I had been wanting to climb Mt. Washington via Huntington Ravine for a couple of years. I finally got my chance when my friend Robert agreed to go with me. We left his house at 3am in the morning in order to get to the trailhead at 8am. Hunting Ravine was as spectacular as I had heard that it was. The boulder field below actually seemed to be the toughest part. While there was more exposure higher up, the slabs were easier. Once we reached the top of Huntington Ravine, we were hiking on the tableland above treeline for about a mile til we reached the tourist-infested summit. Once at the summit, we began descending the Tuckerman’s Ravine Trail. This hike ties for my 2nd best ever! (#1=Katahdin)
Here is Robert and I hiking the so-called "crux" of Hunting Ravine. There was a section much further up that I considered more difficult but overall the route was not that difficult.
Route Climbed: Pinnacle Gulley Date Climbed: March 11, 2003
We moved a little slow and didn't top out Pinnacle with enough time to hit the summit. Other wise, a great climb on a very fat Pinnacle - 3 full pitches including the last little ice wall exiting the gulley on the climbers right.
Route Climbed: Lion's Head Date Climbed: March 7, 2003
Pat, Steve, Scott and Darryl came back in 2003 after not making the summit in 2002 due to weather. Had a perfect day with 50 mile views! Not too many people around for a Friday.
Route Climbed: Lionshead winter Date Climbed: December 20ish, 1998
Another gumby classic. Drove there without a clue, bought a map there and spent the night at the Hermit hut area. Then carried all that overnight gear (why?) up to the top with some cool snow/wind swept ice on the structures up there. Got passed by everyone and their brother wondering who the fool with the heavy pack was. It was nice to buy some candy from the hut keeper... what a luxury.
big_g - Mar 3, 2003 6:20 pm Date Climbed: Jun 19, 2000
Route Climbed: AT
Finally arrived at the famous Mt. Washington. Clouds came in during the short ascent from the hut and I couldn't see anything from the summit, however, they blew in and out while I was up there so I did get to see some spectacular views. A few phone calls from the visitor center and I coordinated an indistinct webcam picture.
Route Climbed: Lion Head Winter Date Climbed: February
The weather could not have been better for my first summit!
I climbed with the Ohio State University Mountaineers Club over President's day weekend. It was crowded, but definatly worth it. Left camp at about 8 am and summited under a clear blue sky around noon. Winds were about 45 mph, but not as daunting as I thought they'd be.
Route Climbed: Lion Head Winter Route Date Climbed: Jan. 19 2003
Very nice climb. Cold but perfect conditions. Didn't see the famous Washington wind but it was not missed. I will be back in the summer I loved the mountain and the area.
Route Climbed: Lion's Head Date Climbed: January 17, 2003
The most pristine weather imagineable, especially for Mt. Washington... clear skies and virtually NO wind. It was incredible. Amazing views that I had never seen before even though I have already summited this mountain twice.
Route Climbed: Tuckerman's Ravine Date Climbed: November 26, 2002
Great climb. Reached summit around 2:15pm. Headwall was a great time. Visiblity above headwall wasn't that great. We were too cold to take a picture up top, but did sign the summit log at the top.
Route Climbed: up Tuckerman Ravine/down Lion Head Date Climbed: September 25, 2002
Climbed with my buddy Brian. About 1/4 of a mile into the hike we were stopped by a flagman on the trail a bit ahead of a large earthmover that was digging erosion control burms. It was hilarious that about 5 of us hikers were lined up like cars in a construction zone on a highway waiting for them to let us pass through.
Made the Hermit Lake Hut shortly and continued on up the hike scrambling over the rocks and enjoying the awesome views. Had great weather which everyone on the trail was making sure we knew "never happened."
Somewhere above the ravine and saddle in the boulder section we met up with an older gentleman who told stories of hiking in Nepal and how Alaska has changed so much and how Barrow will be under water soon. He was a really cool guy. Just below the summit I got my first view of the circus up top when we could see cars and motorcycles zooming past. What a weird feeling to climb for 3 to 4 hours alone and then almost get hit by a car at the summit.
Got frustrated waiting my turn at the summit post with all the tourists who drove there and were smoking and carrying on. We pushed our way to the marker feeling like we deserved it more and took our pictures.
For the descent we decided to take Lion Head and enjoyed that down. Towards the end though the constant pounding on the rocks started to drain us (and our feet) and we were glad to get down, buy some Tuckerman Ravine stickers and go get some fast food. Overall, this was an awesome fun mountain though despite the zoo at the summit and we got lucky with the weather.
Route Climbed: Tuckerman Ravine Trail Date Climbed: 14 September 2002
With good weather conditions we climbed up through the ravine and over endless rocks up to the summit; it took us 3 h 10 min; on the summit it was windy, but not too much; one minute it was sunny, the next we were in clouds of fog; beautiful scenario!
We descended on Lion Head Trail in about 2 h 25 min and the knees suffered quite a bit!
Route Climbed: Tuckerman's Ravine (up) Lion's Head (down) Date Climbed: 14 Sept 2002
Awesome day! Although the weather threatened to turn for the worse, it held out and actually cleared at times during the day. Winds were not too severe, even on the summit and the route was relatively dry.
