There comes a time in every climb when you have to think about actually going down to get home.

As much as standing on the peak and savoring the moment of accomplishment makes it all worthwhile and what you remember the most, the fact is you’ve got to summon up the energy to get that tired and aching body back down again.

And on Mount Washington in New Hampshire this can be every bit as challenging as the ascent.

In the first part of my story I described the trek up to the summit in less than ideal conditions. In this post I’ll discuss the descent and my mishap and why it is so important to NOT travel alone.

I left the story the other day with our long rest in the summit visitor center. Hot food, warmth, and a chance to recover weary legs do make it difficult to get the body going again - especially when you know there is a 4-5 hour hike over slippery rocks facing you.

But the clock was ticking and daylight was limited and so we started back down in clouds until we reached the rim of Tuckerman’s Ravine at the base of the summit cone. For a brief few minutes the curtain of clouds engulfing the summit all day opened and we got marvelous views of the ravine and the trails ahead.

Our hiking party had already chosen the Lion Head trail to return to Pinkham Notch.

This is a steep descent but much shorter than going back down the Boot Spur Trail, and it takes you down along the rim of Tuckerman’s Ravine from the other side, so it provides different views.

No sooner had we begun our descent than the clouds came back and it started to rain. We met a lot of rain on the route above tree line, at times it was a hard and harsh rain, and we ended up splitting into two groups. Lion’s Head has a few sections above tree line where the only plausible way down is on your butt, and doing this in the rain makes for quite a spectacle.

Because of the weather everything was soaked and it would have made for enjoyable butt sliding if not for the fact that the only thing to break your fall was hard rock - and I’m not talking the Led Zeppelin-type here.

Once in the forest the rain stopped and we were back to navigating through streams of mud and down slippery slopes of granite. And this seemed to go on for hours until the Lion’s Head Trail hooked up with the Tuckerman Ravine Trail for the last few miles back to Pinkham Notch.

I don’t remember all the events of my fall, but we were long into the final section of Tuckerman when I missteped on some rocks when passing hikers on their right. It was a fairly flat section so I put it down to tiredness and a faltering of concentration.

I must have dropped sideways like a sack of potatoes as I don’t remember having any time to put my hands out to break my fall. I cracked the side of my head on rocks sufficiently hard to lose consciousness for a few seconds.

I was told afterwards that I drifted in and out of consciousness a few times before coming to my senses to find my ear was cut in several places. But I seemed to be intact outside those superficial wounds… and a headache. My colleagues had rushed to my aid immediately and one of them was a trained medic and satisfied themselves with a few tests that I was not suffering concussion and could complete the few miles back to base.

To me this was a validation that it is never a good idea to hike alone. My fall could have happened on any mountain and the outcome much worse. I was really glad to have company during the final hiking miles to base… even if it was flat.

We had been on the mountain for about 10 hours when we reached the AMC base at Pinkham Notch. Very tired but exhilarated we were all looking forward to a hot shower and some good food.

Despite the weather this year in the White Mountains, the Mount Washington climb continues to provide one of the most challenging, yet satisfying hikes in the eastern United States. The mountain demands respect and the best of preparations, and this year it tested me to my limits.

I’ll probably be there again next year, looking to take on some different trails and challenges.

To read the first part of my Mount Washington climb click here.

Never miss a post about destinations, attractions and trips in New England again, just subscribe to my RSS feed by clicking here.

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

If you enjoyed this story please share it with others at your favorite sites below…