AT Day 130: Lakes of the Clouds Hut

Daily Miles: 11.1, Total Miles: 1,862.9

A filling dinner, deep sleep and hearty breakfast made a difference on today’s climb to the Lakes of the Clouds Hut.

On a mostly overcast day, I skirted around Mt Eisenhower and Mt Monroe on the way to the hut with the much taller Mt Washington still shrouded in mist.

Got checked into the Lakes of the Clouds Hut, the largest (capacity of 90) of the 8 AMC huts in the Whites. This hut gets heavy traffic from hikers doing the hut traverse, the Presidential traverse, short walks from the Cog Railway or the Mt Washington Auto Road. Shortly after arriving, the rains came in full force, sending waterfalls off the hut roof. Grabbed a bottom bunk in a small room that held 15 hikers in floor to ceiling stacked bunks. Spent most of the afternoon drinking hot chocolate in the dining hall and chatting with Lance and Jennifer from Charlotte. I met and hiked with on the trail today. Partial clearing late in the afternoon offered snippets of Mt Washington summit views and an absolutely gorgeous sunset.

Dinner for a full hut consisted of lentil soup, garlic cheese bread, chicken pot pie and cranberry carrot cake. I don’t think anyone left the table hungry! The enthusiastic hut employees, all young, and volunteers were very helpful with all providing some entertainment for the evening.

The “sleeping in the bunk” experience won’t be my favorite due to many bodies, noise, no lights and space limitations. But they will enforce a 9:30pm quiet time.