Trip report
Mts. Washington and Monroe Hike
Hiking/Walk DATE: 08/10/2019 - 08/10/2019
Trip/Event Location: Bretton Woods, NH
US
Trip Leader(s): Gandalf , JDNnh
Max # People: 15
Trip Guiding / Event Fee: No, I will not be asking participants for money
Difficulty Level: Very Strenuous
This is a big hike up the highest peak in the Northeast and we are adding in Mt. Monroe for good measure! There will be plenty of time above treeline and no shortage of views! Mt. Washington is at 6,
...Leave US 302 at Fabyan and drive on the Base Road 5.5 all the way to the end where you will reach the Cog Railway Base Center. As soon as you arrive, there is a hiker parking lot on the right where you'll have to pay a parking fee. The parking fee is $10 per vehicle so carpooling is encouraged. We are driving a blue Toyota Tacoma truck.
Trip Report/Photos
Spectacular day on the summit of Mt. Washington!
Fooled ya! With the weather forecasted to be horrible on the summit of Mt. Washington, everyone cancelled. The forecast seemed favorable near our house in Waterville Valley so Jon and I chose Sandwich Dome using the less travelled Algonquin Trail.
We made our ascent via the Algonquin Trail and had a great time with some scrambling. The views after the Black Pond Trail junction were amazing! It felt like an autumn day with temperatures in the 60’s and low humidity.
We started the ascent at about 8:30 a.m. The first mile followed an old logging road passing by swampy areas so we saw lots of moose droppings!
We made a steady climb to the Black Mountain Pass stopping periodically to enjoy the wild blueberries. Yummy! The Black Mountain Pass was lush with vegetation with some open woods.
Then the steep scrambling begins. It starts with a difficult rock scramble with two more rock pitches further up the trail. Many viewpoints are encountered looking south. The humidity was so low we could make out Mt. Monadnock and the Uncanoonuc’s in Manchester. Lots of fun. Once on the ridge, we could make out more peaks such as Tecumseh, Tripyramids, Osceola’s, Carrigain, Hancocks; and to the east, Squam Lake and Lake Winnipesauke.
We took a break at the Black Pond Trail junction soaking in the views. We continued on the ridge towards Sandwich Dome. More viewpoints along the way, more blueberry picking, and a hike along a rolling ridge. The views along the ridge were fabulous!
We finally reached the summit just before noon. It was breezy but sunny. After spending half hour on the summit we returned the way we came. On the return, we took a break soaking in the views of Black Mountain Pond, the lakes and the views beyond! While taking a rest, four shirtless dudes in the 20’s hiked by and we learned they had backpacked to Black Mountain Pond to camp for the weekend.
We continued our descent down the rock pitches in reverse. We reached our truck at 3:30pm.
We returned back at our house to gaze at Sandwich Mountain, have a glass of wine and cheese/crackers. Jon cooked up a delicious pesto/basil pasta and chicken breast for dinner. A brief shower came through that delivered up a rainbow over the peak we had climbed today!
This is our favorite approach up Sandwich Dome. The views are indescribable!
Mike and Jon
There are 93 photos in Album (Note: Move mouse pointer over larger pic and click on NEXT for better viewing)
What Members Are Saying About This Trip/Event
- i had never seen a summit picture of Mount Washington with threes arounds and no one else on the picture!!!! - Stephinmtl
- the views seem incredible. Great to have this kind of beauty in your background - Stephinmtl
- Yes, you did. I would have been inconsolable!! Let’s try again. Glad you made it a great day anyway. Rg - Richardg
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