Mount Washington
Where: Mt. Washington
When: June 27, 1992
With: Solo
When: June 27, 1992
With: Solo
I wanted to climb Mt. Washington, so I looked in the White Mountain guidebook to see what routes were available. The book said the Huntington Ravine trail was the most difficult trail in the White Mountains, so that settled it. If I was going to climb the highest mountain in the Northeast, I was going to take the hardest route! The main reason for the difficulty rating was the exposure. The route was very strenuous, to be sure, but it was the open, unprotected climbing near the top of the ravine that earned it its rating.
I got an early start and drove straight to the mountain, up 93 to the Kancamagus Highway and then cutting over on Bear Notch road to avoid North Conway. The weather at the base was warm and sunny, and there were a fair number of people and cars there. I packed up my daypack, checked out the Pinkham Lodge facility, and then headed up the trail.
Given the popularity of the route and the area, it was no surprise to find the trail wide, well worn, and relatively crowded. Quite unlike the trails I was used to hiking in the Whites. It was also very rocky, making for tough, unsteady walking. I made good time up the main trail (Tuckerman Ravine trail) and soon arrived at the Huntington Ravine trail cutoff.
Glad to be off the main highway, I headed into the woods on a small, wooded path. The crowds thinned out a good bit, though I still ran into other folks every so often. One guy pointed out a nice section of stream. Some other folks at a stream crossing asked if I knew the weight of water and seemed surprised when I told them it was 8 pounds/gallon. Another man I met was doing trail maintenance. I heard the chain saw long before I saw him and when I finally reached his spot, I offered some assistance. I helped him move some logs and then headed on up the trail.
The trail was a real mix. Some deep forest parts and then some open meadows with impressive views of the mountain. Several times, it crossed a fire road. Some folks I ran into at the crossings gave me the impression that the fire road might be a faster route. One constant to the trail though...it went up, and eventually it got real rocky as it approached the base of the ravine.
As advertised, the climb up the ravine was very tough, very exposed, and wonderful. Because of the ground conditions, the "trail" itself pretty much disappeared. There were occasional markings on the rocks, but it was mostly up to the climber to pick a route up the slope. It started with scrambling over huge boulders that had crashed down the slope and come to rest against the forest. Looking for the source of an exceptionally chilly breeze at one point, I discovered a chunk of dirty snow/ice wedged deep in a hollow beneath some of the rocks. Above the boulders the rocks got smaller but the slope grew steeper. I made my way up slowly, looking ahead to figure out the route based on other climbers I could see and the few markers that were around.
Eventually I made it to the base of the headwall. The view back was spectacular, but the way up was pretty hairy. Open, bare, exposed rock, with some pretty steep pitches and not a lot in the way of hand/foot holds. I headed up, following others, being as careful as I could and soon made it to some relatively protected areas above. The way was safer here, but very tough, steep climbing. Fortunately, this was the final pitch and after a bit I emerged from the ravine onto the open alpine meadow.
Out in the open now, the wind and cold became real factors and I pulled out my fleece jacket and put it on before turning to admire the view. About this time I noticed the roar of engines. I'd happened to pick the day of the annual Mt. Washington Road Race for my inaugural climb and every few minutes or so a car would come roaring up the slope toward the peak. They were a nice diversion as I began to make my way along the cairns toward the summit.
The hiking was easier now, but I was pretty tired and the wind and cold added to it all to make it a tough walk nonetheless. I paused a number of times in the shelter of large rocks or cairns. Finally, I crossed the road and made my way the last few yards to the summit. The island of civilization on top was odd - cars, roads, parking lots, buildings, a coffee shop - but I felt victorious anyway. I sought out the true summit and ceremoniously mounted it before heading into the summit building for some rest.
After checking out the facilities on top and resting a bit, I decided to head back down. A storm front brought some rain so I figured it would be best to start my return. I wandered around the summit a bit more, checking out the views and taking a photo of a tourist group (German?) before descending. They offered to take my picture, but I'd already used up all the film in my camera.
