A guest from New York State came to visit for a couple of days. She was partaking in our two-day Mt Washington program consisting of a day of training followed by an attempt on the summit of the Rock (and Ice) Pile. Day one went well enough, they got everything done they wanted to get done, but looking at the weather forecast the team, led by Redline Guide Debra McCown, knew that a successful summit was very unlikely. But they would try anyway despite the -15F ambient temperatures and call for 90-110 MPH winds with gusts to 140. The plan, as usual, was to go as far as they could safely go (which is often Lion Head). On this climb, however, our guest decided she’d seen enough so the team turned just above treeline. While it may have been possible to go a few more tenths before being exposed to more than a fraction of the elements, it was enough. On such days it’s best to be prudent. “The mountain,” after all, “will be there another day,” as they say. For our guest this type of experience was what we refer to as “type 2 fun.” The day was tough, the weather completely off the hook, but the dust of the experience will likely settle and the memory will have our guest smiling while shaking her head in awe. “I was there,” telling her friends.
Day One: THE TRAINING
Day Two: THE CLIMB
