Mt Washington Hike - Preparations

I've done a lot of winter hiking in the Whites, but Mount Washington has many special challanges that aren't present in other areas. There are avalanches, a greater need for self-arrest, and of course the weather. My climbing partner for the day, Kathy Hooke, and I had been planning a Mount Washington trip for the weekend, but the weather on Saturday was snow/rain and Sunday was clear but had very high winds. Monday however looked clear and calm. We both arranged to take off work and away we went.

Here is a list of the equipment I brought for the trip:

Clothes

Gear

We left North Conway around 6:30 AM and made it to Pinkham Notch just after 7:00. The sun was shining up high, and we could see a near full moon that was setting over the mountain. Temps overnight we below zero, but things were warming up as the sun hit. We registered, used the facilities, put on our boots, checked the forecast and conditions, and headed out the door. It was 7:30 AM when we started up the Tuckerman Ravine trail.

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