As a testament of their good decision-making, four young men from Germany (currently living in Canada) came to us hoping it wasn’t too late to hire a guide for a hike up the notorious Huntington Ravine Trail and on to the 6288-foot (1917-meter) summit of Mt Washington. As was, this was a somewhat tough judgement call for us. We wanted them to get their wish, but it can get so dangerous up there in the shoulder seasons attempting it can have lethal consequences. We wanted to make the right call.
Despite the forecast for cold temps and strong winds, and knowing there was some snow and rime ice in the alpine, we decided it was worth some investigation. We outfitted them appropriately for the expectation of a winter-like experience. We suspected the rocks would be dry and almost free of ice on the lower slabs, and if they were we would go for it. If not, the team would pivot and take Tuckerman Ravine Trail up instead.
As it turned out, the ascent was green-lighted atop the Fan. It was an easy choice at that point. The conditions were also less intense than expected (though it could have gone the other way, too). Redline Guide Debra McCown led the group, and she carried a 30 meter rope just in case someone needed a confidence belay — or if they had to bail. As was, our youthful guests crushed it and were able to accomplish all of their on-mountain goals of the day. Yes!
Will the conditions stay the same allowing for more trips or is this it for the season? Usually by November 1st making it up there can be too difficult and dangerous so it’s hard to tell. That said, as we write this, it is raining and cold in the Mt Washington Valley, and higher up ice and snow are expected from this event so this could very well be the last Huntington hike of the year.
That said, it should warm up again, briefly, so it’s difficult to know for sure. As it concerns Huntington Ravine, we take it one day at a time.
