Huntington Ravine was on the table, but the air was so wet, the clouds coming and going, and morning sprinkles added to the soggy problem. A little wetness is okay, but the more of it there is, the more dangerous the hike becomes, especially if Huntington is on the agenda. Tuckerman Ravine was Plan B and that is the plan Redline Guides Chase Hall and Gregg Ludvigson opted for. In the interest of safety.
A highlight, Chase told us, was the team watching clouds pouring into the ravine — the whole hike was a terrific experience. Even the part where they got dumped on in an unexpected shower. The team descended via Lion Head Trail making a loop. On this trip the summit wasn’t included. For another perspective, check out Gregg’s comments, below:
Wild day guiding a group on Mount Washington. Forecast called for rain, with high probability of severe thunderstorms. Not long after we started, we got hit by a heavy downpour. We went for cover under some trees so we could put on rain gear. A little further up the trail, and it was just a light shower, but we were already soaked. So, we decided to continue on, and see what happened with the weather. As we pushed upward, the rain stopped and the wind picked up. At the next major intersection, we could see the summit was totally socked in by fog, with high winds. We made the decision not to summit, and decided to go across to the Alpine Garden and make our way down. We hit Lion Head, and from there we could see clearing off in the valley. We took a lunch break, and then started down as the sun broke through the clouds. It got warm enough with the sunshine, we all shed our rain gear for the rest of the way down. Back at the bottom, it was blue skies and warm sunshine. As those of us that live and play in the White Mountains say, never expect the weather to do what it is expected to do. The weather in the White Mountains is unpredictable! —Gregg
