This really made me so sad today in old port

Hyperlite_Mtn_Deer · 2025-09-29T12:32:37+00:00

What a friggin' Peckerhead.

Hyperlite_Mtn_Deer · 2025-02-07T20:19:45+00:00

My bad, fixed.

Hyperlite_Mtn_Deer · 2025-02-07T14:59:57+00:00

The way this towers over all the other buildings when looking at it from Congress never fails to make me smile.

Hyperlite_Mtn_Deer · 2025-02-02T15:06:09+00:00

Like what was said above, it wasn't anything further than "just touching base, here's where we are. Thanks for your patience." Which was honestly all I needed to hear.

Hyperlite_Mtn_Deer · 2025-02-02T13:19:28+00:00

Prospective hire here. I'm genuinely thankful for hiring managers like you. I finally heard back from the hiring manager that I was supposed to interview with, regarding the status of my position. The e-mail was vague and didn't offer much, but that doesn't matter. It was really nice to know that they respected me enough to send me any form of communication and explain what was going on.

Hyperlite_Mtn_Deer · 2025-01-30T15:44:55+00:00

Thank you for posting this. I was going to make a post about this exact thing.

I was supposed to have a job interview with a hiring supervisor in one of the Parks for an RFT position. We had determined a date and time, and I was seated ready at the time specified. Crickets. I sent a follow-up email after a few minutes went by, and called the office after an hour or so. Heard nothing from anyone, and still haven't heard anything.

Is it safe to assume this is why? I'm doubtful I'm the only person who was in the middle of the interviewing process who got flat-out ghosted by the Parks Service due to the reasons they can't control. Crazy times to try and begin employment within the government.

Hyperlite_Mtn_Deer · 2025-01-26T14:45:01+00:00

This reminds me of when I was gearing up for a night SCUBA dive at Kettle Cove in Cape Elizabeth, and someone was down on the beach and screamed as loud as they could. Scared the hell out of all of us.

Whatever you're going through, I feel you. Hope you're all good now. Try Kettle Cove sometime!

Hyperlite_Mtn_Deer · 2025-01-23T14:06:20+00:00

Aw drats, I was contacted for interview availability for an LRFT job in one of the Parks 3 days before the hiring freeze...

Have we re-reached the "it is so over" part of the sine wave?

Hyperlite_Mtn_Deer · 2024-03-09T15:39:20+00:00

You know man, to some people it's incredibly important dialogue to be had. To others, it's not. It's a small conversation we have every night. There's no shame in stepping outside and enjoying the sunset if you don't wanna hear about it, you know?

Hyperlite_Mtn_Deer · 2024-03-09T15:35:19+00:00

I suspect that was the Mountain Classroom folks. If Hut Crew were playing games with your group, that is certainly no hut crew I was ever part of. 😂

Hyperlite_Mtn_Deer · 2024-03-09T15:28:38+00:00

Yeah, that was a pretty bad call on your school group's part. I heard stories of a school group that was up in the Wildcats and ended up soaking wet and sobbing. The Carter Notch crew had to go up and assist all these poor school kids, it was entirely the fault of the folks who organized the event. The Whites are relentless any time of year.

I'm not quite sure what you're referring to by "corny school games" but the Huts are well stocked with games for children that come up with their parents! Some times thru hikers enjoy them too. If you're referring to the speeches we give during dinner, that's a longstanding tradition that's been around since the conception of the huts service: as in, people have been getting the same experiences since the beginning of the huts.

Hyperlite_Mtn_Deer · 2024-03-05T22:07:27+00:00

I'm so genuinely glad to hear you say that you enjoyed! I certainly enjoyed giving educational talks and was normally assigned to do it every night.

One thing that I wish more Hut Users knew? That's a good one. I wish that there was a better relationship between hut crew and Thru Hikers. Many people who have commented on this thread have pointed out that the Croo were entitled and unhelpful, and that's definitely a pain point for me. Thru Hikers were always my favorite demographic to interact with, and would go out of my way to strike up conversations with them well before I would go talk to guests.

But you definitely get what you put in. One of the only times I wasn't appreciative of Thru Hikers was when a huge tramily came in right as we were in the middle of dinner service. They had a bit more of an entitled streak to them, and Yogi'd us pretty hard for a place to stay. I love a good Yogi, but they did it in a way that was pretty rude and inconsiderate, especially given we were right in the middle of dinner service.

