We Climbed Mt. Washington!

Friday, October 5, 2012

We Climbed Mt. Washington!

 

The weather didn’t look promising when we woke up this morning. The weatherman had higher hopes than what was visible even when we left the campground this morning. We were headed for the Kancamagus Highway in New Hampshire.

Thank you, Vera, for telling us about this drive. It was a beautiful drive. And, yes, it did remind us of the Loyalsock in Sullivan County, PA, and we can see why the Loyalsock reminded you of the Kanc. The water of the Swift River along the part of the Kancamagus Highway at one of the places that we stopped flowed over rocks which water had made smooth after many, many years. I think I have a “love affair” going on with these rocks. Large or small, they have a character all their own. Even the ones that are put on the countryside to control erosion were an art form themselves.

The trees along the Kanc were an explosion of color, albeit some of the trees have lost their leaves already. There were some reds and oranges but not as much as the yellows and browns. Some trees are already bare. There were some leaves falling as we drove along. Winter is coming, although the 65 degrees to 73 degrees temperatures wouldn’t tell you that today.

We drove the 34.5 miles highway in one direction, stopping at several overlooks, and even finding two geocaches, and then started back over the highway in the other direction. It looked very different. We could have stopped at every scenic overlook. But we discussed what we would like to do next and decided a look at Mt. Washington was the next priority and the cog railroad if we had time. So we started to hurry to get to the Mt. Washington Auto Road. We could have driven up the road to the summit of Mt. Washington or we could have taken the guided tour. Well, maybe we could have driven. They monitor the vehicles that are going in. One of the requirements is that the wheel base of the vehicle is no more than a certain length because of the curves in the road. Tom couldn’t find the information about the wheel base of the van but he paced it off and figured that the van wouldn’t meet the standard.

The other choice was the guided tour and it was the best choice by far. We were in time to get tickets and the van to which we were assigned left in about 10 minutes. The driver gave information about the rocks, trees, names of the mountains and ravines and other assorted information as well as taking questions. There is no way that Tom or I would like to drive up that road or drive back down. Did I mention that there is no guide rail?

We watched the vegetation on the mountain change with the different heights of the mountain because of temperature and water. At the very top there was practically no vegetation. We saw the cairns that marked the hiker’s trails up and down the mountain including the Appalachian Trail.

Then we were at the top! We had climbed Mt. Washington, in a way, and we have our pictures with the summit sign to prove it. Sorry. I just had to say that with no disrespect to Lois, Tom’s sister, who not only climbed Mt. Washington the right way but also trekked the entire Appalachian Trail from beginning to end. Congratulations Lois!

We had about a half hour to look around before the van would take us back down. I wanted to stand at the sign at the top of Mt. Washington. Little did I know that there was not a smooth path to that sign but, indeed, one needs to climb the last 15’ to 20’ to the top. These are not the smooth stones and rocks that were worn down by the passage of water over time. These rocks were left here by the glacier when it came south and then melted. But with Tom’s help and some people along the way I made it to the top and Tom went on his own steam. Each small group helps another group by taking pictures of the entire group so that everyone would be in the picture. It was windy and cold but not as cold as I thought that it would be. Some people didn’t bring anything along to keep themselves warm and were walking around in shorts and short-sleeved shirts.

The half hour went fast and soon we were in the van headed down. The views were spectacular. It was a trip well worth taking.

Once at the bottom we started for the campground with a stop for gas. Tomorrow is moving day, back to Massachusetts, and we want to have enough gas to make the 200 miles without stopping for gas.

It was dark by the time we got to the campground. We had dinner, did some prep work for moving and then started the computer work. We would like to get to bed early tonight but I don’t know if it will happen.

Off to Monson, MA, the same place we were last week. We just didn’t want to be on the road on a Sunday. Since this is a holiday weekend we stayed another day. Talk to you tomorrow from Monson.