Emergency Shelter Room at Lake of the Clouds Hut

According to this blog the dungeon at Lake of the Clouds hut was padlocked on Dec 10th. Anyone been there lately who can address whether it's still padlocked?

I don't know, do you think that blog really meant the Dungeon?

Maybe it was a necessary reaction to that Seattle Backpackers Magazine article here

JakeD said:

The guy is taking percocet for sore knees? and still going after more peaks? narcotics aren't advil people...

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At least he is still hiking, I like it.

the link didn't work.

Can't comment.

Breeze

This seems a little odd considering that hut was created as an emergency shelter in the first place, if I'm not mistaken.

The hut is not far from tree line, and getting there is down a well trodden trail. If you really wanted to stay there, you could take shelter on the calm side of the building, whichever it happened to be, and build a snow cave, as there is frequently enough snow for one to climb up on the roof, which of course, you should never do.

Given all that, does the shelter really need to be open? The Madison hut is completely locked, right?

Kevin Rooney said:

According to this blog the dungeon at Lake of the Clouds hut was padlocked on Dec 10th. Anyone been there lately who can address whether it's still padlocked?

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Im the Heather in the TR and I can confirm that the dungeon, place underneath, was padlocked. I wanted to see it as I have never been underneath and that is how we discovered the lock.

Heather & Kali

Heather&Kali said:

Im the Heather in the TR and I can confirm that the dungeon, place underneath, was padlocked. I wanted to see it as I have never been underneath and that is how we discovered the lock.

Heather & Kali

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Could I ask if any of you had crampons in the trail report cited?Just trying to understand why there was so much slipping on the ammo?It seems like you like to hike in winter by all your reports,therefore are experienced.Just curious....

Heather&Kali said:

Im the Heather in the TR and I can confirm that the dungeon, place underneath, was padlocked. I wanted to see it as I have never been underneath and that is how we discovered the lock.

Heather & Kali

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Thanks, Heather. And I regret that some have chosen to critique the TR, use of painkillers, etc, rather than address the question I asked - does anyone know if the emergency room (Dungeon) is still padlocked?

And Red Oak - I can't answer the crampon question, but I do know that prior to the 2 recent snowstorms some sections of the Presis were very icy. There were numerous reports, here and elsewhere, of icy conditions on the Ammo.

Kevin, I don't KNOW. I did find this

http://www.mountwashington.org/about/visitor/winter-overnights.php

"LAKES OF THE CLOUDS HUT IS CLOSED FOR THE WINTER

There are no services no bathrooms, no water, no nothin' at this hut from mid-September until early June. While there is a very small and uncomfortable "refuge room" at the hut which is kept open for EMERGENCY PURPOSES ONLY, and which provides shelter from the wind and blowing snow but nothing more, this room may be locked up in the future since so many hikers in the past have counted on it for routine (clearly non-emergency) camping purposes, and the area around the hut is suffering from the concentration of winter mis-users. Camping is not permitted within 1/4 mile of the hut, and is not permitted on the Lakes of the Clouds when they are frozen."


Maybe we are now in the " future " ?

Breeze

Thanks, Breeze.

I know the AMC has been threatening to lock it for awhile. Let's hope the word gets out.

Weren't a couple from Quebec stranded up there a few years back for multiple days? If memory serves, they were doing a Presi traverse and it went sour? I can't remember the details, or even if they self-rescued or a SARS unit of some flavor went after them.

In any case - hope the word gets out. There's no real shelter up there, and I never felt the hut itself was big enough to block the wind. When it's bad, the wind just swirls around, seemingly coming from all directions. And it's a long way to treeline - navigating the ravine which is the outflow from the little lakes in poor conditons would be no fun.

Well, it wasn't easy to find, but AMC PNVC does have its own e-mail address.

[email protected] I don't know if anyone has ever posted that tidbit here, and for sure AMC doesn't make it easy.

I've asked the simple question, will report back when I hear something. I'm not totally a stranger to AMC folks at Pinkham.

Kevin, the wind in that area, ESPECIALLY in winter, is known to rotor 360, I'm sure you are familiar with it. I had a window blown out of a vehicle parked at Wildcat because of that " rotation". That was one darned expensive day, and I was at WORK ,not at play.

Lets see if we get some concrete information.

Breeze

Response to JakeD

JakeD said:

The guy is taking percocet for sore knees? and still going after more peaks? narcotics aren't advil people...

Click to expand...

