A large group came to us hoping to ascend Mt Washington. Some in the group were quite experienced, but most were being indoctrinated on-mountain (so we opted for a snowshoeing experience over a mountaineering one). All were hoping to summit, all were hoping to stay safe, all were hoping for a good time. The forecast was chilling, however, but not crazily-so. The sun would be out, it would be cold, and it would be windy — but the sun would be out! That is so important, psychologically-speaking. We took this into account, coupled it with our experiences, considered recent trends, and predicted it would more doable than they may be thinking. We thought a summit was going to be quite doable, in fact. Spoiler Alert: We were right, the deed was done.
On lead for this trip were Redline Guides Chase Hall, Howard Aronson, and Michael Scire. The team consisted of 11 guests. Three of the eleven turned around with Michael at the hut, and the rest were able to summit the mountain. The summit team descended along the Cog tracks. They all contributed to the pool of photos, and here are a few of Chase’s thoughts.
What a treat to get assigned to hike Mt Washington in ideal winter hiking conditions. It’s an absolute thrill to witness a group hike the mountain for the first time. […] The hard miles you have to hike to get to summit just to freeze in the process is something that you will remember for a long time, […] above all others. […] Congratulations to our guests who made a dream become reality. It was a pleasure to share this special hike with you. —Chase
Can You Picture It?
