A returning guest from Philly reached out as he happened to be in town for a bit. He wanted to drive up the Auto Road to the summit of Mt Washington, hike down Crawford Path to Lakes of the Clouds (cognizant of the weather), check out the ‘views,’ then head back up to the summit before driving back down. With him was Redline Guide Debra McCown. The plan went well, until you question the bit about the views. Some would say there were none. To be clear, however, the views were incredible… albeit short in distance. Just what he wanted. Even though he didn’t get many long views — thanks to the ridge being in the clouds — the short views count and they can be just as awesome. Debra wrote the following summary and grabbed some photos of this twin-mode tour:
Unlike many of my trips on Mt Washington, this one started at the top. This returning guest wasn’t looking to stress his knees, but he did want to see the inside of the clouds that often sock in the summit and visit Lakes of the Clouds Hut. The alpine lakes around the hut were definitely in the clouds today!
We drove up the Mt Washington Auto Road in the fog, took pictures with the summit sign, then hiked down to the hut and back up. The lakes and everything else were pretty cool in the fog. It was chilly and wet, but the guest said ‘he enjoyed experiencing views similar to the inside of a ping-pong ball.’ —Debra
