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#4180634 - 10/12/15 05:15 PM Mt Washington, NH, hike (pics)  
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Around the middle of last week, I made a spur-of-the-moment decision to join my friend Chad (a friend's son) on a hike of Mt Washington, NH, on Saturday, Oct 11. At 6288' (1917m) Mt Washington is the highest peak in the northeastern US, and with a prominence of 6148' it means you CLIMB most of it. (We started from the Pinkham Notch trailhead, elevation 2031 feet, so we "only" had 4257 feet to ascend.) It was formerly the record holder for highest wind speed ever recorded (231mph in 1934), and hurricane-force winds are observed an average of 110 days per year. The temperature at the summit has never exceeded 72F (22C), and the record low (not wind chill) is -47F (-44C.) There is an average of 281 inches (714cm) of snowfall per year.

I decided I was going to take Friday off to head to the Pinkham Notch Visitor Center (at the trailhead), check the weather forecast for the next day and for any reports of bear activity, then find myself a wilderness campsite to spend the night. The weather forecast at the summit for Saturday was temps around 20F, winds gusting 50-70mph, and wind chill around 0F. The main trail to the summit (Tuckerman Ravine Trail) was said to be icy, so I bought a pair of Hillsound Trail Crampons to deal with any ice we came across. I then texted the others with the forecast and recommendation for spikes, and continued north to the town of Randolph, NH where I'd found my campsite area online. I got there around 1700 and got camp set up before nightfall.




My ALPS Mountaineering Jagged Peak II 4-season tent - I love this thing!






Using a "bear bag" is a very good idea when wilderness camping up here, because we have a lot of black bears. Food, trash, toothpaste, anything with an odor that could attract bears, is tied to a tree limb at least 12 feet up, at least 6 feet from the trunk, and at least 6 feet off the ground. I simply ran the bag all the way to the limb.



It had rained hard all day long but I got a 2-3 hour respite around the time I hit the Notch, and that allowed me to set up camp without everything getting wet. I ate, hung the bear bag, and picked my latrine location (a couple hundred feet farther into the woods), then it started to rain on and off. I didn't feel liky lying down yet so I sat in the Jeep and read till dark. Let me tell you about darkness. You know how you start to see shifting patterns of colors and blotches when you close your eyes? Well, I was seeing those with my eyes open - there was absolutely no detectable light. If I let my eyes adjust for a few minutes, I could just make out a difference between the trees on either side of the campsite and the narrow strip of sky in between. I've never experienced such total darkness in my life. I took advantage of a break in the rain to head to the tent around 2000, read a little more, and by 2100 or so I was out like a light.

The plan was to meet at the Visitor Center at 0800 on Saturday, so around 0615 I awoke, got dressed, struck camp, and ate something. I got to the Visitor Center around 0740, and Chad arrived a little after 8. "Oh, there's Miles," he said. I didn't know there would be others coming with us - Chad's younger brother Miles and his girlfriend Carly, their sister Penny, and her husband Shea. I hadn't seen Penny in well over 10 years (she was really no more than a casual acquaintance since she moved out around the time I met her mother), and had never met Shea or Carly, so we made our introductions and chatted a bit. From left: Penny, Shea, Carly, Miles, Chad, and me.



We started up Tuckerman Ravine Trail, and my lack of exercise soon became apparent. I eventually got my breathing under control, though, and we stopped for a short break at the junction of Tuckerman and the Lion Head Trail. Climbers coming down Tuckerman said the trail was pretty bad, so we made the decision to take Lion Head instead. Lion Head killed me - it was steeper, the rocks were bigger and harder to climb up & over, and my poor condition had me gasping for air more often than not. Then we got above the treeline and I saw how far we still had to go. Chad, Penny, and I were climbing together, the others had gone a little ahead. We got to this point and took a break.



The trees you see on the spur we're climbing are actually ground cover, maybe 1 foot/30cm tall at most. They're very fragile and keep erosion from wind, rain, and meltwater under control, so avoid stepping on them or otherwise disturbing them if at all possible. The small pylon you can just see near the center is at the summit. By our best guess we were at around 5000' altitude, and my legs were just too exhausted to go another 1300 vertical feet. Here, I made the decision to stop, rest a while to let my quivering legs recover, and not hold the others up.

