A Winter Ascent up Mt. Washington (Lion's Head Summer Route)
- Liz Masi
- 2 hours ago
- 5 min read
Hey all, this is a blog post I had written in 2019 on a website that no longer exists. I still really like it and seeing that winter hiking season in New Hampshire is on the cusp- I thought I would post it here.
Reflecting back on this experience brings me joy. It was one of my first winter mountaineering experiences (albeit beginner, we all start somewhere). Mt. Washington gave me the confidence to push further in the mountains. In fact, I returned two more times to summit it with my husband, Luke and other friends because it is a fun mountain with very real weather exposure.
Fun fact: when we went on this adventure, Luke and I were freshly dating!
I did make some edits to this from the 2019 version to better suit my current writing style nearly six years later, so here it is (enjoy!):
“Known as the most dangerous small mountain in the world, 6,288-foot Mt. Washington boasts some scary stats: The highest wind velocity ever recorded at any surface weather station (231 mph) was logged here on April 12, 1934. And almost 150 fatalities have occurred since 1849.” (Backpacker 2019)
Scary stats? I am in. One thing you should know about Luke and I is that if the challenge is tough, then we want first dibs. And so the idea spawned, attempt a summit of Mt. Washington in the Winter of 2019.
The task at hand
Complete a 7 hour and 45 minute drive (456 miles) from Wilkes Barre, PA to the Pinkham Notch Visitor Center in New Hampshire
Attempt a summit of Mt. Washington
Eat a calorically dense meal
Complete the trek home
Date One: November 29th, 2019
The stage was set. Gear was sitting by the front door. Snacks were purchased. Gas was in the car. But the weather? NOPE. The adventure was thwarted by a major nor’easter moving up the East Coast. Time for Plan B.
Date Two: December 15th, 2019
The stage is still set. Literally did not unpack the gear. But I did raid the snacks. Woops. Had to buy more snacks. But the weather? 95 MPH wind gusts? I see you. Time for Plan C.
Date Three: December 22nd, 2019
Holy moly. Plan C is a go. The stars have aligned. Weather: perfect. Schedules: clear for all party members. Let’s send it.
So at 11:00 PM on December 21st, 2019, a party of four (Luke, Teddy, Tim, and myself) hopped in Cindy (Teddy’s reliable and fashionable subaru) and began an arduously long drive to the White Mountains.
For the record, I took a 5 hour nap during this drive. It was glorious. I woke up on the last two hours of the trip, and kept our lovely driver, Luke, company. I am a good co-pilot (when I am awake). When I awoke, we were in New Hampshire. A state I had never been, Luke described NH in this way “It is basically Canada”, and I think I agree. “Moose Crossing” signs lined the highway and the kind woman at the gas station had a strong accent and kind eyes. (P.S we did not see a Moose, which was saddening to me).
We arrived at Pinkham Notch at 6:30 AM. It was hard to look at the thermometer in the car and consciously choose to leave the warm vehicle, but I had to pee again. Surprisingly, the 5-degree weather was not that bad on the walk to the bathroom in my crocs. After a quick bathroom break, we quickly geared up and hit the trails in our stiff mountaineering boots.
The first two miles of the trail was a climb, but comparatively, the climbing was minor compared to the actual summit. Snow mobiles whizzed past us transporting avalanche information, layers were shed as our bodies heated up and acclimated to the activity, and the sun cast a glorious light over the sky silhouetting the trees. The stoke was high.
Hiking Mt. Washington is incredibly weather dependent, and visitors are subject to sudden changes and trail closures. That being said, our first pick (Lion’s Head winter route) was closed, so we took Lion’s Head summer route. As we veered from the service road and began Lion’s Head, the landscape suddenly changed. The trail narrowed, the trees bordered us, and the grade steepened.
This is where the real climbing began, we all took a moment to tighten our crampons and get our ice axes in hand. The climbing on this section of the trail was thrilling. Creating steps with the axe and carefully placing each movement was both meditative and nerve wracking- but the best part was the view. I actually had a realization here that the "Mountain Climber" moves you do in elementary gym class are real.
As we broke tree line, the landscape changed once again. The fragility and delicate nature of an alpine ecosystem is unrivaled and should be experienced.
We continued to ascend above treeline, to be honest, I felt like the “slow one”.. Actually, I was the “slow one” but here’s the thing: I was doing it. One foot in front of the other, just like everyone else. At the end of the day, it does not matter if you are first in line or last in line- the fact that you are moving forward (in any capacity) is good enough. Remember this, ladies.
The final mile leading up the summit was a mix of being awe-struck and blacked out. Each time I looked over out at the expansive sea of mountain range, I wanted to cry. In the same vein, something in my brain clicked and shut down, pushing my body to continue the climbing.
As we dialed in on the summit, my body was overcome with exhaustion. I was sore and tired and unfamiliar to the exposure of the White Mountains. Luckily, my climbing partners imparted me with words of encouragement and kept me moving to the summit.
Step by step, crampon by crampon, axe by axe… we summited at 12:30 PM. A roughly 6-6-hour climb to the top. The moments of a summiting a mountain is a weird mix of “HOLY SH********T …..oh okay, cool…...can we go eat dinner now?....oh yeah we have to go back down” at the same exact time. Our 6 hour climb was met by a speedy, 2.5 hour descent and a prompt drive to a great restaurant called Delaney’s Hole in the Wall.
As I conclude this blog post, I will leave with you the adage that it does not matter how you get to the top. Take your time, put one foot in front of the other and push forward until you see the beautiful, yet underwhelming sign waiting for you up there.
Special thanks to... Cindy (Teddy’s Subaru), Luke’s Long Distance Driving Capabilities, Tim For Being There, and Mother Nature For Allowing Us To Summit.
Reference Links (because Plagiarism is bad):
Delaney’s Hole in the Wall is a great restaurant in the White Mountains: http://www.delaneys.com/
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