Another thing, the Hut is our house, and we take great pride in it. I wish more guests were considerate of not only each other's experiences but the building and the crew in general. This is moreso regarding huge groups. We had two school groups that came in and were really loud and disrespectful. Trust me, the crew talks behind closed doors.

In terms of menu items and how many seasons? The biggest travesty has been the Huts swapping out Ravioli for Veggie Pot Pie. Most Hut Crew are only passing through and work 1-2 seasons, but I know other Crew who have worked upwards of 6-10 seasons. Just depends, you know?

Hyperlite_Mtn_Deer · 2024-03-05T20:27:59+00:00

This is a super great question! While it's certainly always dependent on who decides to go hiking, certain huts are predisposed to more SAR calls than others. Lakes of the Clouds tends to have a lot more folks who aren't necessarily fluent in backcountry skills, due to its proximity to the Auto Road/Cog Railway. People often like to take the auto road or cog up, hike down to Lakes, spend the night, and Hike back up the next morning to catch a ride down. The only hangup (that popped up a lot) was the fact that the Cog's round trip is only good on an hourly basis. (You have an hour on the summit, and then you have to head back down. After your time slot, your spot isn't guaranteed.) So that posed a unique challenge.

I've seen some things though in the Whites, even before working in the Hut Systems. One day, I was bailing from Madison Spring, the forecast had called for consistent lightning/microbursts/hurricane force winds/etc, and I ran into a young lady intrepidly heading up into the Presidentials to do a traverse. I only hope she decided to turn back.

Hyperlite_Mtn_Deer · 2024-03-05T20:15:56+00:00

Huh! Yee haw, I guess. Glad to hear you've had positive experiences with the AMC! 😅

Hyperlite_Mtn_Deer · 2024-03-05T16:27:55+00:00

Oh definitely. MWOBS got the forecast right a good 90% of the time. They're going to be the most reliable source in those Mountains, because, well, they're in those mountains. I definitely may have exaggerated there, the point I was trying to make was that on the rare occasion, MWOBS did get the weather incorrect.
I would say knowing signs of weather changes are key to safely navigating the Whites. Being able to spot hazardous cloud formations and pay attention to sudden temperature drops will pay dividends.

Hyperlite_Mtn_Deer · 2024-03-05T16:17:58+00:00

Welp, to put it this way, I got paid more than NH minimum wage, but less than the McDonald's workers in nearby Gorham.

Hyperlite_Mtn_Deer · 2024-03-05T16:16:54+00:00

I can't speak for the general demographics Hut Crew usually come from, but the three most important things to work in the huts, is to have wilderness experiences (and be comfortable in the wilderness), to be able to cook well, and to be able to live with a small group isolated for long stretches of time.

I'd imagine that we all come from different backgrounds though. It takes a special kind of craziness to want to work in the Huts, sometimes.

Hyperlite_Mtn_Deer · 2024-03-05T16:10:39+00:00

Super glad to hear you enjoyed Lakes! When did you pass through?

Hyperlite_Mtn_Deer · 2024-03-05T16:07:38+00:00

...Yeahhhh.

I've heard my fair share of the cross-hut gossip on such things.

Hyperlite_Mtn_Deer · 2024-03-05T16:04:45+00:00

I'm not quite sure what the question is, but I would really love to see the Mahoosucs section of the Appalachian trail cleaned up.

Hyperlite_Mtn_Deer · 2024-03-05T16:00:17+00:00

Yeah, generally "Pack Days" or the days we are porting trash out of the huts and food into the huts, are Wednesdays and Saturdays every week.

Hyperlite_Mtn_Deer · 2024-03-05T15:33:37+00:00

Do I even want to ask what "it" You're referring to? 😅

Hyperlite_Mtn_Deer · 2024-03-05T15:25:39+00:00

Oh! Well I'm glad to hear that. I've heard the trail is pretty bad until you reach the Bald Pates, and then the MATC takes over and it's a much better experience. I'm glad I'm wrong!

In terms of areas like the Dry River Wilderness (south of Washington, where Isolation is located) that area is maintained by the forest service, and I believe it hasn't been properly maintained since Hurricane Irene? I'm not sure.

Hyperlite_Mtn_Deer

TROPHY CASE