Day 155: Into The Presidentials

Today was awesome. We had some rain and clouds, but nothing too terrible. The morning was spent more rock climbing than hiking. We went over 3 summits and followed the ridge up toward Mount Washington. For much of the day we were in the clouds, but they moved quickly enough to allow some awesome views. We arrived at Lake of the Clouds Hut around 3. While the huts are generally for those who have made reservations, they do allow a couple thru-hikers to work for stay. That basically means you get to eat dinner leftovers, do dishes, and sleep on the floor of the common area. Yesterday this hut thought they had bed bugs, so called every reservation to inform them the hut was closing. An expert came down and determined there were no bed bugs, just some dust mites that don’t bother humans. They reopened the hut but many people already made other plans. The crew cooked for 90 people and only about 50 came. That means they accepted every thru-hiker who came through, set us up at a special table and let us feast! Soup, salad, rice, peas, pulled pork, blondies, and coffee, all in exchange for scrubbing some pots. It was a freak occurrence that never happens, so it made the day even more special.