Hunger for the Great Light

September 3 Mile 1854-
5am - We woke for our honorable walk across the highest part of the New Hampshire trail. Left camp at 6am for a 14 mile day full of backup plans. Stopped at Mizpah Hut for one last update on the weather. With an increase chance of rain over the next couple days we knew we had to push hard. Next stop was 1,000 vertical feet to Lake of the Clouds Hut. True to it's name we found ourselves in the clouds by the time we arrived. Actually we were 20 feet away from it before we then saw the hut. A quick hot chocolate break, a chance to warm up and dry off, and we were back on the trail 1,200 vertical feet to Mt. Washington. When you hike above tree line the only way to mark the trail is to use carins (a stack of rocks). The visibility continued to decrease as we climbed. Here is a questions for my aviation friends out there. Can I log actual time for this?
Upon reaching the summit choas broke loose. We didnt know where to go because you could only see 10 feet in front of you. Hundreds of tourist were visiting thanks to a rail road track to the top. We roamed from odd structue to structure looking for a place to take a break. The snack bar/visitor center had a basement for hikers to relax and be out of the way. A slice of pizza, chili dog, and whoopie pie each and we were back on the trail for the last 6 miles of the day. Well, after summiting 2 more times because we couldn't find the trail in the fog.
The miles to Madison Hut were slow and each step was deliberate. Our focus was one carin at a time as to not get lost (which is common out here even in good weather). The wind whipped letting you know the ridge was sharp and there was a whole lot of nothing around you. One would think a day like today would dampen our spirits, but it didn't. We made a pack to come back and re-hike this section in good weather.
We decided to "work for stay" at the Madison Hut. Surprisingly they took in 12 other hikers for the night. While waiting outside for the paying guest to eat dinner. Shadow and I decided to explore the nearby Sky Lake. As I was taking photos Shadow alerts me to a moose laying down on the other side of the lake (more like a bog). We took photos and ran back to tell the others. Little did we know, the moose is always there. Her name was Lola.



Country Mouse and Shadow still NOBO (North Bound)