START LOCATION: Mizpah Hut
FINISH LOCATION: Lakes of the Clouds Hut
TODAY'S MILEAGE: 4.8
TRIP MILEAGE: 1,845.2
MILES TO GO: 333.9
When you sleep on an AMC hut dining room floor, your alarm clock is the rattle of pots and pans. This was 5:30AM. Krispy Kritter, Capt. Slick and I packed up our stuff and got out of the way. We waited patiently watching the clouds and rain outside as the guests ate their breakfast. When they were done, we ate breakfast with the "croo" as the guests headed out into the Whites. We were expecting to do some cleanup chores after breakfast, but the Hut master decided we'd done enough and free to go.
Yesterday, Gary Rayberg, a Rockland, MA native and guest at Mizpah Hut generously offered us his open spots at Lakes of the Clouds Hut. With the weather calling for heavy rain and 40 mph gusts, we stuck to that plan. We said a tentative goodbye to Gary and told him we'd meet him and his family/friends at LOTC. With only 5 miles planned we decided we had time to wait for a break in the weather. But, it really never came. So, we shoved off around 10:15 in the pouring rain.
The hike started steep for about a mile but leveled off nicely as we went alpine. The tradeoff of easier terrain was more difficult weather. The wind, cold and rain howled over the ridge as we crossed for about two miles. The last two miles saw the rain nearly disappear but the wind gusts break 40 mph. This was kind of nice as my clothes were able to dry out slightly. We kept close together for safety sake but cruised into LOTC by 12:45. The visibility was so low around us that we nearly bumped into the LOTC hut as we arrived.
We spent the afternoon enjoying time with Gary's family and friends... These were Lisa, Jessica, Julia, Dennis, Kim, Stephan and Megan. They were an absolute blast to hang with. The only bummer was that Kim took a nasty fall and seemingly dislocated her shoulder. But, she was a trooper and you'd never guess she was hurt from her good mood and great sense of humor. She was really happy to be up here in spite of the situation. I had a great conversation with Stephan, a mechanical engineering graduate of Northeastern and successful entrepreneur in his field. We chatted about everything from skydiving to effective parenting. His martini concoction he hauled up the mountain was enjoyed by all. We had such a good time with them.
We enjoyed a big dinner of salad, chicken soup, stuffed shells and gingerbread for dessert. The food was fantastic. And best of all, thanks to the Raybergs, we didn't have to do dishes to enjoy it. After dinner Krispy, Captain, Jessica, Dennis and I played the card game "Bulls•••" til lights out. It was hilarious and I think we were having a bit too much fun for the other guests liking. But it was all good.
I can't stress enough how grateful we are to the Raybergs and their friends for their immense generosity. I've told them they are the epitome of trail angels. They are all like family to us now. If you guys need anything at all... Call on us!
Tomorrow, we are making a Washington summit a game-time decision based on weather. It is all but guaranteed that we'll have to avoid most of the Presidential Range's AT with the weather and the ridge exposure. But, we have a safer route mapped out by Captain Slick. All we can do is hope a Washington summit is feasible otherwise we skirt it and push northward.
-natedog
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