Mount Washington - 7-21-2007

I began my hike around 8AM at the Ammonoosuc Ravine trailhead, which is located right near the base of the Cog Railway Station. The weather appeared ominous at first, but I knew it was going to be a good day once the morning went by. Overall, the hike was pretty good; challenging, but not too strenuous. Once you pass through the woods, and once it starts going up, it goes up.

All of the trails on Mt. Washington offer something a bit different. The Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail's main feature is the picturesque waterfalls and the Ammonoosuc River, which runs down the mountain, and into the ravine. This waterfall shown below is one of the most beautiful waterfalls I have ever seen up close. Because it was July, the water on the mountain was screaming down the mountain where ever there was a stream.

As the ascent continues, the trail becomes just about completely rocky. I then made it to the AMC Lakes of the Clouds Hut, where I stopped quickly for an energy bar. One of the things I will never forget is having to put on my winter hat and rain jacket as I left, as the weather had picked up in the way of misting dense fog and periodic wind gusts nearing 70mph.

Large waterfall on the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail

The weather did not pose much of a problem, as it cleared within an hour or so, and was just about gone as I reached the summit at 6288ft. When you do something like this, taking on a landscape and mother nature, I truly felt the sense of accomplishment, yet also the desire to do other things outdoors.

Hike Stats
Trails: Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail, Crawford Path
Mileage: 4.5 mi.
Elevation Gain: 3800ft
Book Time: 4:40

How I got into Hiking...

Mt. Washington summit 2007

In July of 2007, I pretty much decided to just "get up and go" hike the Northeast's tallest mountain, Mt. Washington in NH. I did it solo, and made it to the top in just over 4 hours. In my opinion, this is one challenge, that most in-shape people can succeed in doing. On the way up the west side of the mountain, I experienced picturesque waterfalls along the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail, beautiful sunshine, and friendly puffy clouds. Although a beautiful day, I still experienced a dense misting fog and a few gusts nearing 70mph while above treeline.

This really was the first thing that got me into hiking and enjoying the outdoors. In another post, I will talk about why it is so enjoyable, for me anyways, to get outside and away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. It is much different. After this excursion, it opened the door for me to keep going and to experience new places in a variety of different ways.

Get outside, and I hope you enjoy my blog!