Mount Washington Trip Report

Mount Washington

I decided to make one last trip to the White Mountains before I left Dartmouth so that I could tackle the hardest trail in New Hampshire, the Huntington Ravine Trail. I left Dartmouth with Devon, a friend of mine, around 7 AM on Sunday, August 9th, 1998.

We arrived at Pinkham Notch around 9:30 AM. We followed the Tuckerman Ravine Trail for 1.3 miles, at which point the Huntington Ravine Trail diverges to the northwest. The ascent was mild for the first 1.8 miles until we reached the base of the ravine, seen in the first picture to the left. Over the remaining 0.3 miles of its 2.1 mile length, the trail quickly ascends over 2,000 feet. The most difficult sections of the trail involve a series of rock scrambles. The second picture shows a part of the trail as it started to get steeper.

I am standing at the top of the ravine in the third picture, which is off to the left. Behind me is Tuckerman's Ravine and behind that is Boot Spurr. From here it is only a little over a mile along the Nelson Crag Trail to the summit and the ascent is rather mild. The landscape changes dramatically from the Tuckerman trailhead, from mixed forest to pine forest at the base of the ravine. The steep Huntington Ravine quickly rises above treeline so the ravine is covered only with shrubs in less exposed places. From the top of the ravine to the summit the climate is very characteristically alpine tundra.

The summit of Mount Washington, at 6,288 feet, is the tallest peak in the Northeast. Mount Washington is of course best known for its terrible weather, but the day we climbed it was in the 80's at Pinkham Notch and 65 at the summit, although it felt warmer. The humidity also made it a little hazy, as the fourth picture shows. Devon is in the foreground with Mount Jefferson, Mount Adams, and Mount Madison in the background from left to right. The Tip Top House, Sherman Adams Summit building, the Yankee building, and the station WMTW are behind me. In my opinion the buildings detract from the natural beauty of the summit, but fortunately there are still nice views like this to be had off to the side of the summit.

We descended on the slightly longer but far easier Boot Spurr trail. Devon is in the fifth picture with a nice view of Mount Monroe in the background as we passed above Tuckerman's Ravine coming from the summit. There was quite a bit of traffic on this trail from people venturing down from the summit and from hikers climbing the Tuckerman Ravine Trail, typically the most popular trail in the summer.

Nearly back to Pinkham Notch, we stopped by the Crystal Cascade for one last picture. The day was waning, but that made for a spectacular sunset over the mountains as we drove home on the scenic Kangamagus Highway. Our near encounter with a mouse on Route 118 near Mousilauke also made for an interesting drive home.

	Mount Washington
	I decided to make one last trip to the White Mountains before I left Dartmouth so that I could tackle the hardest trail in New Hampshire, the Huntington Ravine Trail. I left Dartmouth with Devon, a friend of mine, around 7 AM on Sunday, August 9th, 1998. We arrived at Pinkham Notch around 9:30 AM. We followed the Tuckerman Ravine Trail for 1.3 miles, at which point the Huntington Ravine Trail diverges to the northwest. The ascent was mild for the first 1.8 miles until we reached the base of the ravine, seen in the first picture to the left. Over the remaining 0.3 miles of its 2.1 mile length, the trail quickly ascends over 2,000 feet. The most difficult sections of the trail involve a series of rock scrambles. The second picture shows a part of the trail as it started to get steeper. I am standing at the top of the ravine in the third picture, which is off to the left. Behind me is Tuckerman's Ravine and behind that is Boot Spurr. From here it is only a little over a mile along the Nelson Crag Trail to the summit and the ascent is rather mild. The landscape changes dramatically from the Tuckerman trailhead, from mixed forest to pine forest at the base of the ravine. The steep Huntington Ravine quickly rises above treeline so the ravine is covered only with shrubs in less exposed places. From the top of the ravine to the summit the climate is very characteristically alpine tundra. The summit of Mount Washington, at 6,288 feet, is the tallest peak in the Northeast. Mount Washington is of course best known for its terrible weather, but the day we climbed it was in the 80's at Pinkham Notch and 65 at the summit, although it felt warmer. The humidity also made it a little hazy, as the fourth picture shows. Devon is in the foreground with Mount Jefferson, Mount Adams, and Mount Madison in the background from left to right. The Tip Top House, Sherman Adams Summit building, the Yankee building, and the station WMTW are behind me. In my opinion the buildings detract from the natural beauty of the summit, but fortunately there are still nice views like this to be had off to the side of the summit. We descended on the slightly longer but far easier Boot Spurr trail. Devon is in the fifth picture with a nice view of Mount Monroe in the background as we passed above Tuckerman's Ravine coming from the summit. There was quite a bit of traffic on this trail from people venturing down from the summit and from hikers climbing the Tuckerman Ravine Trail, typically the most popular trail in the summer. Nearly back to Pinkham Notch, we stopped by the Crystal Cascade for one last picture. The day was waning, but that made for a spectacular sunset over the mountains as we drove home on the scenic Kangamagus Highway. Our near encounter with a mouse on Route 118 near Mousilauke also made for an interesting drive home.