This was our first 2017 as AMC information volunteers in one of the high huts – and we could not have been more fortunate with the weather. But more on that shortly…

As with any other hike, we started the weather watch about a week beforehand. Some rain, no rain, the report kept changing. Then, Jeanne reminded me that weather in the mountains is (much!) different than weather reported by Wunderground.com. So, off to the high summits forecast from the Mt. Washington observatory.   Because of the changeability, the forecast only extends out 2 days, but that still gave us time to change up our gear/clothing choices before we departed.  The weather outlook?  Generally “In and out of the clouds under increasingly cloudy skies”  On the surface, that doesn’t seem to make much sense – but spend a bit of time in the summits and you quickly understand that it’s all code for “the summits are socked in by a low-flying cloud”…

Summits in the clouds are not much fun – visibility is measured in feet, and you become thankful to whomever for creating and maintaining the Cairns on the trails! But volunteering is volunteering – not like you can just not show up.

So, off we went… Driving up Thursday morning, we parked the car at the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trailhead and hopped on the AMC Shuttle over to Pinkham Notch/Joe Dodge Lodge for the night.     Friday broke, and indeed, the summits were in the clouds – but so be it…    In the notch, the weather was fine – and the sun strong – so we were optimistic. Our daughter had planned some high hut hiking for the weekend as well, driving up from CT.  She arrived at 9:30am on Friday, so after a bit of a break, a quick bite to eat, we were off, headed up Tuckerman’s Ravine trail.

The trail is a steady up-hill – nothing extreme or anything, just a steady climb with some rock hopping.  The footing was good and we made good time to the Hermit Lakes Shelter – a common waypoint for many headed to Mt. Washington on the Tuckerman’s or Lion’s Head trails.  Even on a Friday, there were a few other groups headed to the summit.  The sun was doing its magic, burning off the clouds that had been hanging around the summit – already we were getting some great views looking up at the headwall!

Not surprisingly, as we neared the headwall, the going got steeper, but still good footing. I can’t quite imagine doing this trail in poor conditions, fortunately though, we didn’t have to worry about that.  For us, the trail was good, and after some scrambling and a few stops to catch our breath (remember, we had full packs), we were at the last few Cairns near the edge of the headwall – and a first glimpse of the radio tower on the Mt. Washington summit.

Definitely a beautiful day – with visibility nearly limitless.  From the edge of the headwall, we followed Tuckerman’s crossover, and staying close to the Cairns.  In that section of the trail, there was lots of rock hopping – making the trail indistinguishable from all the other rocks…   In short order though, we arrived at the Lakes of the Clouds hut, completing the 4.6 mi hike in 3hr 25min – a few minutes ahead of the 4hr book time (elevation change: 3,450ft).

Immediately on arriving, we got a taste of just what sort of weekend we were to have.  Even in the early Friday afternoon, the hut was buzzing with visitors and hikers.  So it was off with our packs and jump in where we could to get to work. The work (if you can call it work) of an AMC “Info Vol” (information volunteer) is varied – mainly helping check in guests staying at the hut, answering questions, and evangelizing alpine stewardship and the AMC message; basically anything we can to offload the hut “croo”, so that they can focus on what they need to do to feed the 90 guests (!) and keep the hut running.  For us, this weekend, our “work” also included helping folks make/change shuttle reservations, securing a frozen bag of peas as a substitute ice pack for a sore ankle, and even some impromptu hikers yoga!

The hut clears out pretty quickly after breakfast, leaving only the croo and the dozen or so AT thru hikers grabbing left overs with their “work for stay”, so we were able to grab a bit of a break and head out for a short hike of our own.    We decided on a short walk, headed toward the summit cone, following Crawford Path to Great Gulf trail, returning on Westside trail.  A short lollipop, but a welcome chance to get out and stretch our legs.   The weather had started off cool, but the sun was doing its magic; a clear summit cone, filtered sunshine, and near limitless visibility!

Near lunchtime, we were headed back toward the hut and were surprised at the number of people on the trails.    Seeing the hut and the Crawford path from a distance, it looked like it an ant trail formed by a string of hikers headed to/from the summit.   Perhaps no surprise, given the weather – but the trails were crowded which caused frequent stops on the trail to let fellow hikers pass.

The hut is in an ideal location, providing a welcome stop-over point for those headed to the summit via the short Ammonoosuc Ravine trail.  The croo had posted a sign out of one of the windows offering quesadilla’s, crepes, and soup – turning the hut into a mini food shack, staffed by one of the croo posing as short-order cook!   Needless to say, it was hugely popular with the hikers, so as soon as we returned it was again a quick drop of our packs and jump in to help collect orders and deliver soup bowls and quesadillas.    What a great way to socialize!

As the day wore on, the day hikers gave way to those who would be staying the night.  Preparations were well underway by the croo for dinner while we answered trail questions, helped folks with their gear, and did a bit of retailing. As always, dinner was satisfying, some great dinner conversation punctuated by heaping portions of food, topped off by yet another beautiful sunset!

I’ve been going on and on about the croo – they really make all this happen. Food for 90+, a tidy kitchen, skits, some naturalist talks, and always with tons of enthusiasm. A big shout out to our croo: Hannah, Sam, Charlotte, Emma, Molly, Nile, Daniel, and Jack (and huge apologies if I didn’t get all the names right!)

Sunday morning, with temperatures in the high 30’s and a stiffer wind, but amazingly, even clearer skies – again providing a beautiful view of the summit cone and limitless visibility. Just as with the day before, the hut cleared out quickly enabling us to pack up our own gear, say our goodbyes to the croo and to Lakes, and be on our way.