Day: 137 Miles: 11.2 Trip: 1851.7 Started: Crawford Notch Destination: Lakes of the Clouds
Today is the first day in the Presidential range of the Whites.
The morning started out overcast with low fog but just after the side trail to Mt. Jackson the fog started to lift. For a brief time I was able to see more than 100 feet but by the time I reached Eisenhower the dense fog was back. Despite the poor visibility I enjoyed this stretch above the tree line. The temperatures are great and the fog gives the trail an unearthly feeling. I was not able to see the hut until I was about 200 feet away.
I arrived at about 3pm and was able to arrange 'work for stay'. The hut system is reservation only but often through hikers can arrange to work for a spot on the dining room floor. Lakes of the Clouds in one of of the easier huts to do this at because there are so few camping options on the mountain. My work was to wash pots and pans from the dinner service. We had about 10 hikers there for the night and the shared work load was a nice change if pace. Work for stay usually includes a meal and we were treated with pulled pork for dinner. Around 9pm the wind really picked up and we got reports that Washington peak only 1.5 miles away had sustained winds of over 85 miles an hour. I was glad to be inside for the night!
The morning started out overcast with low fog but just after the side trail to Mt. Jackson the fog started to lift. For a brief time I was able to see more than 100 feet but by the time I reached Eisenhower the dense fog was back. Despite the poor visibility I enjoyed this stretch above the tree line. The temperatures are great and the fog gives the trail an unearthly feeling. I was not able to see the hut until I was about 200 feet away.
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