My White Mountain Emotional Rollercoaster: Part Six, Washington

Note: This post describes events that occurred on August 8-10, 2023.

The morning after my first night at Lakes of the Clouds hut, I awoke to noise in the kitchen around 5:30. After about ten minutes of procrastination, I got up and packed up my sleep stuff. I waited patiently for the paying guests to have their breakfast before I could have the leftovers. I admit it was difficult to wait so long for my morning coffee. Around 8:30, the thru hikers were invited into the kitchen to feast.

As breakfast in the dining room was winding down, a croo member read the weather report for the day. It wasn’t good news, with high winds and chance of thunderstorms on Mount Washington. She advised that guests do not summit that day. With that news, I was looking at a zero at the hut, which was unsurprising given yesterday’s forecast. I was glad to have some more downtime.

I continued to read and eventually finished The Unlikely Thru Hiker. It felt so great to finish a book, something I hadn’t done since starting the trail at the beginning of May. I was enjoying the relaxed pace at which time seemed to be passing during my zero. When I spent the day walking, I always seemed to be fighting time, trying to get miles in before I would hit bad weather or nightfall. And if I was in town, I would get caught up in chores or conversations or other diversions. Time was always flying. It was good for me to be somewhere with basic amenities but not much else.

I realized that my extended downtime was a chance to update my blog, which had been woefully cast to the wayside in the flurry of activity I always found myself in. I took time that day to write about my recent experiences. I was reminded just how important writing and sharing is to me. I resolved to make it a higher priority moving ahead.

The weather that day was more mild than the forecast would have suggested, but there was still very little thru hiker traffic into the hut, perhaps because people were still off trail given the forecast. That afternoon, one SOBO and one NOBO arrived and the three of us did work-for-stay. This time I enjoyed some deconstructed enchiladas.

The forecast for the next day wasn’t looking great either, so I went to bed knowing that I might be looking at yet another zero. It was a bit stressful having to be agile and willing to wait to make plans to leave until it was safe to do so. I was glad to be able to distract myself from that stress with my favorite pre-hike pastimes, reading and writing.

That night, I could hear the wild wind from inside of the hut. The strong winds from the day’s forecast had been delayed in coming, but when they arrived, they were constant. I slept fine but anytime I woke up I was aware of the wind howling outside.

The next day, it was apparent that a summit of Washington would again not be advisable. The wind was whipping 1200 feet below the summit outside of the hut. I couldn’t even imagine what it was like up there. Me and the other NOBO posted up for the day, chatting sometimes but mostly engaging in solitary activities. As much as I enjoyed our small talk, I was glad to be there with someone who wasn’t seeking out constant conversation. That day, I finished the book I had started at Galehead hut, Lichens Above Treeline. It was fun getting to read such different books that both enriched my hiking experience. I also continued to write, and was ready to schedule some blog posts once I had more reliable service in town.

The winds calmed somewhat as the day went on. Many thru hikers arrived in the afternoon. Some of the particularly athletic ones pressed on, but most were looking to stay at the hut. When I started to see the thru hiker traffic increase, I secured myself a place in the dungeon. I wanted to be able to go to bed early and get an early start the next day. It was kind of wild walking outside of the hut to get to the entrance of the dungeon. I had to brace myself against a stone wall to not get knocked over by the wind. It’s hard for me to believe that people were hiking in that! They are hardier souls than I, for sure.

 

 

The next morning, the wind was reasonable and there wouldn’t be thunderstorms until later in the evening. I finally had a window in which to safely complete my long traverse above treeline. I efficiently completed my morning chores and I began my ascent of Washington at 6:40 am. It was a good feeling to walk again after all that downtime. I had begun to get antsy and feel ready and refreshed for this challenging day of walking.

Washington was in the clouds that morning so I hiked through fog over wet rock. From where I was positioned on the ridge, the climb wasn’t too bad. I got my obligatory summit photo, but shortly thereafter, I slipped on the wet rock and fell. I got up and knew I was pretty banged up, looking down to see scrapes all over my shins. But I was able to walk, so I pressed on toward Madison.