JakeD... I notice that instead of taking the pertinent information that the emergency shelter at LOC had been padlocked when we took a trip up on December 9th you decided to question my usage of a prescribed medication without knowing the individual in question. Not that I need to do so but feel compelled to now enlighten you a small bit. Over the last 12 years I have had numerous knee (ACL Reconstruction & Arthroscopic) and back (3 Microdiscectomies & Lumbar Fusion) procedures. For me to take one of these is rare and carried in case of emergencies, I definitely know the difference between narcotics and Advil with the responsibility of using either.

Also, if you had read the blog you would have noticed that when I had made the decision was on Mt. Eisenhower with a group of hikers and the car at the Highland Center. This was not done hastily at the summit of Mt. Washington then continue on for the entire rest of the day just for peak bagging.

trying to find some sunshine here...... if Jake D isn't your doc, don't worry about it. If he is your doc, maybe time to change ??????????

Knickers get twisted here, left, right, center, wedgie. We mostly all get affected once in a while.

Please don't be a stranger.

Breeze

Here ya go..

My e-mail to PNVC
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Has the Emergency shelter ( AKA Refuge Room, Dungeon) at LOC been padlocked this winter?

Asking for informational purposes only, there is some online discussion about this and your website doesn't say there has been a change.

Sue Burnham

West Bethel ME.


Their response :

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HI Sue,



The dungeon is not padlocked, but it remains open for emergency use only and should not be considered for anything other than emergencies. There is no reference to it on the website as it is not something that is formally advertised, promoted or recommended.



AMC Trails Information

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ummmmmmmmmmmm, ' Kay. Confused yet? I am.

it is referenced on AMC

http://www.outdoors.org/lodging/whitemountains/huts/huts-lakes.cfm

"Refuge room for emergency shelter when hut is closed. (This critical room must not be used as a backcountry destination!)

so now what?

Be careful out there tonight and tomorrow, whats coming down here is not friendly precip.

Breeze

( OK, Now I'm Sue, too, I knew that an employee name tag would sooner or later dish anonymity.)

Welcome nhithiker! Sorry to see some people don't seem compelled to throw out the welcome mat! Here or at Lakes! Also sorry to see people feel they need to discuss personal health, prescriptions and medical issues. It is certainly great that you continue to get out on the trails and I am sure your doctors are aware and likely promote physical conditioning. I found that the winter hiking is alot better for the knees and back due to the cushioning of trail, covering of the obstacles and the cool temps helping prevent swelling. Some of those new to winter hiking would have little knowledge of these perspectives. Happy trails and good luck on your future hikes!

Thanks, Breeze, and welcome NHITHIKER.

Gawd, I miss those red squares ... I'd have given at least a dozen to OftenMistakenButNeverInDoubt. Just kidding. Or not.

Ah yes. The Dungeon. I did spend one hellish night there eons ago during a midwinter traverse (purposefully done in the face of an Alberta Clipper), choking on the urine-rime vapors that haunt it's bowels. It's also permanently COLD, a bone-chilling, life-sucking cold that will haunt your soul the day after. You could run 5 stoves full blast and drink still feel dead-cold, the stone walls laughing at your feeble attempts to warm the air.

And anything you eat tastes like frozen urine. I'm totally serial.

Anyone who has the misfortune of spending a night there won't be back for more or be telling their friends how great it is.

Tim Seaver said:

Ah yes. The Dungeon. I did spend one hellish night there eons ago during a midwinter traverse (purposefully done in the face of an Alberta Clipper), choking on the urine-rime vapors that haunt it's bowels. It's also permanently COLD, a bone-chilling, life-sucking cold that will haunt your soul the day after. You could run 5 stoves full blast and drink still feel dead-cold, the stone walls laughing at your feeble attempts to warm the air.

And anything you eat tastes like frozen urine. I'm totally serial.

Anyone who has the misfortune of spending a night there won't be back for more or be telling their friends how great it is.

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Great post! Makes me feel like I wish I wasn't there! Oh wait, I wasn't.

Anyone happen to have a picture of the lock on the door?

I wouldn't be suprised if it was locked due to inappropriate use - I've heard/read more reports of people using it seemingly unaware it is for emergency use only. I guess the big "emergency use only" sign was not clear.

I would not want to be the cold, exhausted, possibly injured hiker who stumbled upon that shelter to find it padlocked because others had abused it. It could be a long way down Ammo Ravine...