Part 2 The Summit

So, here we are at the summit, getting ready for our hike down the Crawford Path to the Lakes of the Clouds AMC hut. The summit of Mt. Washington, if you are expecting desolation and isolation is a little disappointing in the middle of summer, on a clear day in the 50's...which it was, a total anomaly for the summit...The views are spectacular, it is just the amount of people who can get up there that is weird for the highest peak in NH....I have always been intrigued by weather, and especially the weather on the top of the rockpile, because it just can be so bad and unpredictable. It is like typical New England weather, only on steroids as you can see from this sign...because in case you have not heard...Mt Washington holds the land wind speed record for highest ever recorded wind gust at 231 mph...it says so...right on this sign!



If you are daring enough, you can actually book a stay at the luxurious Mt. Washington Observatory in the middle of winter...I think that would be a pretty cool thing to do actually...



Well, our time here at the summit is about over...we have missed our train back to the bottom (darn) and it is now time to hike the Crawford Path down to the hut...another bit of trivia for you...the Crawford Path on Mt. Washington is the oldest continuously maintained hiking trail in the US and is also part of the Appalachian trail. We have about 1.9 miles to go to reach our first destination where a bed (not really warm) blankets...next time I will bring my sleeping bag, a pillow and 2 meals await, along with some great company.

If you want more info on the observatory, or even want to check out their weather web cam and sunset photos you can go to www.mountwashington.org and check out all kinds of cool stuff!

Next up....Part 3 The Hut...and Tales from the Bunkroom...