Living at Lonesome Lake (Overnight)

The Fat Man and I returned to one of our favorite places for an overnight adventure: Lonesome Lake, New Hampshire.  We made a reservation to stay at the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) hut.  I was an AMC virgin.  The Fat Man has stayed at other AMC huts while hiking sections of the Appalachian Trail.  I frown on trips where you have to wear the same underwear for 7 days.

The first time I hiked this trail I coughed up a lung.  This time I felt much stronger, despite carrying twice the amount of weight.  I carried my 15-degee down sleeping bag, clothes, toiletries, Crocs, reading materials, glasses, a knit hat and warm gloves for sleeping.  Lots of layers and keeping your head and hands covered are the best way to stay warm at night.  Good thing because the temperature plummeted and the winds were fierce.

We took the route that starts at the Lafayette Campground in Franconia.  You can leave your car in the parking lot overnight. After a short and flat beginning, the trail goes straight up for 1.8 miles. The hut is located at 2,760 feet.  The elevation gained during the trail is 1,000 feet.

Here is a play-by-play description of our adventure:

7 am: We rise from our nice warm bed in Madison.

View from the bedroom of our rented house 

8 am: Breakfast of oatmeal and peanut butter for me, coffee for the Fat Man.

8:30-10:30 am: We pack, obsess about what to bring, recheck our packs, and make lunch (peanut butter sandwiches).

10:30 am: We drop off our unhappy cat off at Karla’s Pet Rendezvous in Madison, NH (a great place to board your animals). 

11:26 am: We marvel at the fall colors along the Kanc.

12:15 pm: We eat lunch in the car.

12:30 pm: We start our climb and meet Paula from the Conway Chamber of Commerce. We share information about our lives.  The Fat Man and her husband talk about where to eat and football. 

Right off the parking lot

Trailhead

Cool tree on a rock

Early on the trail

Boulder section 

Climbing higher 

Heading toward the AMC hut

Lonesome Lake

Closer to the AMC hut

2 pm: We arrive at the hut and learn we will be the only people for the night.  We choose room 9, which is uphill from the outhouse.

Our destination

Room 9

A great place to sit

3 pm: Clouds descend and it gets quite cold.  We eat some cheese and McVities digestive crackers and start adding layers of clothing.  The huts are are not heated.  Only the main room has electricity.

Snack time

3:30 pm: We meet John, one of our hosts. He is 18 and full of wonder for life.  Our other host is Tom who is very laid back.

4 pm: I now am wearing 5 layers and I am still cold. I want to save my down jacket for evening because I have nothing left to put on.  My enthusiasm wanes.

4:15 pm: I learn that Rachael the carpenter is fixing the women’s side of the outhouse. This means that I will be sharing the men’s room. I yearn for my own toilet.

4:30 pm: I put another hat on over the one that I am already wearing.

4:45 pm: The Fat Man gives me his down powder puff, which finally warms me up. I find a People magazine and indulge in this guilty pleasure.

5:10 pm: We can smell the dinner Tom and John are preparing.

View from our room

5:15 pm: I read my emergency survival book and learn that if you have a snake bite, it’s best to leave it alone if you can get to the hospital within 5 hours.  On TV they always cut the bite area and suck out the poison.  The Fat Man said he already knows this.  I feel misled. 

5:27 pm: We wonder why they call them digestive crackers. We agree it is something that we need to Google.

5:36 pm: I read about hypothermia. My book says that you should exercise first, take your clothes off, and then get into the sleeping bag with the person suffering from hypothermia. The Fat Man claims that he knows this, but I am not confident he does.

6 pm: We have a dinner of pumpkin soup, vegetable lasagna, peas, and challah bread.  We dine with the trail crew, a group of 7 young men who work their butts off preserving the trails.  If you like to hike, consider donating to the AMC.  These kids don’t get paid much and they do a great job.

Yummy dinner

7:30 pm: I am like a caterpillar in a cocoon in my sleeping bag. I pray that I will not have to get up in the middle of the night to use the outhouse. I am wearing 3 layers of clothing and have my extra layers on my bed in case I need them. 

7:50 pm: I am reading Woman's Day magazine and wondering why I let the Fat Man talk me into this adventure.

Reading via headlamp

7:55 pm: I shut off my headlamp and go to bed.

3 am: I wake up with a wicked sinus headache. The Advil is across the room, which might as well be a thousand miles away because it is so cold. I roll over and try to go back to sleep.

5 am: I finally jump across the room in my sleeping bag to get the Advil like a child running in a potato sack race.  I am desperate.

6:45 am: John opens our door (no locks at the hut) singing “Row, row, row your boat” to wake us up, not realizing that we are already awake.  I am suddenly grateful that it was so cold otherwise I might have been naked.  The song becomes our earworm for the day.

6:50 am: I brush my teeth. The toothbrush is so cold it hurts my teeth.

7 am: Breakfast consists of oatmeal, green-colored coffee cake, and egg frittata with peas. Nothing goes to waste here.  The coffee is so strong that no amount of powdered creamer can lighten it.  Life is good.

Colored coffee cake

View from the hut

7:15 am: We hear the weather report on the Walkie Talkie. The winds were 80 mph on Mount Washington and the temperature went down to 29 degrees. Yikes.

8:45 am: We say our goodbyes and leave.

Lonesome Lake

Another gorgeous view

Gets better and better

9:15 am: We meet a man named Ben who was a member of the trail crew in the 1950s.  We thank him for all that he did to help preserve the trail.

10:00 am: We meet several out-of-breath hikers who are climbing up the trail.  We tell them that it is worth the effort.

10:30 am: We make it to the end of the trail and discuss where we will have our overnight next year. 

Heidi's rating: ★★★★★ My favorite New Hampshire hike

The Fat Man's rating: 5 frittatas made by John