On Top of the World

Mountain beyond mountains

Friday was the hike we had all been waiting for-- crossing the Presidential Ridge and hopefully summiting Mount Washington if the weather held.  Today's hike and Saturday's hike across the Presidential Traverse is #3 on a list for most intense day hikes (Doing the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim is #5 on the same list.)  At least we were spreading it out over two wonderful days of hiking.  There was a chance of thunderstorms that afternoon but the sun was out as we started the hike that morning.  We took off with the aggressive group of three other hikers who we hiked with regularly now. We had a steep ascent of just over half a mile to the first peak, Mt. Pierce.  It gave us our first view of the Presidential Ridge and what was in store for us that morning hiking-- clear blue sky, peaks stretching out before us. Our thoughts, "This is going to be good." (Reader beware: there are a lot of pictures in this post since every thing was gorgeous on this hike.) 

Summit of Eisenhower

The next peak we worked our way up to was Mount Eisenhower.  This peak was special for us since we have the connect of Eisenhower being a Kansas boy.  On top of Eisenhower there is a large cairn several feet high and tradition is to toss another rock on the pile when you summit.  There is still no shortage of rocks even with so many in this pile.  We pressed on through a flatter, plain area which provided several 360 degree views.  Visibility was about 100 miles that morning and it seemed like the mountains lay out before us forever in every direction.  We took a side trip to the top of Mt. Franklin.  We continued to press on to South Monroe and Monroe.  Some of the climbs to the actual peaks were a little more difficult but overall the trail was fairly enjoyable.  Since it was such a nice day there were quite a few people out on the trail.  We also ran into a few trail runners up on the ridge.  Neither of us ever had the urge to run on these rocks.  It was all we could do not to fall.  Since we were above treeline we could track the progress of the groups hiking behind us as they made their way up and down the peaks.  From the top of Monroe we could see Lake of the Clouds and the hut in the distance.  We trekked the last bit to the hut and then were able to grab prime bunks since we checked in at about 11 in the morning.  The next group was right behind us so we ate some lunch before we made a combined ascent of Mount Washington.  

Climbing the "Rock Pile"

All week Mount Washington had been a question mark on the schedule since if the weather is just a bit iffy then it's not safe to climb.  Of course Mount Washington is the crown jewel of the Presidentials and the highest peak in New England so every one wanted to make it to the top.  We left most of our gear at Lake of the Clouds and were able to travel much lighter.  Of course I had the pleasure of not even carrying a pack since my husband is part pack mule and carried my rain gear and snacks for me.  The closer we got to the mountain, the more trail traffic there was.  Mount Washington is known as the Rock Pile and it became obvious how it earned this name.

Our group made the final charge to the summit and then stood in line to have our picture taken at the marker.  Most mountains don't have a line for summit shots but hikers are actually only a small percentage of the people on the peak.  Some drive vehicles up the Auto Road or take the Cog Railway up.  It was slightly strange to suddenly step out of the wilderness into a tourist attraction.  The upside to the peak being a tourist hot spot is that there is snack food beyond several day old cheese sticks.  Arthur indulged in a slice of pizza and I had a delicious ice cream bar.  Besides the snack bar which was of chief importance to our group, the summit is home to the Mount Washington Observatory to study the weather.  There was a museum about the crazy weather on the mountain which we wondered through.  There is also an old hotel from the 1800s that housed the earlier tourists on the Cog Railway or hikers.  I can't imagine climbing and hiking in full skirts or suits but that's what everyone is wearing in the pictures.  After taking in the views our group then headed the mile or so back to Lake of the Clouds.  If I recall correctly, Arthur had developed some minor blisters over the previous days but it was on the decent from Mount Washington that they became much more noticeable.
Lake of the Clouds is the largest hut and sleeps over 90 people.  It also has one of the most picturesque dinning rooms looking over the mountain range.  After dinner we played games or read for quite a while and stayed up a little later than normally we had been on the hike since we were energized by the great hike.

Omnia Vincit Amor.