The wind was fierce and constant (wind 30-40mph/50-65km/h, air temp was around 40F/5C, wind chill maybe 20-25F -4--7C) so I put on my other layers of clothing (I'd been climbing in silkweight long underwear bottoms, Patagonia hiking pants, and a Stoic moisture-wicking silkweight top to keep from excessive sweating), and found as sheltered a spot as I could to rest. I drank plenty of water, ate a Clif bar, and after 1/2 hour or so felt good enough to head down. I'd tag along with descending climbers till they got about 100 feet ahead of me, then stop and wait for another group. You don't want to make this descent alone, it's very treacherous going down. Slowly but surely I made my way downward, stopping frequently to rest and to see if the others would catch up, eventually reaching the junction of Lion Head and Tuckerman. I wasn't sure which trail the others would be descending on, so I waited here for them. I decided that if they hadn't shown up by 1800, though, that I would continue down toward the trailhead with other descending hikers.

Around 1730 Miles and Carly showed up, and within 30 minutes the rest had arrived. Off we went! Going at the pace of the slowest member (me), Chad, Shea, and I reached the trailhead around 2015 (Miles, Carly, and Penny had gone on ahead.) It had been dark for over an hour, and we were traveling by Shea's headlamp. I, too, had a headlamp, but it was in my Jeep because I didn't think we'd need it on the mountain. So, from now on, it's in my pack wherever I go. I did have a flashlight but needed both hands to use my trekking poles - I had never been so exhausted in my life, even in basic training nothing compared to what I'd been through that day. But I still had my sense of humor (advice given to a passing hiker while I was taking a break: "take it from a fat guy, don't become a fat guy!") and I'm glad I recognized my limit instead of pushing myself further and possibly endangering myself and others. The mountain isn't going anywhere, after all!

Anyway, we got back to the parking lot, spent a few minutes congratulating each other, then seeing as it was later than we'd expected we got in our cars and headed for home. I could barely lift my leg high enough to get in the Jeep, and even pressing the clutch pedal was iffy. While driving I suddenly realized how hungry & thirsty I was, plus I needed gas, so at the first convenience store I came to I took care of all 3. Then I decided a nap in the parking lot was definitely necessary before continuing home. This was maybe 2130, I woke up a little before 2300 and headed out. Got home around 0015, was barely able to make it up the stairs, and then took over 2 hours to fall asleep because the immensity of the day finally hit me. I woke up around 0830 feeling physically great (except for my tortured quads and knees), ate breakfast, and began tending to my gear.

Pics I took throughout the day, in no particular order:


















Coming soon, in 2 or 3 weeks: Mt Chocorua, something more in line with my current condition.






Phil

“The biggest problem people have is they don’t think they’re supposed to have problems.” - Hayes Barnard
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#4180642 - 10/12/15 05:29 PM Re: Mt Washington, NH, hike (pics) [Re: NH2112]  
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Great pics. thumbsup


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#4180649 - 10/12/15 05:44 PM Re: Mt Washington, NH, hike (pics) [Re: NH2112]  
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Glad you did not force yourself to any further. Pride can kill. Would be in the
same boat if I were to try and climb it. My last climb was Bear Butte Sate Park
SD. And it was only a 980ft vertical climb and 2.5mile trail to the top. Hiked
it with my son who is always in a hurry. We took our time and it did wonders.
Was not tired at all after the hike.

Great pics Phil.


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#4180692 - 10/12/15 07:02 PM Re: Mt Washington, NH, hike (pics) [Re: NH2112]  
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Great pics. cool


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#4180810 - 10/12/15 11:29 PM Re: Mt Washington, NH, hike (pics) [Re: NH2112]  
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Thanks NH2112 thumbsup

Another nice set of nice hike pictures, appreciate you posting them


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#4180811 - 10/12/15 11:33 PM Re: Mt Washington, NH, hike (pics) [Re: NH2112]  
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Beautiful scenery!


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#4180838 - 10/13/15 01:37 AM Re: Mt Washington, NH, hike (pics) [Re: NH2112]  
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Thanks, guys. One of the things I noticed on Washington that never really stuck out anywhere else is how many people ask how you're doing, whether you're OK, do you need food or water, etc, when they pass you while you're resting. It's nice to know that complete strangers will check up on you and give you a hand. It's also contagious - while waiting at the Tuckerman/Lion Head junction for the rest of the guys to come down, someone wearing jeans soaked to the knees and leather low-top basketball shoes came hobbling along. I called out "hey, man, are your feet OK?" to which he replied with an accented voice "they're paining me." I asked if they were wet, and told him I had a spare pair of clean, dry wool socks if he wanted them. He said something else I couldn't make out, and if I'd had the energy to catch up I would have went after him and made him change into them.

