There’s lot written out there about how hazardous Mt. Washington can be to climb. It lies at the center of incredibly unpredictable weather. And it is notorious for tricking hikers into thinking that its modest elevation of 6,288 feet is just another ordinary dayhike. But, sunny weather at the base can change quickly to treacherous conditions up high. The recorded surface winds at the summit have even reached over 230 mph! So, with more than 135 recorded fatalities, you definitely have to respect Mt. Washington if you want to summit safely.
Preparing for the summit
Knowing about what lay ahead on this climb, we carefully monitored the weather in the days leading up to our climb. The Mt. Washington Observatory sits at the top, and provides reliable weather readings of the current temperature and wind conditions each day.
Checking out the summit conditions is just a small slice of preparation though. You need to be equally prepared with what you carry for your climb. We were shocked at how many people started out this hike without ANY preparation. Some were even trying to climb in just shorts and tank tops. They had to be freezing! And based on the vast number of people trying to squeeze wet clothing under the hand dryers in the the visitor center’s restrooms at the summit, it’s clear these folks weren’t alone in their unpreparedness.
Oh, the rain
Our weeklong visit to New Hampshire came during a period of non-stop rain. At one point, I even started referring the Granite State as “the Oregon of the Northeast.” Apparently, a 30% chance of rain in New Hampshire really means it’s going to rain 30 percent of the day. Despite this gloomy wet weather, I was not willing to let the opportunity to climb Mt. Washington out of my sights so easily.
Unfortunately, this rain could have been led to our failure to safely conquer this peak. Of the many routes up Mt. Washington, the most frequented one is the Tuckerman Ravine trail. It is easily accessible from the Pinkham Notch lodge, and the route ascends over steep terrain with numerous drop offs during its 4.1 miles up to the summit. Moreover, we found ourselves walking, climbing, and scrambling over boulders much of the way. These surfaces quickly became slick in the rain, creating additional risk during our climb.
Sure, we started out like this at the bottom. The summit was a bit different!
Slow is smooth…
To combat this wet terrain, we adopted for the “slow is smooth, and smooth is safe” mentality. We weren’t in a race to the top. The goal was to get there. And to do so all in one piece. Picking our way to the summit safely and making sure we had good footing was paramount.
We were a bit surprised to see a few folks with dogs coming down the route while we were ascending. Despite my general affection for dogs, this seemed a bit odd. First off, this is not really a “dog friendly” hike in my opinion. You could see the trepidation in the dog’s eyes as they searched for safe footing while jumping down off each wet boulder. And, the owners had to keep nudging them to move along. Second, as slick as the rocks were that day, I can’t imagine anyone needs to add an additional worry about their pet accidentally causing a fall. Finally, there are many exceedingly narrow places to pass with loose rocks at the trail’s edges. Adding dogs to this mix – particularly when you can’t know other hikers’ fears up there – could be characterized as a bit reckless.
Yeah, these were the SMALL boulders. The camera didn’t even come out for the the treacherous stuff. I needed four points of contact at all times!
Summitting Mt. Washington!
After nearly three hours, we finally made it up to the summit of Mt. Washington! I have to say, I’m incredibly proud of Finn for getting all the way up to the top in those conditions. It was a hard hike. And we definitely earned some piping hot coffee and hot chocolate from the visitor’s center to go with the picnic lunch we’d carried up.
Yeah. We made it. With a lot more layers to keep us warm and dry.
As luck would have it, we found the visitor center to be extremely crowded when we arrived. Part of this probably had to do with the outside conditions. The rain clouds obliterated the views at the top. So there wasn’t much reason for the tourists to hang outside for long. Plus, it was barely 50 degrees, with drizzling rain and stronger gusts of wind. So everyone was indoors for a little protection from the elements.
The summit was a bit congested due to the alternative ways visitors could get up to the top. For those who don’t want to hike up, there’s a cog railway that climbs the mountain up from Bretton Woods. There’s also the infamous Mt. Washington auto road that folks can drive up too. The benefit of this second option is it provides is a “bail out option” for hikers if the weather shifts dramatically. This means there’s always the possibility of arranging a ride in the hiker shuttle to drive you back down to the base of Mt. Washington (for a fee, of course).
A final note
Despite the dismal weather, we still had plenty of energy leftover after lunch. So we opted to hike carefully back down to our starting point at Pinkham Notch.
What a nice waterfall. But see that ledge the waterfall is going over? It’s wet. And you have to walk across it.
We’d passed the Hermit Lake shelter about halfway between the base and summit, but we didn’t actually pay it much attention on our way up. This shelter is one of the many structures run by the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) for those who want to camp overnight in the White Mountains.
We took a good look at it on the way down though. After copious amount of hot chocolate at the visitor center, we now desperately needed to take advantage of the shelter’s bathrooms during our descent. And in doing so, we were treated to a humorous reminder of “leave no trace” principles.
Sadly some people need this reminder!
All in all, our venture up Mt. Washington was a successful (and safe) one. And I feel fortunate that we were able to climb this notorious peak during our travels.