#include <iostream>
#include <fstream>
#include <sstream>
#include <iomanip>
#include <complex>
#include <string>
#include <vector>
#include <list>
#include <deque>
#include <stack>
#include <queue>
#include <set>
#include <map>
#include <bitset>
#include <functional>
#include <utility>
#include <algorithm>
#include <numeric>
#include <typeinfo>
#include <cstdio>
#include <cstdlib>
#include <cstring>
#include <cmath>
#include <climits>
#include <ctime>

using namespace std;

#define dump(n) cout<<"# "<<#n<<"="<<(n)<<endl
#define debug(n) cout<<__FILE__<<","<<__LINE__<<": #"<<#n<<"="<<(n)<<endl
#define repi(i,a,b) for(int i=int(a);i<int(b);i++)
#define rep(i,n) repi(i,0,n)
#define iter(c) __typeof((c).begin())
#define foreach(i,c) for(iter(c) i=(c).begin();i!=(c).end();i++)
#define allof(c) (c).begin(),(c).end()
#define mp make_pair

typedef unsigned int uint;
typedef long long ll;
typedef unsigned long long ull;
typedef vector<int> vi;
typedef vector<vi> vvi;
typedef vector<string> vs;
typedef pair<int,int> pii;

void solve(vs& field,int i,int j,vvi& cost)
{
	int h=field.size(),w=field[0].size();
	
	int di[]={-1,1,0,0};
	int dj[]={0,0,-1,1};
	rep(k,4){
		int ni=i+di[k],nj=j+dj[k];
		if(ni<0 || h<=ni || nj<0 || w<=nj)
			continue;
		if(field[ni][nj]==field[i][j] && cost[ni][nj]>cost[i][j]){
			cost[ni][nj]=cost[i][j];
			solve(field,ni,nj,cost);
		}
	}
	rep(k,4){
		int ni=i+di[k],nj=j+dj[k];
		if(ni<0 || h<=ni || nj<0 || w<=nj)
			continue;
		if(field[i][j]=='.' && field[ni][nj]=='#' && cost[ni][nj]>cost[i][j]){
			cost[ni][nj]=cost[i][j];
			solve(field,ni,nj,cost);
		}
	}
	rep(k,4){
		int ni=i+di[k],nj=j+dj[k];
		if(ni<0 || h<=ni || nj<0 || w<=nj)
			continue;
		if(field[i][j]=='#' && field[ni][nj]=='.' && cost[ni][nj]>cost[i][j]){
			cost[ni][nj]=cost[i][j]+1;
			solve(field,ni,nj,cost);
		}
	}
}

int main()
{
	for(int w,h; cin>>w>>h,w|h;){
		vs field(h+2);
		field[0]=field[h+1]=string(w+2,'.');
		rep(i,h){
			cin>>field[i+1];
			field[i+1]='.'+field[i+1]+'.';
		}
		pii p;
		rep(i,field.size()) rep(j,field[0].size())
			if(field[i][j]=='&'){
				p=mp(i,j);
				field[i][j]='.';
			}
		vvi cost(field.size(),vi(field[0].size(),1<<29));
		cost[0][0]=0;
		solve(field,0,0,cost);
		cout<<cost[p.first][p.second]<<endl;
	}
	
	return 0;
}