Crowded on the summit and the trek down Lion's Head pleasant (however rough on the old knees!)
Route Climbed: Tuckerman Ravine Date Climbed: July 21, 2002
It was a good climb. The views from the Tuckerman headwall were spectacular. However, the summit was a disappointment. The hoardes of overweight noisy American tourists swarming over the summit while gorging themselves on hot dogs and pizza certainly detracted from the experience. My wife and I were glad to retreat from the summit circus to the solitude of the Nelson Craig Trail to descend.
Route Climbed: Boot Spur Date Climbed: July 7th, 2002
Great climb! Started at 6:00am from Pinkham Notch, headed up via Boot Spur Route, and tagged the peak at 11:00am feeling quite strong. Zipped over to Lake of the Clouds and tagged Mt Monroe and then headed for Tuckerman Ravine for the descent. Trip report here!
Route Climbed: Tuckerman Ravine Date Climbed: February 25, 2002
Although known to be home of the 'World's Worst Weather' , climbing Mt. Washington in Feb. 2002 proved to be an experience quite different than I had expected. The weather was 'balmy' compared to a regular day up on the mountain. The average snowfall that month had been just 18".
Skies were so clear you could see forever and the winds were not really strong till we reached the summit. There they were strong enough to knock you off your feet (~55mph) and make every little step forward a challenge, but otherwise the temps did not go below 20F.
abn373 - Jun 16, 2003 11:16 pm
Route Climbed: Gulfside Trail Date Climbed: June 9, 2003Gulfside trail as part of a presidential traverse. Driving winds covered everything with frost/ice. Made the rocks real slippery.
climber46 - Apr 26, 2003 3:37 pm
Route Climbed: Huntington Ravine(up), Tuckerman Rav.(down) Date Climbed: Sep 1, 2002I had been wanting to climb Mt. Washington via Huntington Ravine for a couple of years. I finally got my chance when my friend Robert agreed to go with me. We left his house at 3am in the morning in order to get to the trailhead at 8am. Hunting Ravine was as spectacular as I had heard that it was. The boulder field below actually seemed to be the toughest part. While there was more exposure higher up, the slabs were easier. Once we reached the top of Huntington Ravine, we were hiking on the tableland above treeline for about a mile til we reached the tourist-infested summit. Once at the summit, we began descending the Tuckerman’s Ravine Trail. This hike ties for my 2nd best ever! (#1=Katahdin)
Here is Robert and I hiking the so-called "crux" of Hunting Ravine. There was a section much further up that I considered more difficult but overall the route was not that difficult.
rcorby2 - Mar 22, 2003 5:44 am
Route Climbed: Pinnacle Gulley Date Climbed: March 11, 2003We moved a little slow and didn't top out Pinnacle with enough time to hit the summit. Other wise, a great climb on a very fat Pinnacle - 3 full pitches including the last little ice wall exiting the gulley on the climbers right.
sskeep - Mar 9, 2003 2:09 pm
Route Climbed: Lion's Head Date Climbed: March 7, 2003Pat, Steve, Scott and Darryl came back in 2003 after not making the summit in 2002 due to weather. Had a perfect day with 50 mile views! Not too many people around for a Friday.
Pencil Pusher - Mar 7, 2003 12:03 am
Route Climbed: Lionshead winter Date Climbed: December 20ish, 1998Another gumby classic. Drove there without a clue, bought a map there and spent the night at the Hermit hut area. Then carried all that overnight gear (why?) up to the top with some cool snow/wind swept ice on the structures up there. Got passed by everyone and their brother wondering who the fool with the heavy pack was. It was nice to buy some candy from the hut keeper... what a luxury.
big_g - Mar 3, 2003 6:20 pm Date Climbed: Jun 19, 2000
Route Climbed: ATFinally arrived at the famous Mt. Washington. Clouds came in during the short ascent from the hut and I couldn't see anything from the summit, however, they blew in and out while I was up there so I did get to see some spectacular views. A few phone calls from the visitor center and I coordinated an indistinct webcam picture.
LIZqwertyuiop - Feb 17, 2003 10:19 am
Route Climbed: Lion Head Winter Date Climbed: FebruaryThe weather could not have been better for my first summit!
I climbed with the Ohio State University Mountaineers Club over President's day weekend. It was crowded, but definatly worth it. Left camp at about 8 am and summited under a clear blue sky around noon. Winds were about 45 mph, but not as daunting as I thought they'd be.
jt_walsh - Jan 21, 2003 6:35 am
Route Climbed: Lion Head Winter Route Date Climbed: Jan. 19 2003Very nice climb. Cold but perfect conditions. Didn't see the famous Washington wind but it was not missed. I will be back in the summer I loved the mountain and the area.
marcminish - Jan 19, 2003 7:07 pm
Route Climbed: Lion's Head Date Climbed: January 17, 2003The most pristine weather imagineable, especially for Mt. Washington... clear skies and virtually NO wind. It was incredible. Amazing views that I had never seen before even though I have already summited this mountain twice.
mnclimber - Dec 5, 2002 12:34 pm
Route Climbed: Tuckerman's Ravine Date Climbed: November 26, 2002Great climb. Reached summit around 2:15pm. Headwall was a great time. Visiblity above headwall wasn't that great. We were too cold to take a picture up top, but did sign the summit log at the top.
