[at-l] Mt. Washington in Winter

[pmags@yahoo.com (Paul Magnanti)]

Climbing Mt. Washington in the winter can be
beautiful, exhilarating, and a high point in anyones
hiking memories. It can also be dangerous, brutal, and
just plain scary. 

You may want work up to climbing Mt. Washington by
doing other winter  hikes first.

I made two attempt to hike Mt. Washington in the
winter. The first time in January, did not make it to
the top. The second time, a month later, I did. 

When doing Mt. Washington in winter, picture doing
Denali up the Western Butte route. Nothing overly
technical, but the weather can be brutal.  You will
need a good shell jacket and pants, goggles, and  an
ice axe. Some "bare boot" it or use snowshoes up
Washington. Being the klutz that I am, I went with
double boots and crampons.   Shell mitts/gloves, pile
gloves/mitts and liners are strongly suggested.  A
balaclava that covers all but the eyes should be worn.
Take another hat.  A down jacket is also strongly
suggested.

Sounds intimidating? It is. But, like anything else,
if you are prepared, it can be a great experience.

My first attempt up Washington we went up the Lion's
Head route out of Pinkham. If I remember correctly,
this is the most popular route up in winter. Avoids,
for the most part, any avalanche danger. The trail is
nice and compacted. Plenty of people also hiking.  The
snow was falling gently below treeline. Above treeline
was another story.  The wind was howling. Visibility
was minimal. My friends and I were on a ridge
approaching Lion's head and the winds gusted so much
that we had to use our ice axes to keep ourselves
steady and not fall. We wisely decided to turn around
at this point. Quite a few people also turned around
at this point. No one made it up th summit that day. 
Back at Pinham, we found out that they estimated the
winds were gusting at around 80 MPH at the Lion's Head
area. Temps were in the single digits without the wind
chill.

The second attempt was more mellow. The weather was
overcast, but no falling  snow or fierce winds. 
Approaching the summit during winter was eerily
beautiful.  Rime ice covered everything creating a
vision that was akin to something out of a Faerie
kingdom.  The sun did not come out, but the clouds
broke long enough to view the snow capped
Cater-Moriahs.  The temps were a balmy 20F,  (-9F with
the wind chill). Beautiful.

Needless to say, I am big fan of winter hiking (and
backpacking). Dress warmly, bring plenty of food and
extra clothing, and do not attempt something you are
not sure of. If you are hesitant, you should take some
classes, go with a guide, and/or go with experienced
people (who will respect your limitations and not push
you past your comfort level).



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The true harvest of my life is intangible.... a little stardust caught, a portion of the rainbow I have clutched
--Thoreau

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