Lakes of the Clouds Hut: Learning limits

I can hear Marty Kitty snoring somberly up above. He's not worried in the least of our attempt to snatch the 'holy grail of coffee mugs' from his paws! We reach Lakes and the path to the summit is open and clear! There are many hikers ascending & descending the summit on the Crawford Path. The heat of the day has forced the girls to sleep a few hours and my tank is empty anyway........so I settle for a Lakes of the Clouds Hut patch instead. Looking to the summit of Mt. Washington I shake my fist! Next time Marty....Next time.

For those who don't know me personally, I should tell you I was born with a birth defect where my hip is turned in causing an awkward gait when I walk, that's how I got the trail name 'Crazy Legs'. I had an opportunity as a kid to have it corrected but my decision was to leave it alone. It's not progressive, doesn't hurt or prevent me from participating in normal activities such as riding a bike, swimming or running (although I look a little funny running). Skiing, roller skating & ice skating are out; snow boarding is possible because both feet are strapped to a single board, but I'm not into winter sports anyway. My parents raised me never making an issue of it and frankly I'm really not aware of it because I don't see it, until now. If there is one thing hiking has taught me (more so the mountains) it's that I do have limitations others do not. I'm slow, I must take my time and be sure of every step, my gait can easily push me off balance even with just a 20 lb pack. I am sure it affects my ability to reach the summits but I am equally positive it doesn't make it impossible either. I've seen and read about folk's with greater adversity than mine completing entire lists, from blindness to missing limbs. I'm sure my general 'out of shapeness' has a role in it as well. With continued hikes and smaller mountains I'm sure my abilities & strength will grow. I really do just enjoy being in and around the mountains, but it's still cool to bag the peaks. I was then and still am contented to be me with no regrets of not having it fixed.

With that said, it's no surprise to us that we are 2 hours behind book time! What should have been just about 3 hours has taken me 5! Do we care? Nope! We've never been about keeping or beating book time and this trip is no different. We've planned an epic trip!  We've hiked the easy 2.0 miles with great energy from the trail head and quickly passed the Gem Pool hours ago. With our hiking poles now packed away for the climb, we're beyond the refreshing waterfalls that crisscross the trail as we ascended further towards the hut. There is a heat advisory in the valley, the sun is hot and beating down on us. I'm beat and to my surprise my water bladder is now empty, 2 liters are gone. I usually don't empty the water bladder but I'm not usually on Mt. Washington either. Fortunately we've heeded warnings from past trips and also followed the suggested gear list for a day hike in the Whites. I know the hut is very close but the extra hours in the sun is taking it's toll. Here for the first time I understand why hikers died within yards of the huts. Not me though, Cristy yells "I can see the roof of the hut! Come on!!!" When I get to her she gives me her extra liter of water saving me the task of digging my reserve from my pack. Soon after we reached the hut, checked in and crashed for a few hours.

It doesn't look far, but when your tired it is far.

While Cristy & Caitlin slept off a bit of heat illness, Scotty and I explored the area in & around the hut. We found the 'Dungeon', a place of last resort open year round for hikers caught in severe weather.

The Dungeon

The summit was clear for awhile until a storm began to form. It was really eerie to see the clouds enter the hut door like smoke, soon it was raining steady for about 10 minutes. We then watched the rain pass over the summit and across the valley. Hikers of all sorts began to arrive including a family with two young children in full rain gear.

Rain passing over the valley

We spent a lot of time just watching folks come & go while enjoying the views. We had decided early that with us being tired we would not attempt to go up to Washington and down the Jewell trail. Instead we would bag Mt. Monroe and return via the Ammo in the morning. Just spending the night in the hut was a lot of fun! The Hut Croo were great. They played music on pots & pans then screamed from the kitchen when the food was ready. They read the menu aloud, bread, mushroom soup, salad, peas, rice and gingered beef, for dessert it was red, white & blue coffee cake. Before it was served they asked  "Please take all you like but eat what you take because we have to pack ALL the trash on our backs 1.5 miles up to the summit, and you'll feel really guilty". later I watched them perform first aid on a hiker who was stung by a bee and apparently allergic with no Epi-Pen! She was ok. There were also AT thru-hikers who stopped in looking to stay in return for work. An older man was heading north on the AT and a younger girl was heading south, I heard her say she was 250 miles into her trip. They patiently waited with two other thru-hikers near the entrance while hut guests ate dinner, once dinner was over the Hut Croo put them to work cleaning up. In exchange they got hefty plates of leftovers and a spot on the dinning room floor for the night.

