Day 164
Start: Ethan Pond Shelter
End: Lakes of the Clouds Hut
Miles Hiked: 14.0
Miles on AT: 1862.9
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My morning started before the sun was fully up, which was a rare occurrence for me. I knew I had a lot of mountains to climb today and I wasn’t sure how difficult they would be, so I wanted to give myself as much time as possible to complete my day. Today’s special mountain range was the Presidential Range, one that I’d heard so many good things about. Given that the Whites hadn’t disappointed me yet, I was eager to see what my day had in store.
After saying goodbye to Halfpint and hiking a relatively smooth few miles downhill, I reached the beginning of my climb for the day. As I fueled up with a snack, I looked at the mountain in front of me. I had to climb that?!? I had to laugh at myself for going on these crazy adventures and being shocked that I had to do crazy things. The climb up to Webster Cliffs looked so steep, I knew it was going to hurt.
And it did. At one point, I even thought about turning around and throwing in the towel. Sweat poured down my face, my shirt was soaked within the first 5 minutes of the climb, and I was nowhere near the top. But, I couldn’t give in and give up. Instead, I put on my pump up music and took it step by step. I stopped when I wanted to and made steady progress.
And wouldn’t you know, I eventually made it to the cliffs and was rewarded with an amazing view. 2 other thru hikers were up there as well. They had just gotten back from town and were hoping to snag a spot at Mitzpah Hut for the night. My goal was to get as close to Mt. Washington as I could tonight, so I probably wouldn’t see them after today.
On I went, still climbing. I hadn’t yet reached Mt. Webster, so I still had about 1000 feet of elevation gain to go. Looking at the mountain ahead of me, I could tell I was going to start rock climbing again. I had to secure my stick, grab onto the rock, and hoist myself up. There was even one point where I didn’t want to look down because all I saw was the valley below me. But, I made it to the top!
Once up there, I enjoyed a Snicker bar and the sugar rush that came with it. I had more mountains to climb, so I didn’t want to stay too long. As I moved along, I passed more and more day hikers. And at Mt. Jackson, there was a full party in swing. There was a speaker with music blaring, a large group had brought up a cooler, and it seemed like they were celebrating something, but I couldn’t tell what. Needless to say, I took a quick picture and kept it moving.
Even with all of the day and weekend hikers out, the day was so gorgeous. I stopped for lunch at Mitzpah Hut, summited Mt. Pierce, and then really discovered the beauty of the Presidential Range. Now, I wasn’t one to do extra miles, but the beauty of the Presendentials compelled me to climb as many of the mountains as I could. Given that so many people experience the Whites in terrible weather, I felt I would be neglecting a perfect opportunity if I didn’t climb them.
Eisenhower was a nice gradual climb to the top. Clouds seemed to be threatening to the north, but it was all sunshine when I was up there. A woman hiking with her daughter recognized me on the way down and wished me good luck. I loved running into supporters in real life. It reminded me that there were people out there rooting for me even when others told me I couldn’t make it. Thanks to all of you for your positive support!
The Eisenhower climb was so amazing that I had to hit the other blue blaze peak, Mt. Monroe. This peak wasn’t on the official AT, but I wasn’t a purist anyway. Plus, I was making great time and was only a few miles away from Lakes of the Clouds Hut, the perfect place to stay to set me up for an early Washington summit.
And, wow, was Mt. Monroe beautiful! The clouds had dispersed a bit and it no longer seemed that rain would fall. I got up there before sunset and was treated to a magnificent show of sun rays playing amongst the clouds. The mountains stretched and undulated in the distance, a perfect reward for a hiker who had climbed all day. I could’ve stayed up there forever.
Once the sun started to dip a bit more and the air became chilly, I headed down to the Hut. In the Whites, thru hikers can do what’s called a “work for stay,” where they perform a chore for the Hut staff in return for sleeping on the dining room floor. Guests usually pay over $100 a night to stay in the bunks, but that would be really expensive for the average thru hiker, especially since there aren’t free dispersed campsites in many areas of the Whites. Tonight, I was the only thru hikers doing work for stay. During the height of hiking season, it could get pretty competitive to get a spot, but late hikers like me didn’t have that problem.
My work involved scraping the ice off of the inside of 2 of their freezers, and in exchange I got a hot meal of leftovers and a warm place to sleep. The Hut seemed full tonight; there were so many guests that I was a bit overwhelmed socially. But, after all the guests got in their bunks, I set my sleeping kit up on the dining room floor, put in my earplugs, and drifted off to sleep.
And that’s day 164.
A version of this post originally appeared on TheTrek.co.