Franconia Notch State Park, NH

We slept great and were up around 7am. We spent some time still discussing where to hike today in Franconia Notch State Park and where we want to go from here. (Reminder, we have no pre-set plans as we travel - yay!)  We were sort of all-over-the-place with both decisions,  and two hours later finally made our first decision ~ breakfast at Polly's Pancake Parlor! 😂

It was a super cute place ~ and like when they opened in 1938, your table's server (and our waitress was awesome) makes your pancakes. (Anything else on the menu is made by the kitchen staff.) 

We decided to share an order of six pancakes - one of each - sort of like a tasting flight of pancakes! 😄 Pancakes come with real maple syrup, Polly's Maple Spread, and Polly's Maple Sugar.

 

(Should have taken a pic before we split them.....)

 

So like with yesterday's distillery tastings, our thoughts on each:

• Plain with blueberries - good. (Both of us.)
• Buckwheat - Suzanne did not like (nor did she expect to); Brad's least favorite.
• Gingerbread - Suzanne wanted to try this one; Brad was reluctant. Suzanne really liked it and immediately looked for a recipe online; Brad said this was a "sleeper" and it ended up being his favorite. 
• Whole wheat - just okay for both of us.
• Cornmeal - Suzanne was hesitant on this one, but ended up liking it - it was like corn bread with maple syrup. Brad liked it more than he expected as well.  
• Oatmeal buttermilk - Surprisingly good. (Both of us.)

 Of course, we ranked them as well:

• Suzanne: gingerbread, oatmeal buttermilk, plain, cornmeal, whole wheat, buckwheat
• Brad:  gingerbread, plain, oatmeal buttermilk, cornmeal, whole wheat, buckwheat

 Overall, we both enjoyed the pancake tasting WAY more than the liquor tasting yesterday! 😅

 

We went back to the hotel where we decide our next destination and Suzanne looked for hotels while Brad looked for a hike today knowing that rain/storms were expected around 3pm. We finally were heading out at 11am ( late for us) and stopped at the Basic Cascade Trail first for a few minutes.

 

 A small waterfall along the way.

The Basin

 We then headed to the Lonesome Lake Trailhead, and started hiking at 11:45am. 

 

 

We arrived at Lonesome Lake about 45 minutes later.....

 ...and made our way to the Lonesome Lake AMC (Appalachian Mountain Club) Hut .....

 

 The hut......

 What is an AMC hut? (From Google....)

The AMC huts are a system of eight historic, backcountry mountain lodges operated by the Appalachian Mountain Club in the White Mountain National Forest of New Hampshire.

• Location: Spaced roughly 6 to 8 miles (about a day's hike) apart along the Appalachian Trail, ranging from Lonesome Lake in the west to Carter Notch in the east.
• Accommodations: They offer rustic, co-ed bunkrooms with mattresses and blankets during the main summer season, though the bunkrooms are unheated and off-the-grid.
• Meals: During the full-service summer season (generally early June to mid-September/October), resident staff known as the "Croo" prepare hearty family-style breakfasts and dinners for overnight guests.
• Amenities: Facilities are basic, featuring composting or waterless toilets, cold running water, and common areas, but no electricity for charging devices, no Wi-Fi, and no showers.
• Self-Service Season: In the shoulder and off-seasons, the huts remain open or accessible on a self-service basis where hikers must bring their own food and sleeping gear.

 

We hung out on the dock......

 ...chatting with two other couples and enjoying some snacks......

 ...hiking out and arrive back to the trailhead around 2:15pm. 

 

(We did the same hikes 13 years ago.......link) 

 

The it was back to the hotel for showers and our dinner decision which took us to The Common Man where we sat at the bar with a bunch of locals and had another excellent meal.