Two years ago I climbed Mount Washington on a clear and warm day and had magnificent views and encountered no mishaps - one of those rare perfect days on a mountain that has the reputation for experiencing the world’s worst weather.

A few weekends ago during my New England vacation I climbed Mount Washington again but the weather and my fortunes were not so good this time.

The week before the climb had seen poor hiking conditions in the Presidential Range in New Hampshire’s White Mountains. Storm after storm had left many trails slippery and like running streams.

We started our trek - 10 of us - from Pinkham Notch at about 8:00am with cloudy skies and 64F at base.

Originally, my son and I wanted to climb on the Tuckerman Ravine Trail but as our friends were taking a different route and because of the poor weather we decided to stick with them and climb on the Boot Spur Trail. We had climbed this trail before and on a clear day it offers magnificent views of Tuckerman Ravine and the Mount Washington Valley.

As expected the trail up Boot Spur was very slippery and most of us suffered scrapes and cuts. My son slipped and fell heavily on rocks damaging his nose early on the ascent, and threatening his trip to the summit. But he has been hiking for a few years and knows his capabilities and recovered to continue the climb. My mishap would come later when least expected.

Boot Spur takes you up along the top of the side wall of Tuckerman Ravine and offers an overlook view before reaching the tree line. By the time we reached the lookout the ravine was clear but the summit was still covered in clouds and they looked dark and ominous.

Once beyond the Split Rock and above tree line we encountered a cooling rain and windy conditions and though the exertion of the climb was keeping us warm we put on our raingear to preserve our body heat. This trail is famous for its false summits - at least two - which can be disheartening to the unsuspecting. By the time we reached the top of the Davis Path visibility was diminishing fast and the wind had picked up.

If I’d just been hiking with my son I probably would have turned back by now and not gone on to the summit. But there is safety in numbers and we were all watching after each other. The Lawn Cut-off Trail takes you to the base of the summit cone, and though fairly flat it’s extremely rocky and treacherous in wet conditions. Visibility was very limited and at times it was difficult to see more than a few members of our party at once. We kept close to the cairns.

After about 4-hours of difficult hiking I arrived at the base of the summit cone. I knew warmth and food was just a few hundred feet away - albeit vertical feet. And as you get closer to the top you can hear the cars and motorcycles on the auto road and it lifts your spirits and fatigued body for those last steps to the summit.

Once on the auto road my son and I headed for summit sign to get our picture taken in the wind and rain and then dragged our bodies to shelter, food, and finally… rest. Our group spent the best part of an hour recovering and replenishing and getting mentally prepared for the trip down.

In some respects the trip down Mount Washington can be every bit of a challenge as the ascent, and in my case, I was going to be taught an important lesson on the way down as you’ll discover in the second installment of my hike which I’ll post in a few days time.

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Cliff Calderwood
Publisher
www.New-England-Vacations-Guide.com

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