Mount Washington, Mt. Washington
Nov 08, 2009
by
timezra
—
last modified
Nov 12, 2009 12:09 AM
- Type of Outing
- Day hike
- Read More in our Hiking Guide
- Hike: Mount Washington
- Region: Snoqualmie Pass -- Snoqualmie Pass
- Agency: Washington State Parks
- Avg Rating: 3.75
- Read More in our Hiking Guide
- Hike: Mt. Washington
- Region: Central Cascades
- Avg Rating: 4.25
- Be Aware Of
- Blowdowns
- Washouts
- Water on trail
- Snow on trail
The tower on Mt. Washington under two feet of snow.
My original destination this morning had been Humpback, but after reading traffic advisories for Snoqualmie pass, seeing the snow accumulating on the higher peaks of the I-90 corridor, and watching the fog thicken in the interior mountains, I opted against the obscure for something familiar. The joy of that discovery can wait until my girlfriend returns from Nepal.
At 8:45am, my car was alone at the parking area. The first part of the Mt. Washington trail is a tough, steady climb on rocky ground, now especially slick from fallen leaves, flowing water and slush that starts a mile in. By the owl hike point, there was a consistent half inch of snow on the path, but the new trail's grade tapers soon after and the walk tends to have long stretches of flat with graceful inclines punctuated ultimately with a good, steep rise.
The higher I climbed, the deeper the powder became until, a mile before the summit, I was despoiling two feet of heavy, wet snow with each fatigued, frolicking step, which faithfully followed the summer trail until the junction of new and old. At that moment I thoroughly lost the path and strongly considered returning despite the proximity to the peak. After as much progress as regress, I found an approach from the east, instead of the south, and evetually saw the tower through the trees.
The wooded summit on Mt. Washington provides great shelter on wet and windy days. As I ate and yawped and sang a few out-of-tune bars of "Peaceful Easy Feeling", the precipitation stopped, the wind settled, short-lived breaks of blue appeared and fog rolled across the snow caps.
On the way down, a fellow hiker, who had been following in my tracks even as they diverged from the main trail, was stepping through the punched post-holes without regretting the lack of the kind of tall gaiters that I had worn. As the season advances and snow accumulates, I would highly recommend that anyone bring them. Also, even though I did not break mine in today since the snow was not packed or slick, I would definitely recommend trax or small spikes. Snowshoes would have been perfect.
Toward the bottom of the mountain, there were four other intrepid hikers, but considering the late hour, I cannot be sure how many reached the peak. By 3:00pm I was driving home.
At 8:45am, my car was alone at the parking area. The first part of the Mt. Washington trail is a tough, steady climb on rocky ground, now especially slick from fallen leaves, flowing water and slush that starts a mile in. By the owl hike point, there was a consistent half inch of snow on the path, but the new trail's grade tapers soon after and the walk tends to have long stretches of flat with graceful inclines punctuated ultimately with a good, steep rise.
The higher I climbed, the deeper the powder became until, a mile before the summit, I was despoiling two feet of heavy, wet snow with each fatigued, frolicking step, which faithfully followed the summer trail until the junction of new and old. At that moment I thoroughly lost the path and strongly considered returning despite the proximity to the peak. After as much progress as regress, I found an approach from the east, instead of the south, and evetually saw the tower through the trees.
The wooded summit on Mt. Washington provides great shelter on wet and windy days. As I ate and yawped and sang a few out-of-tune bars of "Peaceful Easy Feeling", the precipitation stopped, the wind settled, short-lived breaks of blue appeared and fog rolled across the snow caps.
On the way down, a fellow hiker, who had been following in my tracks even as they diverged from the main trail, was stepping through the punched post-holes without regretting the lack of the kind of tall gaiters that I had worn. As the season advances and snow accumulates, I would highly recommend that anyone bring them. Also, even though I did not break mine in today since the snow was not packed or slick, I would definitely recommend trax or small spikes. Snowshoes would have been perfect.
Toward the bottom of the mountain, there were four other intrepid hikers, but considering the late hour, I cannot be sure how many reached the peak. By 3:00pm I was driving home.
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Looking out from The Owl Hike Spot on Mt. Washington.
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