Our guest from Texas plans to come back to hike Mt Washington this coming summer and, wow, he’s going to be shocked by what the southeastern snowfield looks like without snow smoothing the landscape. That section of Lion Head Trail is “wicked” (as we say up here) convoluted. That said, if wanting experiences in life, coming back to see the not-so-white mountain will be worth another trip up for sure. Until then we will share Redline Guide Debra McCown’s words and photos of this weekend. Do note that this was our two-day winter Mt Washington program and the afternoon portion of the mountaineering skills training was shared with our guest by another student from Mass.
When we walked on into the gusting wind past the Lion Head, he told me later, it was because he wanted to see what a snowfield looked like. It hadn’t occurred to me, when I’d showed him the map and described the route the day before, that this would be a new concept. But it should have. He’s from Texas — home of sunshine and triple-digit temperatures. He flew more than 1,500 miles to visit wintry New Hampshire, unsure of what to expect but looking for a new experience.
When we reached the edge of the snowfield, entering a fog that seemed to meld with the snow just a few feet ahead of us, he also got a visual on another mountain concept: whiteout. Halfway up the snowfield, he decided he’d had enough of hiking uphill in slushy snow and damp, windy weather (he came for the experience more than the summit) and it was time to head down the mountain for some Dunkin Donuts.
‘I just like to get out of the house,’ he said, expressing his enjoyment of the outdoors. ‘Any day out of the house is a good day for me.’ I shared my similar phrase: ‘Any day you get to spend in the mountains is a good day.’ He said the summit will still be there when he comes back in the summer — and he also hopes to do some fishing off the coast of Maine.
I love helping people get their summits when that’s their goal — but I also love when someone comes with a spirit of exploration, of simply wanting to learn and experience new things. With this weekend’s guest — who spent Saturday learning skills and Sunday tackling the Lion Head Winter Route on Mt Washington — it was a fun journey. –Debra
Photos from the First Day
Photos from the Second Day
