A winter ascent of Mt Washington which is the highest peak in NH is not for the faint of heart!  This is the big one - the tallest mountain in the Northeast! Mt. Washington towers over its neighbors at an elevation of 6,288ft. It is known for erratic weather and extremely strong winds. A winter climb of Mt. Washington is a serious undertaking. Participants can expect an 8-10 hour climb up the Winter Lion Head Trail or one of the many other routes that lead to the summit - with a large portion of the day above tree line. Participants should be geared up, in good physical shape with prior hiking experience.

With that being said to warn the those that might give it try this intrepid trio went for it the day after Christmas.  After seeing an unbelievable fantastic rare forecast of mild temps and low winds on Christmas day Jason put out a call to some of his hiking buds.  Two of us gave the thumbs up and we agreed that the risk was relatively low for a winter ascent of this beast of a mountain.

By 8:30 we began the 2 plus mile steep frigid push slowly up the northern shoulder which the Cog Railway line follows.  Even though it was only 5 degrees we warmed up with the never ending pitched ascent into the deepest of blue skies.  The snow crunched underneath our steps and eventually our labored breathing became more regular.

It was all going so well with smiles and hellos to other hikers and adreniline seeking skiers looking for back country powder.  When we hit Jacobs Ladder, a perioulous section of cog railway tracks that is an engineering marvel it got serious!  The pitch got more extreme and the powder snow turned to wind scabbed hard as concrete ice.  The next 50 feet were extremely dangerous if you lost your footing and fell.  Most likely death or severe injury would be the end result.  Two skiers that were following us turned around but we strategized a way up this icy spot and got thru it.

After that we were back in powder, blazing blue skies, abundant sunshine, warmth and beautiful snow coated summits of the Presidential Peaks.  The outwordly beauty propelled us upward towards that beast of a mountain known as the Rockpile - MT WASHINGTON.

At 12:30 we finally arrived to a flat area with buildings, communication towers and a dozen other fleece/gore tex clad serious hikers.  YAHOO - our goal achieved - summit high fives with smiles galore.  Usually the weather is forociously terrifyingly bad with winds that knock you down and ice pellets that hit you like bullets - but not today.  We basked in the golden sun and took in the views into Canada, Vermont and New York.

After a lunch refuel, we headed down the rail line.  At one point, I thought I was hallucinating as an almost naked guy passed us headed up.  The mountain gifted us a a shirtless Italian Studded eye candy Mountaineer - I took a picture and told him I liked his "STYLE".  

A few hours later at the end of our adventure, the sun began to set and we were rewarded once more with an amazing alpine glow which bathed "The Beast - Mt Washington"  in crimson.  Even better was the view to the valley below with a fastastic light show mosiac of smoky golds and blue.  More eye candy of the natural spiritual kind.

Thanks to Jason and Stephen for a few adrenline moments,  heart pounding times and many blissful meditative moments.

 

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