I was recalling my stay in this hut to my wife the other day and thought I'd leave a review here as well.
Back in 1996 I hiked the presidents with my godfather, who passed away a couple years ago. This hut was our first night and was an experience that I've never forgotten and think about frequently.
We had previously hiked a section of the John Muir Trail, and I was accustomed to the switchbacks typical of trails in the west, on the AMT they usually cut knee high steps and its that for miles and miles. We hiked something like 7 to 9 miles of steps that day and, though I was young, it was brutal and I felt like quitting every step of the way.
The hut was a welcome relief and was more or less like a youth hostel in the mountains.
In the morning one of the staff walked the halls playing softly on his guitar to wake people up for breakfast. I don't think I've ever had a better wake up than that. Ever. All other mornings have paled in comparison.
All things together it was a perfect experience.