Date: 2008-07-24
From: Crawford Notch, NH

To: Top of Mt Washington 
Miles today: 0.0

July 24, 2008   Top of Mt Washington. NH   Extreme Gale Force Weather - Time to bale off the exposed high mountain ridges.      I am sitting in the dinning area of the Summit House waiting for my 1:30 ride down to Pinkham Notch.         I left Mizpah Hut about 6:15 am this morning heading to Madison Hut. Its an 11.8 mile hike above the tree line in the Presidential Range of the White Mtns of New Hampshire.      I knew the weather was going to be about the same as we have had for the past week - damp and foggy with some fairly brisk winds and very low visibility (100 ft) all day. No big challenge.   From Mizpah Hut I hiked 4.8 miles up over or near the peaks of Mt Clinton/Pierce (4310 ft), Mt Eisenhower (4700 ft), Mt Franklin (5004), and Mt Monroe (5120 ft) to the AMC Lake of the Clouds Hut (5040 ft).    I stopped in at Lake of the Clouds Hut for hot chocolate and banana bread. Around 10:30 am I headed out for the summit of Mt Washington (6288 ft) about 1.4 miles away.   The summit of Mt Washington is far from remote. There is an Auto Road and a Cog Railroad that go to the summit. I have been here many times, so I know this can be a very busy place.   The Summit House is a modern enclosed Visitors Center, with a large open dinning area, a NH Park Service Information Desk, a cafeteria, a museum, a gift shop, an obervaion deck, a weather station, and TV/Radio towers.         As I climbed up Mt Washington past the Lakes of the Clouds Hut the winds and rain really started picking up. About a quarter mile from the summit the winds were howling and several 40 plus mph gusts nearly knocked me off my feet. When I finally reached the top the visibility was about 50 ft and the high winds and rains made it very hard to find my way to the Visitors Center.   When I got here I spoke with the Park Service Rangers about hiking on 5.6 miles (4 hours) to the AMC Madison Hut over exposed mountain ridges and peaks.    Mt Washington is known to get frequently get very severe weather. They said this is an unusually bad summer storm even for here.   They showed me the weather radar and it looks like a huge nasty weather system is coming through all of northern New England. There are even very rare tornado warnings going up. (Yikes).   While I was talking with them the Mt Washington wind gauge climbed to sustained winds over 40 mph and gusts jumping to 68 mph. And - the worst has yet to arrive.      High Life got here a short time ago and we both agree it would be insane to try to hike on to Madison Hut today.   Right now it looks like most of the severe weather is going to pass through today and tonight. Tomorrow should be a somewhat better day to hike to Madison Hut.   So - Here's my NEW plan. (Weather Permitting)      I called the AMC Pinkham Notch Lodge down in the valley and made reservations to stay there tonight.    I talked to the MTW "Stage Company" (shuttle vans) and I can pay for a ride down to the AMC Lodge this afternoon, and back up here to the Summit House tomorrow morning to pick up the AT where I left off.   Tomorrow (Fri) I will come back up here and do the hike from Mt Washington to Madison Hut (5.9 miles).   Saturday I will hike from Madison Hut to Carter Spring Hut (13.7 miles).   Sunday I will hike from Carter Spring Hut over to Gorham, NH (15.2 miles).   Monday morning I will stop into the Gorham, NH Post Office and then start hiking to Maine.    My ride will be here in a minute so time to go.   Bye for now.   -Wes-