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With peak foliage on our minds, Jon and I thought about climbing up Mt. Washington using the Boott Spur Trail when we first posted this trip. However with the weather forecasting winds over 50mph and high temperatures around 20 degrees, we changed our plans. We decided to climb up and back on the Tuckerman Ravine Trail to protect us from the wind. The trip demonstrated the harsh realities of climbing and proved to be every bit as challenging and rewarding as we had imagined.

Irwin, Jon and I left the house at 7:15 am. We met Jeffrey and Chris at the Post Office who followed us to Pinkham Notch. We arrived at 9am to meet up with the Kevin C., Kevin and Todd. As we drove up to the Presidentials they were all blanketed by snow. The parking lot was full of hikers.

Tuckerman Ravine Trail is the safest route if there are high winds and it is marked very well since this is the ‘trade route’ for those seeking to climb up Mt. Washington. The total mileage was projected to be about 8.4 miles with much of it on extremely steep pitches when climbing up the headwall and on the summit cone itself. Icy conditions were a concern so we recommended that everyone bring Microspikes.

The initial hiking on the Tuckerman Ravine Trail was on bare ground but we soon found ourselves surrounded by snow. It was gentle climbing on snow that was heavily packed by many hikers and is wide enough for a snow cat. The temperature was 45 degrees so we shed layers quickly. We got our first glimpse of Tuckerman Ravine from the ranger station at 2.4 miles and that is when things started getting interesting.

At first the Tuckerman Ravine trail after the ranger station climbs fairly steeply via rock steps up the Little Headwall, passing a cascade to our left.

We soon found ourselves on the broad upper floor of the ravine with impressive views up the headwall. Here the trail angled steeply up to the right with an icy cascade to our left. When we swung left to traverse beneath the cliffs high on the headwall, ice began breaking off tumbling towards us. This was where we were reminded of the dangers of this sport. And there was a serious drop off to our left. This definitely reminded us to be extra cautious but we continued the ascent.

The Tuckerman Ravine trail continued steeply eventually reaching the top of the headwall and tree line. We could hear increased wind ahead and took advantage of the tree cover to add a few layers. After preparing for above tree line hiking we continued the climb and reached the Tuckerman Crossover junction. The summit was in a cloud. We mentioned to everyone that there still was one hour of climbing left to do. At this point Chris, Jeffrey and Todd had enough and turned around.

The boulders were exposed with snow in between them. It was a tough slog up the summit cone over broken rock. Kevin C. legs began cramping slowing him down.

We found ourselves on the summit in a cloud with winds 39mph and the temperature 16 degrees. This meant a wind chill of seven degrees below zero.

The Auto Road and Cog Railway were closed but we walked into a heated summit building serving only hikers. Inside it felt like a hiker convention. It was a nice treat to be on the summit in winter conditions and not being surrounded by tourists walking in high heels. Most of us bought some spicy hot chili. Feeling refreshed after lunch, we had someone take pictures of us next to the summit sign. We then headed down.

Because of the icy conditions we all wore our Microspikes for the descent. We chose our steps carefully. The clouds lifted as we descended and got to take in the beauty of Boott Spur, Lions Head and the Tuckerman Ravine headwall. Wind was decreasing and temperature rising. The descent seemed to go rapidly and we soon found ourselves back at the top of the headwall. We knew that this was the steepest, iciest and most challenging portion of the hike, especially after using so much energy for the climb. We also knew that it was possible to fall and sustain injuries here.

After some careful down climbing we found ourselves back at the ranger station at 4 PM with 2.4 miles to go. The rock filled trail had hidden black ice. Most of the time we broke our falls with some unique moves. Kevin C. indicated he was rehearsing for the TV show, ‘Dancing with the Stars.’ This meant the descent took longer than expected but there was till plenty of daylight. We reached the parking lot physically and mentally spent but extremely satisfied that we had achieved our goal in tough winter like conditions.

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