I didn’t want to hike Mount Washington in anything but the most perfect weather. Mount Washington, the highest peak in the Northeast United States, is traditionally billed as the ‘Home of the World’s Worst Weather’ with regularly occurring hurricane-force winds, an average of 21 feet of snow per year, and frequent engulfment in clouds. After scrutinizing the weather forecast, it appeared that the Sunday of the Labor Day weekend would be the optimal day to hike Mount Washington: Clear blue skies, crisp 70 degree sunshine, and minimal winds.
At 9am, we started on the ever-popular Tuckerman Ravine Trail (4 miles to the top, elevation gain of 4500 feet.) We were in fine form, our muscles primed from yesterday’s Wildcat D hike, our bellies full of farm-fresh bratwurst and eggs, and we very nearly glided up the mountain, unfazed by the moderate incline, the stone-riddled pathway, and the stream of other hikers left in our wake.
We passed families of surly-faced pre-teens lead by huffing, bellied fathers. We passed a group of four large, athletic-looking African-American men wiping rivulets of sweat from their foreheads. We passed a young Hispanic man in baggy jeans and a young Hispanic woman in a fur-lined hooded sweatshirt who accelerated their pace as we passed, as if to contest our ability to overtake them, but their sneakers could not compete with the rock-hopping abilities of our boots. We passed a young mother, screaming at her son for venturing too close to a stream. We passed groups of sweaty, breathless hikers resting on the side of the trail, taking swigs from water bottles and bites from energy bars, looking exhausted and beaten. And that was just in the first mile.
Of course everyone wants to hike Mount Washington because it’s the highest mountain. And it’s “only” 4 miles, and who can’t walk 4 miles? Well, it turns out, a lot of people can’t walk 4 miles when its coupled with a 4500 foot elevation gain. But good for them for trying, I guess. And in jeans and sneakers, too.
We reached the Halfway House shortly after 10am. I was glad to finally see some interesting non-human scenery: the infamous Tuckerman Ravine and scenic Hermit Lake!
Hermit Lake at Base of Tuckerman Ravine
The climb up Tuckerman Ravine was physically and technically difficult, but we pushed ourselves past the other hikers, mainly to get away from their exhausted misery.
View from Tuckerman Ravine
Next thing we knew, we were on the summit. Now, in addition to being reachable by foot, the summit of Mount Washington is also accessible by car and by the cog railway. So, we had to fight to get our picture taken at the summit.
Summit of Mount Washington
At the Tip-Top House on Mount Washington
View of Lakes of the Clouds and Mt Monroe from Mt Washington
View from Mount Washington
Then, we made a fateful, spur-of-the-moment decision to hike to neighboring Mount Jefferson. It was only noon, and it was such a nice day, that we could not resist the temptation to bag Jefferson as well. Perhaps we should have studied the map a little closer, but we set off to Mount Jefferson.
View of Mount Washington Summit Buildings and Crowd
On Mt Washington overlooking Mt Jefferson
Cog Railroad, chugging up Mt Washington
Mt. Jefferson was 3 miles away. It was a lot of up-and-down hiking, but the incredible weather made for an amazing hike.
Ascending Mt Jefferson (with Mt Washington in the background)
Almost There...
Reaching the Summit of Mt Jefferson
Now it was 2:30pm, and we had 7 miles to go back to the car. Entirely doable to accomplish before sundown, except…
“We’re taking the Six Husbands Trail?” Mr. Pinault asked. “My co-worker says that’s the hardest trail ever!” Now he tells me.
“What’s wrong with it?” I asked, but Mr. Pinault couldn’t remember. Poor markings? Rough grades? Open ledges? As we headed down the Six Husbands trail, we passed two young men coming in the opposite direction.
“Are you taking the Six Husbands trail down?” one guy asked Mr. Pinault, who nodded. “Have fun,” he said sarcastically. “That’s all I have to say.”
I wanted to investigate the source of the young man’s derision, but they took off. It turns out the Six Husbands Trail is very technically difficult, with steep ledges, huge boulders, and ladders. Going down was probably easier than going up, but it still took us about 2 hours to go 1.5 miles.
We reached our car at 7:15pm. The sunlight was dying around us, we were more tired than triumphant, and all we could think about was that damned Six Husbands Trail.
Six Husbands Trail
