Date: 2018-07-24
From: Lake of the Clouds Hut

To: Pinkham Notch
Miles today: 15.0

At an elevation of 6,288 feet, Mount Washington is the highest peak in the Northeastern United States and the most prominent mountain east of the Mississippi River. It is the second highest point along the AT (Clingman¢s Dome is the highest). The mountain is notorious for its erratic weather. On the afternoon of April 12, 1934, the Mount Washington Observatory located at the summit recorded a windspeed of 231 miles per hour, the world record for most of the 20th century. It is also one of he most deadly mountains in the world, with 150 deaths recorded in as many years. Most deaths occur from exposure in the months of July and August. The reason, the mountain is easily accessible and folks venturing out for a ¢little¢ stroll on the unforgiving terrain are unprepared (lack of shelter, lack of layered clothing, and hiking alone). There are three primary methods of accessing the summit of Mount Washington: 1) a cog railway ascends the western slope, 2) the Mount Washington Auto Road climbs to the summit from the east, and 3) hike in. Today we took the latter of the three. Grumpy, Kylo and I set out from Lake of the Clouds Hut a little past 0630. A thick fog/mist hung over the alpine plane as we headed northeast up Crawford Path. Cairns steered us along the 1,300¢ climb to the summit. As has been the case through a big portion of the Whites, there are no white blazes to mark the path. There are also multiple trails (also marked with cairns) intersecting with the AT. This made it crucial to stop and study each signpost to ensure we were headed in the right direction. Thick fog added to the difficulty in navigation, as the next cairn was sometimes hard to locate. The following factors added to the difficulty of the hike throughout the day: low visibility, high winds, wet rocks, boulder fields, and steep grades. The winds picked up as we stumbled our way over Pennsylvania-style rocks all the way to the summit. It would be the easiest ascent of the day. At the top, the wind speed was 30-40mph, gusting to 60mph. There is a weather observatory at the top of Mt Washington that records conditions. Anyone can access this info on-line. There is also a visitors center and restaurant located at the summit. Everything was locked up tight. The rain and much cooler temps made it unbearable to hang around the deserted summit. We sought temporary refuge from the wind around one side of the restaurant. After adding a layer of clothing, putting some hiker fuel in our bodies, and catching our bearings, we headed down the northern slope along the Gulf Side Trail. We crossed over the cog rail a few hundred yards down the trail, then descended along the rim of the Great Gulf. The wind was whipping at gale force causing us to slant our bodies at a 30 degree angle as we pecked our way over the slippery rocks. It was wonderfully crazy. After descending to an elevation of 5,000 ft we climbed another 500¢ close to the summit of Mt. Jefferson. There was some partial clearing of skies here and I was able to get some good pics of Jefferson and Adams. Looking Northeast to Adams I marveled at how the mountains make weather. A huge cloud clung to the southeast slope as other clouds whipped by the north slope at warp speed. The west slope was clear. As we came under the west slope of Jefferson I could see where the path turned east down below and headed up Mount Adams. Oh my¢more fun ahead!It was an 800¢ climb up Adams. A good portion of it was a rock scramble. The winds picked up as we ascended and we were back in the fog and mist as we passed just under the peak and down to Madison Spring Hut. We arrived at the nice little hut at 1130. It had taken us five hours to complete the first 7 miles of the hike. We dug into our food bags and supplemented lunch with some soup and coffee from the hut. A weather forecast and data on Mount Washington over the past 24 hours (as of 7AM) were posted on a wall in the dining area. Nearly 6 inches of rain fell yesterday with an average wind speed of 37mph with gusts as high as 58mph. No wonder I was having such a good time. An hour after we arrived we were headed to Madison Spring Hut. The trail continued east and immediately began the ascent up Mount Madison. This peak proved to be the biggest beast of the day. Just a few hundred feet up we were back in the clouds and mist. The wind was headed straight down the mountain as we were struggling to scramble over the biggest and baddest boulders of the day. Every now and then a cross wind would try to catch my pack and send me into a pirouette. More dance lessons. After reaching the top, the trail turned south and began a 3,000¢ descent. Not so fast! The initial descent off of Madison was more like a roller coaster over huge heaps of boulders and rocks. The whole event was ultra challenging. The landscape and weather conditions made it surreal. A moment of panic set in...¢Am I on the wrong PLANET?!?!¢. A quick check of Guthook lowered my heart rate. Still on on plant Earth, and, yes, the AT is headed south, right towards Mount Washington. The hike today was essentially a big inverted fishhook.There were seconds of partial clearing coming down Madison. I caught more views of Adams (now to the northwest), Washington (SW) and the Wildcat Range (SE). At 4,300¢ the trail dropped below treeline for the first time since yesterday. Two factors¢the wind and visibilty¢were no longer an issue. The primary difficulty now was the narrow trail coupled with slick bowling and beachball size rocks. With a wall of Dwarf Spruce on either side of the 2-3 ft wide trail, it was impossible to pick and choose your own line through the rocks. This went on for a couple of miles. Finally, the trail came by an official tent site and began a series of stream crossings. Poor markings and a lack of good signage made it difficult to ascertain the AT way to Pinkham Notch. Once I was on track, the trail eased up considerably for the final 1-2 miles. It¢s a good thing, because my feet and knees were beat. I reached Pinkham Notch a little before 5PM. Hydro was sitting on a rock at the trailhead. He reached in a cooler and handed me an ice cold Mountain Dew. Perfect! Grumpy and Kylo arrived at Pinkham Notch within 15 minutes. Hydro had enough drinks and a Pepperoni Pizza for all of us. He was even gracious enough to give me a ride past Gorham to the Rattle River Hostel. Grumpy and Kylo packed into a full shuttle and we followed them to the hostel. Hydro said he would be out of country next week and unable to meet me when I came through his neck of the woods in Maine. I joked, ¢Bummer, you can just leave me your truck keys.¢ Hydro quipped back, ¢That¢s not gonna happen!¢ I knew I liked this guy for more than just his generous food and drink offerings. Safe travels Hydro!Taking a zero on Wednesday. I pushed my body a little past max the past couple of days and need a little down time to recover. Played some Settlers of Catan last night (1W 1L). The readers will just have to wait:-)Peace & Blessings - NSElevation Data:Ascent - 3,700Descent - 6,720Grade - 13.2Weather:Day - 69 / Fog and WindNight - 62 / RainOver The Horizon: Mahoosuc Notch, ME