Day 2 of the NH adventure weekend was to magnificent Mt. Washington. Mt. Washington is the highest mountain in New Hampshire and its snow-capped peak is visible from all over the state. I have hiked to the summit on numerous occasions but have never had the opportunity to snowboard its slopes and trails. We decided bright and early that it was a perfect day to hike up the mountain and scope out conditions on Tuckerman's Ravine, an infamous backcountry destination.
Setting out early in the morning from the Pinkham Notch center, the trail was easy work even while lugging up our gear.
With such a perfect day for hiking we came across a few other groups making their way up or down. Carrying my board horizontal seemed like a good idea when we set off but in practice it ended up annoying everyone we passed along the way. "Pardon me, board coming through."
We made it up to the caretaker's cabin below Tuckerman's Ravine and chilled for a while and chatted with other hikers.
The avalanche board did not explicitly tell us not to proceed but a park ranger and some other climbers did not think it would be a good idea to ski Tuck's that day. Lots of variable weather and snowfall had left sections unstable and we were not experienced enough to navigate the terrain safely.
So we took in the scenery, marveled at the grandeur of the mountain, and strapped on boards and skis for the return trip. The Sherburne Trail was our ticket home.
We dropped in to the trail and sped away. Conditions were OK, a bit crusty and skied-off but nothing too terrible. After hiking all morning with heavy packs we definitely earned our turns.
The trail was wide, open, sunny, and empty.
All in all a great way to spend a NH weekend.
Need advice on hiking/skiing/snowboarding in NH? Hit me up any time.
617-855-WAKE (9253)