New Hampshire: Mount Washington
Ah New Hampshire, a state that has a special place in my heart thanks to Jess and her family. Growing up, her grandparents wanted to take the family on an inexpensive vacation that everyone could participate in. Being from the NYC area, they figured New Hampshire would provide a change of pace, escape from the madness and more importantly, hiking is free! Over the years, her grandparents developed a love and connection to the state which was passed down to her parents and fortunately to me and Jess!
My first time in New Hampshire was with Jess in September of last year, visiting the charming town of Littleton and hiking Sugarloaf Trail in the White Mountains. While this hike was challenging and rewarded us with amazing views, something in the distance caught my eye. Squinting, but I was able to make out the snow-covered summit of Mount Washington, the tallest mountain in the Northeast. Immediately I thought “Add that to the bucket list.” The rest of the trip I couldn’t stop thinking about hiking Mount Washington, upon our return home, I mentioned to Jess’s dad my new obsession and we promised each other we would hike it next year.
Fast forward to July of this year and it was time to execute our plan, after several delays due to weather, the time had finally come. We were staying at the Sunset Hill House in Sugar Hill, a cozy inn with beautiful views of the White Mountains and spending the afternoons wandering around Littleton. We arrived in New Hampshire on Thursday, July 27th but the weather was not cooperating as the heavy rain kept us inside most of the day but fortunately the weather started to clear up. That night we studied the weather, weighed our chances and decided that tomorrow we would attempt to summit!
The views from behind Sunset Hill House
My plan of action was simple…wake up, drive to the parking lot, hike to the top and hike back, thankfully Jess and her father had a much more detailed and thorough plan than me! The plan was to get an early start, which required a 6:30 wake up so we prepared all of our backpacks the night before. We decided the best route to the summit would be the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail, an eight hour out-and-back route with 3,795 of elevation gain. AllTrails has the average time to complete at 6 and a half hours, but we didn’t want to rush this experience so we agreed to take our time, enjoy the views and appreciate the wonder of the White Mountains.
Waking up I was filled with emotion, equally as nervous as excited, we arrived at the trailhead between 8 and 8:30 in the morning, after bracing ourselves we prepared for our journey. Now I was not expecting this hike to be a walk through Central Park, but my god this one made my soul touch it’s toes! The entire way to the top is brutally steep, rocky and offers little to no respite. While the hike was unforgiving on our bodies, it did offer stunning views, making every painful step worth it!
After three and a half hours we reached the Lake of the Clouds hut, a small lodge where people can rest, refill water and even stay overnight! The hut is located about two and a half miles into the hike and is about one and a half miles to the summit, depending on visibility, you can see the summit from the hut. After catching our breath and giving our feet a rest, we continued our hike to the summit which was another mile and a half.
Our view from Lake of the Clouds hut!
As we gained more and more elevation and approached the summit, the visibility worsened to less than a mile as heavy clouds rolled in, but the excitement of reaching the top negated our disappointment. Finally, after roughly four and a half hours, we did it…hugging each other and overwhelmed with the feeling of achievement, we explored the summit, at the top there’s a cafeteria and gift shop where people eat, drink up and rest. We waited in line to take our picture with the summit sign, after processing all the excitement, we began to realize that was only half the battle! There was an option to take the Cog Railway down but that felt like cheating and not living the full experience so we looked at each other, gave the head nod, took a deep breath and started our descent.
Leaving the summit, we opted to take the Gulf Side Trail/Jewell Trail which is a popular choice because of the fantastic views of Mount Clay, Jefferson, Adams and Madison. The first mile or so is relatively flat which was a pleasant surprise but please keep in mind that a majority of this route is above the tree line, leaving you exposed to the weather conditions, so be prepared for direct sun, heavy winds and rain. Eventually the trail transitions from Gulf Side to Jewell and becomes more strenuous as you descend 1,000 feet in a short distance over rocky terrain. After that, you dip below the tree line, offering a break from the elements and the last two and a half miles is mostly flat. As we were getting closer and closer to the parking lot the aches and pains started to settle in, my knees and feet felt on fire and I’ve never been so close to collapsing from physical exhaustion but finally around 5:30 we made it back to the parking lot! We completed our hike in roughly 10 hours and this is by far the most physically and mentally demanding feat I’ve ever accomplished, if you are looking for a test to really push yourself to new limits, I highly recommend tackling Mount Washington!
Gulf Side/Jewell Trail