That leads me into another thing I noticed - how many people show up wearing inappropriate clothing and not carrying extra layers and survival gear. I had a midweight Merino wool shirt, down jacket, rain/wind shell, and rain pants in my pack, along with a small first aid kit, flashlight, 3l Camelbak, knife, compass, 2 whistles, spikes, gloves, 2 hats, orange signal panel, lighter, TP, and 3 or 4 energy bars in my 28l pack, and there are still things I should have had but didn't (headlamp, for example, and possibly more water.) The only cotton on me was my boxers, everything else was wool or synthetic to wick moisture and insulate when wet. I'm kind of a gearhead in that I'm constantly trying out new gear and new tech in cold weather clothing, because even when I'm snowshoeing only a few miles from civilization & city lights I could find myself stranded overnight with only what's on my back to keep me alive. There were still people coming up at 1400-1500, talking about just catching the shuttle down from the summit. I told some that the last shuttle had already left, they said they'd heard differently at the trailhead and kept going. I asked them to please turn around if they heard the same from anyone else, who knows if they did. I know that I wouldn't have wanted to spend the night on the mountain at the place where I stopped, and I was equipped well enough to survive. Between the wind, cold temperatures, and spotty (at best) cell service, spending a night in the open could turn out to be a real survival exercise. All you could really do would be to stack up enough rocks for a windbreak and huddle behind it.

A lot of people also wore colors that blended in with the terrain & vegetation very well. I wanted stuff to make me stand out if I needed someone to see me - I wore the blue jacket instead of a dark red one, my down jacket and pack are both safety green/chartreuse, and the signal panel in my pack was hot pink on 1 side & blaze orange on the other. Maybe I'm a little paranoid, but I'm not gonna freeze to death because searchers couldn't see me!

Last edited by NH2112; 10/13/15 01:42 AM.

Phil

“The biggest problem people have is they don’t think they’re supposed to have problems.” - Hayes Barnard
#4181020 - 10/13/15 02:39 PM Re: Mt Washington, NH, hike (pics) [Re: NH2112]  
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That's what I like to read, someone of my generation taking on nature! cheers

We're looking at renting a cabin in Little Rock to do some hiking (a first for us, we're trying new things). I haven't slept in a tent or sleeping bag since I was a kid, I'm looking forward to it.

These couple of hiking threads just fire me up, as do the annual German mountain climbing ones (forget who) and others, even if some are not for amateurs.

Good advice you give about being prepared and clothing color.

#4181101 - 10/13/15 04:58 PM Re: Mt Washington, NH, hike (pics) [Re: NH2112]  
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nice work, I have young friends in their late 20's or early 30's that hike 4000 footers all the time. She's a runner, sometimes he accompanies her. They wanted me and my GF to go with them a few times but neither one of us could come close to what they do. My GF can walk 7 miles along the beach where it's flat no problem. Give her any incline and she's dying, I'm not much better for a fat guy but I push myself, just won't do hikes like Mt Washington..

If I want to see the top I'll take the auto road!

Mt Washington just had it's first snow fall Fri night into Sat morning. We drove by on our way to Vt and it was cloud covered but you could see snow along the other peaks near by. Mt Lafayette had a bunch of hikers along 93 getting ready to go up and they looked pretty bundled.


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#4181131 - 10/13/15 05:43 PM Re: Mt Washington, NH, hike (pics) [Re: NH2112]  
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Good trip report. I enjoy reading about what other SimHQ members are doing.


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#4181326 - 10/14/15 01:52 AM Re: Mt Washington, NH, hike (pics) [Re: NH2112]  
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Nice report, I love these landscape photos


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#4181876 - 10/15/15 01:07 PM Re: Mt Washington, NH, hike (pics) [Re: NH2112]  
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Nice scenery up there!


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#4181882 - 10/15/15 01:14 PM Re: Mt Washington, NH, hike (pics) [Re: NH2112]  
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Looks like a hell of a trip!


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#4182073 - 10/15/15 09:52 PM Re: Mt Washington, NH, hike (pics) [Re: NH2112]  
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Well, it appears that my hiking days might be numbered for a while, the knee I injured about a year ago is acting up and this time I'm going to push for surgery to repair it once and for all. I have an appointment on Oct 27 with the orthopedist who treated me earlier, hopefully they can get me under the knife and back on my feet well in advance of snowshoeing season.


Phil

“The biggest problem people have is they don’t think they’re supposed to have problems.” - Hayes Barnard
#4182477 - 10/16/15 07:35 PM Re: Mt Washington, NH, hike (pics) [Re: NH2112]  
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oh that sucks to hear, I know you enjoy snowshoeing as well


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