March 3, 2025 6 min to read

AT Blog: Day 119 and 120

The Presidentials and a Lake in the Clouds

Day 119:

Start at the stealth site near Crawford Notch. It’s a nice site but the mosquitos are vicious every time I’m out of my tent.

I pack up and hike up, the first section of trail is the hardest relative to its altitude gain. It starts out well pathed, but as I get closer to Webster Cliffs (about 1800 feet up from my camp) it gets rockier and steeper.

Once on top I can see across the valley to Mt Willey and Mt Willard. I also get signal for the first time since yesterday morning which I use to let my parents know my plans. I have a garmin satellite messenger which I use every night to check in, but it’s nice to send longer messages and get weather forecasts from my phone.

The trail keeps going up to Webster then Mount Jackson. There’s a decent amount of day and section hikers out which surprise me considering the terrible forecast for the afternoon, huge gusts lots of rain and cold weather. It’s around 58 degrees where I am, and it’ll only get cooler the higher up I go.

I take a quick break at Mizpuh Hut to warm up and use the restroom, before continuing on. Mt. Pierce is next and is the first presidential mountain above treeline. I snag a few good photos as I’m not yet covered by the clouds and keep moving. The wind isn’t too horrible yet and the rain is merely a drizzle, so I stay warm enough. Mt. Eisenhower is also beautiful but the clouds soon descend upon the trail, covering everything and obscuring views. It’s hard to see 20 yards ahead.

By the time I make it to Mount Franklin (over 500 feet up) the rain is coming down harder and the wind has picked up. I hike as quick as I can the last mile to Lake of the Clouds Hut to stay the night.

It’s a short day but ultimately I would rather stay warm and dry then hike in this foul weather, plus Washington is getting 100 mph gusts today. I end up doing a work for stay at the hut. They call it that and make us do very little work in reality. Mostly taking out the compost, some sweeping and then some dish collecting. In trade we get to sleep inside, eat a meal after the other guests and use the restrooms. It also means I don’t have to pay the 300 dollars the other guests have to lol.

The huts are certainly interesting with the people running them. A couple of the have through hiked the trail before and others have extensive hiking history in the area. Meanwhile the guests they cater too are often way too under prepared for the hikes. I see many a weary and hyperthermic guest enter today.

Several section hikers stay in the dungeon. I meet Gazelle who I learned is finishing his triple crown, as in he has already hiked the PCT and the CDT in the US. He is from Japan and is moving super fast, this is his day 90.

Homesick and Scout also show up later, in addition two southbounders GI Jane and Andy are also there. Gazelle, GI Jane and Andy do the work for stay with me. We only had to collect dirty dishes after the meal, sweep some and take out the compost. After that we get a full meal of turkey, peas, mash potatoes, salad, corn bread and lemon and popey seed cake.

After a full meal we settle down for the night in the dining hall. I set up my air mattress on a bench and head to bed.

Day 120:

Wake up at Lake of the Clouds. It was a nice warm stay here and protected from the wind and clouds of outside. Since I did work for stay, I technically could get breakfast leftovers but unfortunately they don’t serve till 8 to 830. Meanwhile the weather is looking good for the next few hours. High wind but little chance of rain till the afternoon when storms come in.

I get going early to take advantage of the weather window. The walk up the rest of the way (Lake of the Clouds is at 5100 feet and Washington is at 6200 feet) is nice and not too steep. There is some technical terrain from the rocks but it’s not too bad. Approaching the summit the wind is howling and trying to knock me down. I pass by the closed facilities and make my way up to the sign and brace myself against it to take a selfie.

The clouds mean there is no view up there but still, it’s nice to know I made it to the top. Now the real dangerous part of the hike is the next 8 or so miles are still completely exposed as I walk the rest of the presidential mountains. There’s times where the trail goes directly over the ridges at the top where I have to use both hands to safely hike. Speaking of which I put away my poles as they weren’t super useful as they attempted to fly from my hands. Additionally my rain cover for my pack is strapped onto a buckle in case it comes loose.

After 6 more miles of hiking, eventually the trail descends to Madison Spring Hut, a safe location to rest on the ridge line. It’s a well protected area from the wind, which you can tell because the fir trees grow over 6 feet tall, despite being 4800 feet up, where other fir trees are little more than tiny shrubs. I get lentil soup, a brownie and some of their leftover turkey. Also Gazelle then Homesick and Scout arrive. As we relax and eat the clouds fade away outside giving great visibility for the first time.

Soon I get moving to avoid the storms on the ridge, there’s only 2 miles left of being above treeline, however I have to climb Mount Madison, the last presidential first. It’s a steep rock climb going over 500 feet in just a half mile. From the top of Madison at 5400 feet it’s a straight descent down to Pinkham notch at 2000 feet. It’s certainly steep and never ending descent that tires you out. I do get below treeline before any storms hit.

After the major descent, the last 5 miles of the day is a normal walk through the woods, that seem to drag on due to my tiredness. I eventually make it to Pinkham notch grab a diet coke, and decide to stay at the lodge.

While making dinner, they put on a brief presentation. Todays topic was about their heavy lifter backpacks that can carry 100 pounds. Im glad thats not me!