Trip Report: White Mountains, NH - Mt. Washington & Mt. Monroe

The hike up Ammonoosuc Trail was surprisingly easy. I had read stories of how Mt. Washington was tough, how it was more like a western (Rocky) mountain. However, on Ammonoosuc I saw, or felt, none of this.

At the Lake of the Clouds hut, I was feeling so strong, so confident, that I turned away from Mt. Washington and climbed to the summit of Mt. Monroe.

Lake of the Clouds hut and Mt. Washington, as seen from the side of Mt. Monroe.

The first thing that greats hikers, as they leave the Lake of the Clouds hut towards Washington, is a weather beaten warning sign: "STOP: The area ahead has the worst weather in America. Many have died there from exposure, even in the summer. Turn back now if the weather is bad."

The aforementioned warning

one of the Lakes of the Clouds

On the lower steps of Washington, there was a camaraderie amongst us hikers; we chatted, we joked, we laughed together. However as the final mile ground us down with its continuous, demoralizing, unending ascent, we withdrew, one-by-one, into that quiet mental place all athletes know. That place where your mind is clear, pain is ignored, and all that matters is the lifting of the left foot, followed by the right, and repeated ad infinitum.

All that mental stillness is broken by the bustle at the summit. Visitors who drove, or took the Cog Railroad up the mountain, rush around from one side to the next, children screaming or squealing in delight.

I don't want to give the wrong impression, although it was a bit of a shock, the summit experience was not bad. I've been on summits (without roads) that were far more crowded and less personable. Everyone at the top was respectful of the hikers, so much so that one visitor stopped me to congratulate me.

Mt. Washington Observatory

Trail leaving Mt. Washington

From the naturalists and the family celebrating their patriarchs 60th birthday, to the waterfalls and pools dotting Ammonoosuc, and the birds and other wildlife around Jewel Trail, it was a great day of hiking.

Distance: 9.1 miles
Time: 7 hours 40 minutes
AMC 4k peaks: Mt. Monroe, Mt. Washington