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It was great reaching the junction with the
Alpine Garden Trail. I had made it up the steep part, and the rest would
be relatively easy going. I took off my rock climbing shoes, which were now
not only unnecessary, but also very uncomfortable on the large rough
rocks of the summit cone, as you can feel every little bump right
through them. I put my hiking boots back on, got out my poles,
took a few pictures, and continued on my way.
It was only a short hike to the junction
with the Nelson Crag Trail, which ascends a ridge up Mt Washington's
northeastern side. The Huntington Ravine Trail ends at the Mt Washington
Auto Road, only steps away from the Nelson Crag Trail junction.
In fact, there's a small parking spot along the auto road at this point,
and several tourists were walking around taking pictures.
My next immediate goal was Ball Crag, a
rocky pinnacle named after Dr Benjamin Ball, who lost his way on Mt
Washington for three days back in the fall of 1856. He spent two
chilly nights huddled among the rocks on Ball Crag.
Coming down the other side, the
trail descended again to the auto road, and right beyond it, the Mt
Washington Cog Railway tracks, right next to the Lizzie Bourne memorial.
In 1855, Lizzie Bourne, her uncle, and her cousin tried to climb Mt
Washington on the auto road, which in those days, was only finished
about halfway up. It was dark by the time the trio reached the spot
where the memorial now is, and they couldn't see that the summit and
its sheltering hotel, were only a short walk away. Lizzie died
during the night, and her uncle and cousin were shocked to see how
close to the top they were when morning finally arrived.
In the current clear and warm weather, I had
no trouble making it the rest of the way to the summit buildings, where
I relaxed for a while, got a cold drink, and bought a hat from the
observatory's gift shop. Back outside, I took my own picture in front of
the observatory tower, and then strolled over to the Tip-Top House, a
restored summit hotel that is now a museum.
In the foyer of the Tip-Top House, there's a
large portrait of Lizzie Bourne that was painted after her
death from a daguerreotype. Beyond the entranceway, there's a
kitchen/dining room set up with furniture and stoves from the 1800s. I
didn't get to see any of the former guest rooms. I don't think that they
are open to the public.
On my way out, I stopped in the foyer again
where there's a desk staffed by Mt Washington State Park personnel.
Here, I met park manager Mike Pelchat, who is also one of the officers
in the
Randolph Mountain Club (RMC) and heavily involved in search and
rescue. Our conversation began because he noticed my RMC t-shirt, He
also enjoyed climbing the Huntington Ravine Trail, and told me about a
recent rescue there of an unprepared woman who reached the steep part of
the climb with her boyfriend, and was afraid to either continue up or go
back down. The boyfriend got help, and the Hermit Lake ranger had to
come get her and guide her safely back down. One should not choose the
Huntington Ravine for their first climb up Mt Washington. |
Self-portrait at
the Alpine Garden Trail junction. The Huntington Ravine Trail
intersects the Alpine Garden Trail only a few yards from the top of
the ravine. |
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