Playing Pictionary

After dinner guests played games and read books that the hut provides. The clouds rolled out just in time for sunset but not before one last thunder cloud crossed the valley with a single bolt of lightening. Soon it was clear, after the sun was down we watched fireworks from the Mt Washington Resort in the valley below.

Sunset looking south west

Scotty watching the fireworks

It's was almost dark by this point and most guests began to prepare for bed. We stayed outside the hut listening to the Peeper frogs nearby when two more hikers arrived at the hut. One said to the other "I'll give Jimmy another half hour" Apparently Jimmy is way behind and they haven't seen him for awhile. Thirty minutes have now passed and one ran back to the summit of Monroe which is .04 miles away, we could see him and hear him yelling & whistling for Jimmy and returning again, no sign of Jimmy. The clouds are starting to engulf the summits again, now both men run back to the summit of Monroe for a second time. We could now only hear them and see their headlamps through the cloud rising back up to the summit still yelling & whistling for Jimmy. A few more tense minutes later and a third headlamp crested the peak on Monroe! One of the men took his pack from him and brought it to the hut while the other helped him down. Jimmy was tired but he's ok. 

Breakfast

We were awakened by a Croo member playing the violin. Breakfast was then served and again with the reminder of 'take as much as you like but please eat all that you take'. Oatmeal with granola & real fruit, bacon, eggs & coffee cake, coffee, hot cocoa, tea or water. With breakfast over the hut Croo preformed a skit with the Frankenstein theme about packing out your trash and folding your blankets. The Croo then made the weather forecast announcement "Winds 50-70 mph, Tmp 60's, possible rain and severe thunderstorms in the afternoon hours. be sure to be off the ridge during storms". Cristy a Cai decided they would tag Monroe before we left. Scott Jr. didn't want to go and I was sure I had no energy to waste, I'll need all I've got just to get down, so I waited in the hut with Scotty. While we waited for the girls to return we watched other hikers make gear choices for the weather as they were departing. It was weird! Some left in shorts and a t-shirt. Others were dressed in heavy yellow rain gear (pants & coat) like they were going King Crab fishing in the Bearing Sea! We decided to go out in our coats but keep our other layers close by.

Cristy & Cai on Mt. Monroe

Cristy & Caitlin were successful and reached the summit returning a short time later. It's 10am, we refilled our water from the hut's potable alpine faucet, re-packed and headed down. The wind was fierce for only a few hundred feet and quickly died down as we descended. Soon we got overheated in our coats and packed them away. I guess shorts and a T was the right idea. We began passing hikers on their way up. One shocked me as he was dressed in jeans, sneakers and carrying a duffle bag! He looked exhausted and was pouring in sweat, I thought "good for him he was close to the hut" He asks me how much farther? I don't lie and tell him the GPS says about a .03 miles, but it's in the clouds and he may not see until 50 ft from it. Going down the steep section was much faster than going up but soon my knees began to shake with every step and I again started to slow rapidly. The wet rocks made our progress even slower. It was now noon by the time we reached the Gem Pool again, but not before we pass a young women with a prosthetic leg heading up the ammo; she was about to hit the ladder no stopping, much respect to her. We stopped for a long break at the pool soaking our feet in the water while the kids played around.

The steep sections are now behind us but we still have that 2,0 miles of easy grade back to the car. The easy grade is not so easy today........it's one foot in front of the other and another 2.5 hours before we reach the car. Now it's off to exit 32 to grab food & drinks for the drive home. While on the way home Scott Jr. reads the hut book Cristy bought and says "Zealand Falls! Can we go here next?" Yup, we'll be back soon for more!