My favorite place in the world

This view, off the western flank of Mount Washington, is from one of my favorite places on Earth. The Appalachian Mountain Club runs 8 high-mountain huts across the Presidential Ridge line of NH. Mount Washington is the crown jewel of these mountains, at 6,288 ft, it is the highest mountain in New England and home of the "world's worst weather." Lakes of the Clouds hut is the highest of the AMC huts (5,050 ft) and sits on the southern shoulder of the mountain. The hut sleeps 90 guests and a crew of 10. I WILL work on that crew one day--it's a group of mostly 20-something college students who live up there all summer, lugging food and trash up to the summit of Washington, where they meet a resupply van at the top of the auto road. I was offered an air quality research job up there for this summer; it wasn't the right time for me, but after college will be. I love it up there. So much.

After dropping my brother off at his college orientation, my sister, parents, and I went for a hiking trip up to the huts. The hike over Washington's Boott Spur was foggy and windy, very rough going, and by the time we made it to the hut, we were all at various stages of hypothermia. I ran the last mile or so over the very rugged trail, shivering and focusing all of my attention on the hot cocoa and woolen blankets awaiting me at the hut.

After changing into dry clothes and sitting with hot cocoa, a blanket, and a book for a while, I was warm and happy to be at the hut, as usual. Just before dinner, we thought we saw a shade of blue in the swirling fog. Sure we were hallucinating, all 100+ people (guests, appalachian trail thru hikers, and hut croo members) in the hut broke into applause and cheering when the sun truly broke through a bit later, giving us this spectacular sunset.