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Mountain club offers cozy backcountry lodging
The cone-shaped rockpile atop the tallest mountain in the Northeast loomed clear and bright a mile in the distance as we approached Lakes of the Clouds Hut around midday. But within minutes, a cold wind ushered in a mass of clouds that completely obscured the view. With Mount Washington notorious for fast-changing and unforgiving weather, the 92-year-old hut along the edge of the Amoonoosic Ravine is a welcome stopping point for cold, hungry day hikers craving a hot bowl of soup or a cup of tea or coffee. For those planning to spend the night, Lakes of the Clouds offers hearty meals, clean, well-maintained accommodations and a young, energetic staff, or "croo," eager to share their knowledge of trail conditions, weather, and the local flora and fauna. Lakes, with 96 beds, is the largest, highest and most popular of the Appalachian Mountain Club's eight huts perched roughly a day's hike apart in the heart of the White Mountains. But the AMC's fabled hut system is only part of a growing network of backcountry accommodations that the 90,000-member club operates. From spartan shelters alongside hiking trails to a handsome roadside lodge set beside the main highway that cuts through Crawford Notch, the AMC can provide sleeping quarters for roughly 2,200 visitors a night during the peak summer season when all facilities are open. In recent years, the Boston-based club has expanded its accommodations to other backcountry locations, most notably Maine's North Woods. After acquiring 37,000 acres in the 100-Mile Wilderness, the club has taken over sporting camps used by hikers, canoeists, fly fishermen, snowshoers and cross-country skiers. Most facilities are in New Hampshire and Maine, but the AMC also has lodgings in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York and New Jersey. While most are in the rural backcountry, at least two sites can be reached by public transportation from New York or Boston. The nightly rates vary from as little as $8 for use of a tent platform to $135 per person for a private room with meals at Highland Lodge, although AMC members receive a discount. TRAVEL ARTICLES
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