[…] heights were reached that most cannot reach.
It was one of those days, to be sure, and we had more than one party on Mt Washington. Also up there, climbing the same route, aiming for the same summit — and also running the same two-day program — was Redline Guide Ken Hodges. The training in his case was done over a week ago. Another difference was that team two didn’t summit, unfortunately. They did venture above treeline and really did get the goods, in a way. The mountaineering and alpine aspects both in tact. The problem was really a lack of time. Once above treeline the pace slowed significantly eating into the available summit window. The team wasn’t able to really push harder so they just stayed the course until it was time to turn.
To put this in perspective, Mt Washington is wicked tough! It forces one to dig deep. We’ve had people claim a one-day Mt Washington climb is on par or even harder than Mt Rainier. We don’t necessarily agree with this at all, but being we’ve heard this a handful of times, it has convinced us that the rock pile is indeed a beast to be reckoned with in the eyes of many. The attempt in this case, as was suggested, did deliver the goods and congratulations are still in order. Simply put, heights were reached that most cannot reach.
Day One: Training Day
Day Two: Climbing Day
