August 30, 2012

Start: Nauman Tentsite

We woke up to a COLD morning! It had been in the 30s overnight and windy. At 7 am, we were awake, but we didn't emerge from the warmth of our sleeping bags until 9! Once we finally braved the cold (it was somewhere in the low 40s now), we broke down camp and used the hut to get dressed and eat our breakfast in. The weather report at the hut from Mount Washington Weather Observatory called for clear skies and 50-70 mph winds!!! We put on our cold weather hiking gear and headed out. Right out of Mizpah, we had a 500 foot steep climb to Mt Pierce (4,312 feet). The trail then skirted past the summit of Mt Eisenhower on the way to the peak of Mt. Franklin (5,004 feet). Just after Eisenhower, we passed the spot where I broke my leg 4 years ago. We've been on Crawford Path once since then, but it's still amazes me to think I hopped that last mile before Lakes of the Clouds Hut (not as much as I am amazed by the fact that Brian carried me up the last 1.5 miles to the Mt. Washington summit though) especially since its rocky terrain with precipitous drop offs on two feet! Just before Lakes of the Clouds Hut, the trail skirted the summit of Mt. Monroe. Since the AT ALWAYS seems to go up, it surprises me that the trail hasn't been re-routed over all the summits. I assume the history of Crawford Path being the oldest maintained trail in America is the reason the AT remains the way it is. We reached Lakes and dropped some of our things off since we were spending the night there. We then began the 1.5 mile, 1200 foot climb to the summit of Mt. Washington (6,288 feet). It was cold and windy!!! My legs and poles were being controlled by the wind. Each time I picked them up to move, it seemed that I had no say in where they would land. At the summit, I learned that we had climbed in 50+ mph sustained winds with gusts up to 73 mph!!! Once we reached the summit, I was overcome with so many emotions. I was relieved to be out of the wind and eating pizza from the tourist-filled summit snack bar. I felt proud and accomplished that we were standing in the place we have been looking forward to since we took those first steps on the bridge crossing the Potomac River. I felt sad that the journey was coming to an end. I was happy and excited to return home to my family, friends, cats, and luxuries, but worried about the transition to "real life." I have been changed out here. I feel more alive, more inspired, more introspective, and more appreciative of the little things. These feelings have made me a better person and I don't want to lose them when surrounded with faucets to drink from rather than rivers to pump from, and buildings to look at rather than mountains, and a gym to go to for an hour a day rather than a walk to go on for 10 hours a day. The 6.1 mile trek today was a cold, windy one, but it was one filled with happiness, pride, and excitement. It felt good to be "home!"

After we spent some time at the summit, we hiked back down to the hut. We descended in just over a half hour. Dinner at Lakes was pumpkin ginger soup, homemade bread, beef tips, rice, and broccoli with oatmeal cookies for dessert. Delicious! Just after dinner, the sun went down and what a gorgeous sunset it was from 5,048 feet. The pink sun set behind mountains that appeared blue in the distance, but the beauty didn't stop there. The full moon (blue moon) came out and illuminated the lenticular clouds around it! Brian captured some gorgeous pictures of both!

End: Lakes of the Clouds Hut

Peace Be The Journey
~Flicka