The most extreme weather on Earth
Mount Washington in the White Mountains of New Hampshire is said to have some of the most extreme weather on Earth. People training to climb Everest often spend time on the slopes of Washington to condition themselves for the limits of wind, cold, and snow.
When Matt and I climbed up Mount Washington, we decided to go up via the Lion Head Summer route and descend via the Boott Spur trail. Accompanied by Landon, my adventuring pup, and a few friends from Connecticut and New York, we made quick time up to the top of the mountain.
Expecting the most extreme weather, we prepped with layers and rain gear, but found ourselves in pristine weather at the summit. It was 65 degrees, sunny, and with a light breeze as we looked out over the expanse of the White Mountains.
We journeyed down through the less traveled path of the Boott Spur trail. As we hiked down, we only passed two other groups of hikers. The sparsely inhabited trail allowed us to take our time to explore the alpine environment that surrounded us.
The flower photographed here is a species of Hawkweed. I claim no expertise in flower identification, but it appears to be either Allegheny Hawkweed or Canadian Hawkweed. I found it just to the side of the trail as we were coming off the ridge line that the Boott Spur follows on the way down from the peak of Mount Washington
Allowed us... to explore the alpine environment that surrounded us
Nearly 100 avalanches per year.
There are many flowers that grow on the ridge lines of the White Mountains, and many of them are delicate in their ability to thrive. If hiking in these areas, do your best to stay on the trail and to not disturb the flowers. These alpine flowers are resilient in their adaptations to survive this extreme environment, but human interaction should be avoided.
The Tuckerman Ravine, which the Boott Spur trail passes, records nearly 100 avalanches per year. People can summit Mount Washington by hiking, biking, taking the cog train, or driving, and there are even more options to go down: hiking, biking, skiing, cog train, driving, or hang gliding!
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