all got bunks. Our room alone had 7 empty bunks, so Les and Pete had gotten some bad information. After dinner we talked to the Georgia through hikers. The were the most enthusiastic hikers we've met so far and we had a great time swapping stories. Also got some useful trail information. We stuffed down piles of gingerbread and cups of tea before lights out at 10:00. The huts are powered by gas, and there are no lights in the rooms, so when they say lights out, they mean lights out. It gets real dark - real quick. We chatted for a few more minutes in the dark, then conked out.

Ron

Today was our entry into the Presidential range of the White Mountains. This is clearly the most impressive range of mountains we've crossed so far. The climb this morning up Mount Madison was rough. After we reached the timberline, the trail when straight up over loose rock. At the top of Madison the trail dives directly down the other side to Madison Hut.

Madison Hut is one of the many huts along the trail in the White Mountains. Unlike lean-tos, huts are real buildings and staffed during the summer for the hut hikers. They provide bedding, food, and all the necessities. Hut hikers only need to pack their clothes as they travel from hut to hut. The downside is that the huts are too expensive for us to stay in more than one during our traverse of the Whites. However, if you get to one shortly after breakfast you can get all the leftovers you want for next to nothing.

We stayed around Madison Hut for a half hour to rest for the trip to Mt. Washington. The climb out of Madison was steep, but the rocks were not as loose as on the climb up the mountain. We made good time until the trail got bad. We Edmands Col Emergency shelter to rest for a while. I was feeling a little week and took a couple of salt tablets. I downed them with some icy cold water from a nearby stream.

In the Presidentials the AT traverses between the different summits. This allow for better travel with few steep assents and descents. As we came around Mt. Clay we could set the clog train slowly working it's way up to the top of Mt. Washington. I stayed and watched for a while, debating if I could make it to the trestle in time to take a picture. I decided to try, and took off down the mountain and up the other ridge. Going down wasn't bad but running up hill with a full pack really hurt. About twenty yards from the track I threw down my pack, dug out the camera and crawled the rest of the way to the tracks. The train was about thirty feet from me and slowly crawling up the mountain when I arrived. All of a sudden it stopped and just sat there. It was waiting for the other train to come down the hill. About twenty minutes later Linda and Mike hiked up and all my running was for nothing.

Exhausted we hiked the rest of the way to the summit of Washington after taking a few more pictures of the train. The top was crowded with the usual tourist trade. People hanging around the museum and gift shop, etc. Of course most of them got here the easy way, either by the cog train or they drove to the top. All I wanted was to get something cold to drink. We stopped at the snack shop for root beer, apples and a couple of ice cream bars. Les and Pete pulled in and looked dead. Pete wanted to stay in the Lake of the Clouds Hut, but it was full. He wasn't sure what they were going to do. The ridge of the Presidentials is all above timberline and there are few places to stay.

Since we could not stay at all of the AMC huts along the White Mountains, we did decide to stay at the Lake of the Clouds Hut. Being almost at the summit of Mt. Washington it is clearly the most scenic and also the most used. We had already made our reservations back at Pinkham Notch.

We hiked the last mile easy to the hut. I decided to use some my free time to water proof my boots. For supper we had turkey casserole, salad, soup, bread, and drinks. After five helpings, I was really hurting. After supper we sat down with a couple of north bounders for the rest of the evening. We pumped them for information on the trail south of here. Good day, good meal, and good company.

(10.5 Miles - 329.8 Total)