The mountains are calling and I must go. ~ John Muir

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Mount Washington, New Hampshire ~ elevation 6,288 feet


Mount Washington via the Tuckerman Ravine Trail to the Lion Head Trail, 4.3 mi one way
Class 1; Elevation Gain 4,270 ft

Another rock…
Way too soon

After only one day of rest, we loaded the car and headed from Maine to New Hampshire, for the second peak in our High Peaks Tour.  We pulled into the Lafayette Campground in Franconia Notch and hobbled around the grounds taking pictures of the beautiful Presidential Range (ok, Julie hobbled, everyone else was healing nicely).

 


The next morning, we headed to Mount Washington’s trailhead.  What would have been a less strenuous hike than Katahdin was made more challenging, due to summiting in Maine only 48 hours earlier.  It was a bit too soon for the steep ascent and, although we are not big fans of drivable summits, it was a blessing to have a van ride back down to the parking area.










The best part of reaching the summit of Mount Washington?  Aside from being able to check Washington off the to-do list, seeing amazing views, and feeling the satisfaction of making it, was the little girl, with the awestruck look that said, “Did you really hike the whole thing???"