A guest from Pennsylvania wanted to hike up Mt Washington — ascending being the part she loves the most. For the trip back down she opted for a ride on the Cog. We informed her that if she wanted to become a peakbagger she’d have to hike up and down in one trip for it to count, per se. Fortunately, she was satisfied to experience what she did. Really, for her, it was two adventures in a day. Well deserved, too, as it wasn’t just any day; it was her birthday! Leading on this trip was Redline Guide Debra McCown. Debra provided the following summary.
A (Birthday) Gift from the Mountain
She decided to celebrate her 40th birthday by hiking the highest peak in the Northeast — and Agiocochook smiled upon her endeavor. It was not clear at the beginning of our hike up Mt Washington that this would be the case. The forecast was for wind, cold, and possibly a bit of snow. We began our hike in a chilly fog, which only got thicker as we hiked up the Jewell Trail.
Not long after we began, I found myself fielding questions about how one would navigate the upper part of the mountain in conditions with low or no visibility. Above treeline, as we hiked beyond the droplet-coated plants onto more exposed rocks, our guest got to try out one of the things we discussed: going cairn to cairn, hiking to each rockpile trail marker and then looking into the fog for the next.
We talked about the possibility that the sun could be out on the summit — above the clouds — but I made no promises. As we got higher, the wind picked up, and we layered up for the damp, chilly conditions expected above as we continued to follow the hard-to-see cairns through the fog. And then, something astonishing happened: the sun came out.
It began as a light glow behind the clouds, which suddenly transformed into a blazing circle. And then, without warning, the fog began to melt away. The last short stretch of trail to the summit was drenched in bright sunshine.
Perhaps even more surprising: all the snow deposited by recent storms had melted away — and in the sunshine on the summit, it felt almost warm!
We took pictures with the glorious undercast views. I pulled out a birthday dessert and lit a candle as she rang in her 40th year in the best way possible: looking down at the surrounding mountains from high above the clouds. —Debra