I decided to take the Lions Head trail down and then pick up the Tuckermans Ravine trail back to the base. The trail was very rough and rocky, but well defined. I found the lack of a consistent, solid surface to be annoying after a while but kept plodding down. After a bit I reached the timberline and slowly the surrounding trees and brush became taller until eventually I was back in the forest. The trail dropped through the woods on switchbacks until finally leveling out just before the junction with the Tuckermans trail. From there back to the car it was just a lot of walking with a lot of people.
More pictures
I got an early start and drove straight to the mountain, up 93 to the Kancamagus Highway and then cutting over on Bear Notch road to avoid North Conway. The weather at the base was warm and sunny, and there were a fair number of people and cars there. I packed up my daypack, checked out the Pinkham Lodge facility, and then headed up the trail.
Given the popularity of the route and the area, it was no surprise to find the trail wide, well worn, and relatively crowded. Quite unlike the trails I was used to hiking in the Whites. It was also very rocky, making for tough, unsteady walking. I made good time up the main trail (Tuckerman Ravine trail) and soon arrived at the Huntington Ravine trail cutoff.
Glad to be off the main highway, I headed into the woods on a small, wooded path. The crowds thinned out a good bit, though I still ran into other folks every so often. One guy pointed out a nice section of stream. Some other folks at a stream crossing asked if I knew the weight of water and seemed surprised when I told them it was 8 pounds/gallon. Another man I met was doing trail maintenance. I heard the chain saw long before I saw him and when I finally reached his spot, I offered some assistance. I helped him move some logs and then headed on up the trail.
The trail was a real mix. Some deep forest parts and then some open meadows with impressive views of the mountain. Several times, it crossed a fire road. Some folks I ran into at the crossings gave me the impression that the fire road might be a faster route. One constant to the trail though...it went up, and eventually it got real rocky as it approached the base of the ravine.
As advertised, the climb up the ravine was very tough, very exposed, and wonderful. Because of the ground conditions, the "trail" itself pretty much disappeared. There were occasional markings on the rocks, but it was mostly up to the climber to pick a route up the slope. It started with scrambling over huge boulders that had crashed down the slope and come to rest against the forest. Looking for the source of an exceptionally chilly breeze at one point, I discovered a chunk of dirty snow/ice wedged deep in a hollow beneath some of the rocks. Above the boulders the rocks got smaller but the slope grew steeper. I made my way up slowly, looking ahead to figure out the route based on other climbers I could see and the few markers that were around.
Eventually I made it to the base of the headwall. The view back was spectacular, but the way up was pretty hairy. Open, bare, exposed rock, with some pretty steep pitches and not a lot in the way of hand/foot holds. I headed up, following others, being as careful as I could and soon made it to some relatively protected areas above. The way was safer here, but very tough, steep climbing. Fortunately, this was the final pitch and after a bit I emerged from the ravine onto the open alpine meadow.
Out in the open now, the wind and cold became real factors and I pulled out my fleece jacket and put it on before turning to admire the view. About this time I noticed the roar of engines. I'd happened to pick the day of the annual Mt. Washington Road Race for my inaugural climb and every few minutes or so a car would come roaring up the slope toward the peak. They were a nice diversion as I began to make my way along the cairns toward the summit.
The hiking was easier now, but I was pretty tired and the wind and cold added to it all to make it a tough walk nonetheless. I paused a number of times in the shelter of large rocks or cairns. Finally, I crossed the road and made my way the last few yards to the summit. The island of civilization on top was odd - cars, roads, parking lots, buildings, a coffee shop - but I felt victorious anyway. I sought out the true summit and ceremoniously mounted it before heading into the summit building for some rest.
After checking out the facilities on top and resting a bit, I decided to head back down. A storm front brought some rain so I figured it would be best to start my return. I wandered around the summit a bit more, checking out the views and taking a photo of a tourist group (German?) before descending. They offered to take my picture, but I'd already used up all the film in my camera.
I decided to take the Lions Head trail down and then pick up the Tuckermans Ravine trail back to the base. The trail was very rough and rocky, but well defined. I found the lack of a consistent, solid surface to be annoying after a while but kept plodding down. After a bit I reached the timberline and slowly the surrounding trees and brush became taller until eventually I was back in the forest. The trail dropped through the woods on switchbacks until finally leveling out just before the junction with the Tuckermans trail. From there back to the car it was just a lot of walking with a lot of people.
More pictures
