(Daily Mi: 14.1) Climbed over 3000', crossed a half dozen peaks in 14 miles including one 5 mile stretch of open alpine meadow today.

Did the relatively flat 5 miles of trail from the campsite to the base of the Webster Cliffs in just under an hour. Really brutal climb 3000+ ft onto the top of Mt Webster (3910 ft) at the southmost end of the Presidential massif. Never sit, but put my elbows to my knees a few times on the way up.

Just a crystal clear day. Views west reach well into New York state up top. The views to the north, including Mt Washington (6288 ft), are obscured by intervening peaks at this point on the ridge.

The trees are dwarved here, sometimes to shoulder height, sometimes forming a low canopy, and then shrinking away altogether on the higher summits.

I work my way another 2 miles or so to Mizpah hut to stop for lunch. Mountain Man who camped at the base of the Webster Cliffs has also come in this morning. Mainframe follows about twenty minutes behind. Buy soup and breakfast leftovers from a somewhat thru-hiker unfriendly hut croo.

The last five miles of my hike were just darn spectacular. Mt Washington's summit cone is visible on the open alpine ridge more or less the whole way. The dwarf spruce really fools the eye. At that distance it looks like grass covering a hill a couple of hundred yards away.

I reach Lake of the Clouds Hut (a/k/a 'Lake of the Crowds') around 3 p.m. where I will spend the night. There is a road -- and a cog railroad -- to the summit of Washington 1 1/2 miles and 1500' above the hut, and a large number of day hikers, including a couple of camp groups, throng the hut (hence the nickname). I buy some candy and pay for a bunk. The hut croo is very nice. See some section hikers I met at Galehead but don't see any more thru hikers.

There is a massive cell tower on Mt Washington and I pull my phone from my pack after dinner. I find a message from the Potato Man (almost a week old -- responding to a question in a trail register I left him somewhere in Vermont). I leave one for him in return describing my day.