It is hard to tell from this photo, but this is an incredibly sharp incline. I had to stow my trekking poles and rock climb up this thing. There is a lot of this in The Whites.
Miles Today: 11.0
Mile Marker: 1,855.4
I woke up this morning and caught a quick hitch to the general store. It had a terrible selection, was way over priced, and the showers and laundry “Are for guests only”. Thankfully I caught a quick hitch back to the trail from someone staying in one of the cabins. He gave me an apple and a banana too.
I got back on the trail and ran into Jaws and his parents and gave them the banana. Shortly thereafter I ran into Einstein!!! We hiked together for a bit and then I tried to catch up to Cheese. I found him and Cousin Eddie at the next hut. They had some leftover oatmeal I scarffed down before heading back out.
My plan was to get over Mount Washington today, but it is all above tree line in this section and you can't camp on the alpine vegetation. I stopped at Lake of the Clouds hut and secured a work for stay. I can sleep on the floor and get the leftovers the guests don't eat in exchange for doing some dishes. I took a dip in the lake and relaxed with everyone while we waited to work. While we were at the lake we met the interns and an employee at the weather observation tower on top of Mount Washington. It is staffed 24/7. I got the forecast for tomorrow and started laughing. It is the first time I've ever gotten weather DIRECTLY from the source. So cool! Another perfect day.
Update: We had 30 minutes to eat all we could. The food was cold, but it was flavorful and in plentiful volume. I did the dishes with Ghost Hiker, and we definitely earned our free room and board. The staff are super cool, and overall it was a great experience.