Brian Jenkins - Oct 1, 2002 12:40 pm
Route Climbed: up Tuckerman Ravine/down Lion Head Date Climbed: September 25, 2002Climbed with my buddy Brian. About 1/4 of a mile into the hike we were stopped by a flagman on the trail a bit ahead of a large earthmover that was digging erosion control burms. It was hilarious that about 5 of us hikers were lined up like cars in a construction zone on a highway waiting for them to let us pass through.
Made the Hermit Lake Hut shortly and continued on up the hike scrambling over the rocks and enjoying the awesome views. Had great weather which everyone on the trail was making sure we knew "never happened."
Somewhere above the ravine and saddle in the boulder section we met up with an older gentleman who told stories of hiking in Nepal and how Alaska has changed so much and how Barrow will be under water soon. He was a really cool guy. Just below the summit I got my first view of the circus up top when we could see cars and motorcycles zooming past. What a weird feeling to climb for 3 to 4 hours alone and then almost get hit by a car at the summit.
Got frustrated waiting my turn at the summit post with all the tourists who drove there and were smoking and carrying on. We pushed our way to the marker feeling like we deserved it more and took our pictures.
For the descent we decided to take Lion Head and enjoyed that down. Towards the end though the constant pounding on the rocks started to drain us (and our feet) and we were glad to get down, buy some Tuckerman Ravine stickers and go get some fast food. Overall, this was an awesome fun mountain though despite the zoo at the summit and we got lucky with the weather.
christoph wolz - Sep 17, 2002 4:24 am
Route Climbed: Tuckerman Ravine Trail Date Climbed: 14 September 2002With good weather conditions we climbed up through the ravine and over endless rocks up to the summit; it took us 3 h 10 min; on the summit it was windy, but not too much; one minute it was sunny, the next we were in clouds of fog; beautiful scenario!
We descended on Lion Head Trail in about 2 h 25 min and the knees suffered quite a bit!
mjm2167 - Sep 16, 2002 6:29 pm
Route Climbed: Tuckermans / Lionshead Date Climbed: 5/25/95 First TimeThis was a goal of mine when I first started. I have sense the mid 90's reached the top several times.
I never seem to get tired of this Mountain.
Drazil - Sep 15, 2002 7:08 pm
Route Climbed: Tuckerman's Ravine (up) Lion's Head (down) Date Climbed: 14 Sept 2002Awesome day! Although the weather threatened to turn for the worse, it held out and actually cleared at times during the day. Winds were not too severe, even on the summit and the route was relatively dry.
Crowded on the summit and the trek down Lion's Head pleasant (however rough on the old knees!)
Joe Hanssen - Jul 29, 2002 10:52 am
Route Climbed: Tuckerman Ravine Date Climbed: July '00Quick hike. Crazy seeing that many people at the top, but it was nice to sit inside and grab a warm lunch.
Archangl - Jul 25, 2002 8:00 am
Route Climbed: Tuckerman Ravine Date Climbed: July 21, 2002It was a good climb. The views from the Tuckerman headwall were spectacular. However, the summit was a disappointment. The hoardes of overweight noisy American tourists swarming over the summit while gorging themselves on hot dogs and pizza certainly detracted from the experience. My wife and I were glad to retreat from the summit circus to the solitude of the Nelson Craig Trail to descend.
rcorby2 - Jul 8, 2002 7:21 pm
Route Climbed: Boot Spur Date Climbed: July 7th, 2002Great climb! Started at 6:00am from Pinkham Notch, headed up via Boot Spur Route, and tagged the peak at 11:00am feeling quite strong. Zipped over to Lake of the Clouds and tagged Mt Monroe and then headed for Tuckerman Ravine for the descent. Trip report here!
marcminish - Jul 3, 2002 7:31 am
Route Climbed: The Pinnacle Date Climbed: February 2002Good fat ice, relatively clear day. My first Class III lead. Summitted w/ Chris Witkowski.
marcminish - Jul 3, 2002 7:24 am
Route Climbed: Lions Head Winter Route Date Climbed: March 2001My first Alpine climb. With Chris Witkowski and Mark Medford.
Drazil - Jul 1, 2002 9:11 pm
Route Climbed: Tuckerman Ravine Date Climbed: February 25, 2002Although known to be home of the 'World's Worst Weather' , climbing Mt. Washington in Feb. 2002 proved to be an experience quite different than I had expected. The weather was 'balmy' compared to a regular day up on the mountain. The average snowfall that month had been just 18".
Skies were so clear you could see forever and the winds were not really strong till we reached the summit. There they were strong enough to knock you off your feet (~55mph) and make every little step forward a challenge, but otherwise the temps did not go below 20F.
Went with EMS and our guide was excellent.