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Richard "Wu-Li" Mattiko - October 2004

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It was late in the afternoon before Doc and I reached the sign for White House Landing, fired the air horn and headed to the nearby dock to be picked up by the owner Bill. The Landing sits across the lake from the trail and Bill’s boat is the only way to get across. Once out of the boat on the other side, I signed in and settled into the bunkhouse - my home for the next two nights

This year’s visit to the White House was as good, if not better, than my memories of previous visits. Dinnertime found me enjoying a cold beer and one of the famous one-pound cheeseburgers. What a treat! These burgers are legendary on the trail and are spoken of with much anticipation by hikers in the area. I was feeling good and in honor of my fellow 2002 Thru-Hikers, I bought a round of beers for this year’s hikers who were sharing the Landing with me. I ran into many of the same folks who I had seen on the trail, including Doc, Momma’s Boy, Jack, Go Light Joe, Collin, Pete and Sanguine.

I was sure glad to spend that night in the bunkhouse with a mattress and a woodstove to offset the near record-low 21-degree temperature outside. Was up early to enjoy Bill’s great breakfast of orange juice, hot coffee, scrambled eggs, bacon, expertly fried potatoes, English muffin, and all the pancakes you can eat. Great cure for the ever-present hiker hunger.

The next day, my planned zero day, I lounged around White House watching the hikers come and go and visiting with Bill, his wife Linda and their son Ben. Following that day’s dinner of their wonderful homemade pizza and another beer or two, Linda surprised me with a slice of fresh apple pie and a big scoop of ice cream. Wow! She had made the pie earlier in the day from apples she had picked from the trees on the property. My belly full, I headed to the bunkhouse for another night protected from the elements.

 

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