We advertised it on our scheduling page as a “non-mountaineering Mt Washington hike” heading up to the summit of the Rock Pile via the Ammo. So far this year, most of the action has been on the east side of the mountain so that we didn’t have any joiners wasn’t a surprise us. Our guest, from Maine, had her guide and the mountain to herself and had some awesome weather (which is good since we have a Presi backpacking traverse in progress). On point for this hike was Redline Guide Debra McCown and she wrote a summary of the day and provided some photos, below…
We Won the Winter Weather Lottery on Washington
Maybe it wasn’t the jackpot — but, by Mt Washington standards, it was close. There was light snow all day, minimal wind, temperatures that felt like double digits above zero, and fog that only obscured the views — not our visibility on the trail.
Today’s guest was aiming to summit Mt Washington. In the pleasant (for winter) weather, she did even better, bagging not just the highest peak in the Northeast at 6,288 feet but also New Hampshire’s fourth highest, the adjacent Mt Monroe, at 5,384.
We had this, plus: great views coming up the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail, decent hiking conditions on fresh snow, a fun photo standing on the roof at Lakes of the Clouds Hut, and more than 3 miles of perfect snowshoeing and fluffy marshmallow trees descending Jewell Trail.
She said she had to dig deep for the last half-mile to the summit — but was happy as a clam again once we reached the sheltered part of Gulfside. Below treeline, the descent was magical — even breaking trail for the last mile to the parking lot.
Yes, it’s Mt Washington, and there was a bit of chilly wind on the summit, but for someone who loves snow and hiking in a winter wonderland, it was a perfect day! —Debra
