03 July.

03 July.
From: Mizpah Spring hut
To: Lakes of the Clouds hut
Mileage: 4.6
Weather: cloudy, cool, foggy

After breakfast served by the Mizpah Spring Croo (and an entertaining "Titanic" skit), Vinegar and I set off towards Mount Washington.

The trail was beautiful in the morning clouds, but started with a steep rocky climb above the hut. Along the way, Old Soul and Caterpillar joined us and we continued with a cool wind and fog (clouds) wrapped around Monroe peak. We followed a published bypass of a section of the AT on the Crawford Path (the country's oldest maintained trail) due to trail maintenance.

We stopped at Lakes of the Clouds hut at the base of Mount Washington, which was wrapped in clouds. After eating soup, brownies and cookies at the hut, Vinegar then Old Soul and Caterpillar continued over Mount Washington. However, I asked about staying in "The Dungeon," an emergency shelter bunk room beneath the hut's dining area. However, a Croo member strongly recommended I take a work for stay slot instead, and I decided to do so, as I wanted to summit Washington in clear weather (tomorrow's forecast) and Independence Day seemed an auspicious day for it.

However I had to wait a long time for Work for stay. While I waited, I sorted the hut's library and watched clouds lift from the mountain to reveal a beautiful afternoon.

Other work for stay volunteers showed up in the afternoon: Rainbow, Willow, and NoName. The AMC Croo gave us bowls of beef and barley soup while we waited.

When it got dark, I went out to stargaze and was joined by several others. I pointed out some satellites passing overhead, and used my Stellarium app to identify the planet we saw (Jupiter, IIRC).

We volunteers waited while paying guests had dinner, then joined the Croo to eat leftovers, including black bean enchilada, cold vegetarian lasagna, and chocolate iced cake with coconut. Anything not eaten and not compostable must be packed out by Croo members, so we were encouraged to eat all we could.

After a little team building and instruction by the Croo, we set to work rinsing and racking dishes, and cleaning the fridge. The dishes kept coming, but the Croo relieved us after two hours.

Then we had to wait until guests left the dining area, as some were playing cards and talking. We put down our bedding between the tables, and I chose a spot below the windows with a view of Mount Washington.

I did not sleep well. There was some anticipation of my long awaited hike of Mount Washington, but twice I was nearly stepped on by someone (Croo members?) apparently checking the windows.