Sunday, September 23, 2012

Mount Washington!

Hey everyone! Yesterday, I did something super awesome...I climbed Mount Washington! Yes, we actually hiked it. Not that that's hard to believe, but there is a road you can drive up and a little train that will take you to the top. Even though those are probably less tiring ways of getting to the summit, we took the challenge of hiking there! Mount Washington is the highest peak in the northeastern United States, at 6,289 feet.
We got up super early in the morning, around 4:50am, because we were carpooling with some friends who would be hiking with us. We left around 5:30am. We stopped at Dunkin Donuts on the way, and Skye let me get a doughnut AND coffee! I don't normally get to drink coffee, so this was pretty special. It took us about 2 hours to get there. Once we arrived, we made sure we had everything, and went inside the place at the bottom to go to the bathroom and plan out our route to the top.
                                      Here I am in front of the model of the mountains.

Around 8:00am we began our ascent!
Along the way, we saw a lot of waterfalls. They were so pretty!


I posed for a picture in front of this waterfall, but you can't really see it.

Skye took this one of me while I was hiking up.

There was a rest stop about half way up the mountain called the Caretakers Cabin. You could go to the bathroom, take a rest, and refill your water bottle there. Behind me is Mt. Washington.

I took this one as we began to hike above the fog. Look at the clouds! It was like looking down at a lake, only they were clouds!

We stopped to take a break at one of the cairns. Skye took this picture of me with a bunch of lovely scenery behind me.

This is the view of Tuckerman's Ravine from the Lion Head trail.

Here's the "Lion's head", what the Lion Head trail is named after. To tell you the truth, I don't see the Lion's head, but maybe that's just me.

Here's the view of the clouds. Pictures don't do the view justice; it was like looking at an ocean of fluffy white fluff.

Here I am in front of the sea of fluffy white fluff, with other mountaintops peeking through.

In this one, Tuckerman's Ravine is behind me. It was kind of creepy sitting up there, because we were so high up.

Looking down, you could see the Caretakers Cabin and the little ponds near it. It was amazing to think just a few hours before we had been down there looking up!

About an hour later, we had made it to the summit!!!
My hair was blowing all around and was super crazy, because there were 50mph gusts of wind. Skye had to stand behind me to make sure I didn't get blown off the top of the sign, it was that windy!
At the summit, there was a building with gift shops and a food court type place, where we rested for about a half hour. I ate lunch and then went into one of the gift shops. I got a cute little pin for my jacket that said I climbed Mount Washington.
Before we started the hike back down, I took a picture with the State Park sign. 

This is what the climb to and from the summit looks like. It's really, really rocky!
Believe it or not, I think the climb back down the mountain is harder than the climb up. This is because you have to be careful not to tumble down head first. It's also really hard on your knees.

This was taken a little while after we had started to hike back down. That's Mount Washington behind me. On the very top and a little to the left, you can see sort of cell/radio tower looking things and a tiny building. We had been up there next to those things! We climbed all the was up the side of the mountain! I thought it was crazy to think that we had just been up there, and had hiked all of that.

The view from where we were standing was extraordinary. 

Hiking Mount Washington was so much fun. It was also really tiring! I slept for 12 hours, and when I woke up, my legs felt so stiff! The views were so pretty, and it was just a cool experience. Have you ever climbed a tall mountain? Do you like to hike?
This has been Dani, dabbling in climbing mountains. Over and out!


16 comments:

  1. Dia duit, Dani!

    Wow, I can't believe you made it to the top of Mount Washington! The biggest mountain I've ever climbed was Mount Kineo, and that was only 1,700 feet tall! I was super tired when I reached the top, so I can't imagine how you must've been feeling!

    Those pictures of the clouds are really pretty. I've always wanted to touch a cloud! :D

    ~Saoirse

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    1. Hi Saoirse! 1,700 feet is still a pretty big mountain! We did sort of touch the clouds, but it's just like walking through a bunch of fog. It's not as cool as it is in cartoons!

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  2. Konnichiwa, Dani!

    *Gasp* Lucky! The scenery is so beautiful!

    I've never actually climed a mountain; my family cheats by finding tramways. But this summer, I went to Ober Gatlinburg, an amusement park a mile up In the Smoky Mountains (or somewhere near them). And about three or four years ago, we took a tram up to Mount Kongō in Japan. Sadly, all of Tennessee's mountains are in the west!

    (By the way, I can't see the Lion's Head either!)
    Sore iko, Sayoko

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    1. Hi Sayoko!
      It was so beautiful there! I hope someday everyone will have a chance to see something as amazing. Haha, I have friends who find the tramways or driving road up mountains. There was a tram on Mt. Washington, too! A mile-high amusement park? Awesomesauce!

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  3. Salut, Dani!

    Mount Washington looks so beautiful! I've loved looking at your photos. :)
    While I like hiking, I don't get to do much of it. I usually stick to visiting historical houses or monuments, but I would like to go hiking someday, particularly in the Smoky Mountains (if I can ever get down to Tennessee!).

    Sophie

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    1. Hi Sophie!
      I've only ever visited a few historical houses and monuments, but I wish I could go to more! I think hiking in the Smoky Mountains would be really cool. I hope you get the chance to someday!

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  4. Hi Dani!

    Wow, that's really impressive! Nice job! The highest mountain I've climbed was Katahdin, which is only about 5,000 feet. I was so exhausted after that that I couldn't imagine ever climbing more!
    Cool pictures! It sounds like you had a lot of fun!

    - Charlotte & Zoe :)

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    1. Hi Charlotte and Zoe!
      I've always wanted to climb Katahdin! I think that's probably the next mountain on our list. I saw a sign near the summit of Mt. Washington that said "Mt. Katahdin 332.4m". I thought that was pretty funny! Thanks! It was a lot of fun, and I'd love to go do it again.

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  5. :O HOLY COW!!!!! That is so awesome!! You're really brave, Dani. I am terrified of heights!!!
    The pictures were beautiful!
    _Samantha :)

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    1. Hi Samantha!
      Thanks! Skye is really afraid of heights, and I'm mildly afraid, but this wasn't so bad. It wasn't like standing on the balcony of a sky-scraper; it felt so much more stable and normal.

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  6. Awesome hike, you are so lucky to get to go and see those views, I love when you can get above the clouds and see them like water. You look like you had a wonderful day and enjoyed yourself so much.

    Ta Ta,
    Kelsyee

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    1. Hi Kelsyee!
      It was a wonderful day! I would love to go back sometime. The clouds that looked like water were one of my favorite parts!

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  7. Wow!! What a great place to hike. Your pictures were great. I shared this with my sisters. They love waterfalls. I wrote this blog on my "Want To Go There List". Thank you for sharing.

    A New Friend

    Kyle

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    1. Hi Kyle!
      Thanks! It was a great place to go hiking, and I'd love to go back. I loved the waterfalls, too! I kind of wanted to go swimming, but it was kind of cold. You're welcome! I love to share my pictures. Thanks for checking out my blog!

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  8. Salut, Dani!
    Mount Washington is beautiful! I love waterfalls; I've always thought they made for nice photos.
    Your jacket is really cute, too. I'm glad you had a great time.
    Bisous,
    Sabine

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    1. Hi Sabine!
      I love waterfalls, too! The prettiest of photos always seem to include one :) Thanks! This jacket isn't really mine; I borrowed it from my friend Lilly. Lilly never really wears it, though, so she said it was ok. I think it's pretty cute too! Thanks!

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