So in the morning the weather looked threatening enough to send anyone who wasn't set on doing AT miles to the shortest route down. A few of us went back up to Lafayette and along the ridge to come down the liberty spring trail. We almost got above the clouds and as it was, we could see them blow up and over on the windward side but sometimes on the leeward side they would boil up right to the ridge and trail but then fold back on themselves . It was like watching our own weather front. Wonderful views all around. This is one of the most popular loops in these White Mtns. True to form, once you get up above treeline ,it's a pretty easy go. It's just getting there that's all the work. Peter, the fellow from NY with a British accent, and I hiked together along the ridge. At Liberty Spring campground I used probably the fullest and most used toilet I have seen. No wonder these place have a caretaker living right here and charge you to camp. We were both headed for the shuttle stop and a 2:55 pickup. Peter was headed to the highland center for his car and I was transferring to get to Pinkham. I had a couple minutes to walk around this AMC "resort" --pretty dang fancy place I'll tell ya. Somewhere in the transfer I lost my maps and AWOL guide. They are working on finding it sort of , disappointingly, half heartedly. Oops I seem to have left my half size pack towel at my last swimming hole. Crap.
I see a lot of NOBOs (and weekend warriors) that seem either to have a clock ticking in their head ( to get to Baxter before it closes) or they are so laid back they don't know where they are.
I see a lot of NOBOs (and weekend warriors) that seem either to have a clock ticking in their head ( to get to Baxter before it closes) or they are so laid back they don't know where they are.
Took lots of video up here and even got a message that I was running out of memory. Met a volunteer ridge runner here and LOTS of weekend warriors . The was a group of Dartmouth freshmen-two dressed up as Scooby Doo. The wind was a howling
At every hut you get the same speil. At supper they tell you why there are no napkins - so the crew doesn't have to pack out the trash and that it's family style serving. The toilets are all Clovis composting which can do special toilet paper. There are no towels at the sinks. Soap and Purell but no towels. Eat what you take otherwise it's compostable scraps that has to be packed out by the crew. Leftovers still in the pot are either fed to the work for stay thru hikers or sold at lunch time the next day for anyone passing thru. After breakfast you get the 0700 weather report from Mt Washington - for what it's worth. And then the crew gets dressed up in costumes and puts on funny skits to teach you how to fold your blankets. Once lengthwise and twice the other way. How to carry out all your trash, so they don't have to and how to stick $20 bills into the crew tip box.
At every hut you get the same speil. At supper they tell you why there are no napkins - so the crew doesn't have to pack out the trash and that it's family style serving. The toilets are all Clovis composting which can do special toilet paper. There are no towels at the sinks. Soap and Purell but no towels. Eat what you take otherwise it's compostable scraps that has to be packed out by the crew. Leftovers still in the pot are either fed to the work for stay thru hikers or sold at lunch time the next day for anyone passing thru. After breakfast you get the 0700 weather report from Mt Washington - for what it's worth. And then the crew gets dressed up in costumes and puts on funny skits to teach you how to fold your blankets. Once lengthwise and twice the other way. How to carry out all your trash, so they don't have to and how to stick $20 bills into the crew tip box.
70° Mist and Fog
Franconia, NH, United States
Sent from my iPhone
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