E
El Caminante
Guest
Date Hiked: 23-Mar-2008
Conditions: Weather: very cold -10° to 0°F, Wind: average 60 mph, peak 94, Wind Chill: -38° to -33°. Source: Mt Washington Weather Report. Super sunny. Trail was broken - above tree line rocks and ice.
Special Equipment: Crampons, Poles, Ice Axe, Goggles (tinted), Face Mask and warm clothes.
Comments: Climbed up to Gray Knob on Saturday via Lowe's, practicing some self arrest on the path. Sunday brought gorgeous sunny but very cold temps - positively polar. The climb up Lowe's path to Adams 4 was OK - not too windy. Used crampons but could've use stabilicers.
The path from Adams 4 to Thunderstorm was visible only by footprints - no cairns at all for hunderds of yards. This was great since last two times it was all foggy. But shouldn't the RMC (or someone) put up some visible cairns on this snow field to prevent people from getting lost like the couple who were forced to overnight last Jan. 2007 in a sleeping bag?
At Thunderstorm Junction the wind picked up noticeably as I headed down the Gulfside to Madison. Crossed a few iffy icy fields inclining towards King Ravine - thankful for the ice axe. Again no cairns across the krumholz/tree patch before the hut - no prob now but in no viz it would be problematic.
The ascent of the Madison cone was novel as the NW wind literally pushed me uphill. No tricky ice - just the regular steep slog. At the summit the wind was howling so strong that it nocked me down 3-4 times. From the false peak to the true peak I had to crouch all the way - scrambling from the lee of one large cairn to the next. The gusts were right there on my risk level - I had entered my scary zone. However the scenery was overwhelming in its awe - had a few moments to enjoy. Going down the cone had the wind in my face - occassional lulls would instintively get my guard down til the next puff rocked me.
My eyes were tear-ing alot - the tears promptly froze on my eyelashes and half my glasses were caked with frosty ice. Goggles helped alot. Face mask was rock solid ice due to perspiration - nose, mustache caked with guess what. Fingers were in utter pain after 30 seconds (36 hours later my pinkie still suffers from some mild case of frostbite). Otherwise I was totally warm - 3/4 layers and a shell.
Back at Adams 4, I had a wonderful "warm" relaxed snack in the lee (no wind) as I enjoyed the majestic white view of Adams, Madison, Jefferson and the snow field - etched crystal clear all in blazing sunglight. But the fingers were cold.
Hampshee had a good time helping me munch on life-sustaining "medenjaci" made by the talented elf known as "La Princesa Perdida" aka Pumpkin Pie.
Great Self-Arrest video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LM3xLshmNnk
Bu don't try this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCtxt5FijlE
Conditions: Weather: very cold -10° to 0°F, Wind: average 60 mph, peak 94, Wind Chill: -38° to -33°. Source: Mt Washington Weather Report. Super sunny. Trail was broken - above tree line rocks and ice.
Special Equipment: Crampons, Poles, Ice Axe, Goggles (tinted), Face Mask and warm clothes.
Comments: Climbed up to Gray Knob on Saturday via Lowe's, practicing some self arrest on the path. Sunday brought gorgeous sunny but very cold temps - positively polar. The climb up Lowe's path to Adams 4 was OK - not too windy. Used crampons but could've use stabilicers.
The path from Adams 4 to Thunderstorm was visible only by footprints - no cairns at all for hunderds of yards. This was great since last two times it was all foggy. But shouldn't the RMC (or someone) put up some visible cairns on this snow field to prevent people from getting lost like the couple who were forced to overnight last Jan. 2007 in a sleeping bag?
At Thunderstorm Junction the wind picked up noticeably as I headed down the Gulfside to Madison. Crossed a few iffy icy fields inclining towards King Ravine - thankful for the ice axe. Again no cairns across the krumholz/tree patch before the hut - no prob now but in no viz it would be problematic.
The ascent of the Madison cone was novel as the NW wind literally pushed me uphill. No tricky ice - just the regular steep slog. At the summit the wind was howling so strong that it nocked me down 3-4 times. From the false peak to the true peak I had to crouch all the way - scrambling from the lee of one large cairn to the next. The gusts were right there on my risk level - I had entered my scary zone. However the scenery was overwhelming in its awe - had a few moments to enjoy. Going down the cone had the wind in my face - occassional lulls would instintively get my guard down til the next puff rocked me.
My eyes were tear-ing alot - the tears promptly froze on my eyelashes and half my glasses were caked with frosty ice. Goggles helped alot. Face mask was rock solid ice due to perspiration - nose, mustache caked with guess what. Fingers were in utter pain after 30 seconds (36 hours later my pinkie still suffers from some mild case of frostbite). Otherwise I was totally warm - 3/4 layers and a shell.
Back at Adams 4, I had a wonderful "warm" relaxed snack in the lee (no wind) as I enjoyed the majestic white view of Adams, Madison, Jefferson and the snow field - etched crystal clear all in blazing sunglight. But the fingers were cold.
Hampshee had a good time helping me munch on life-sustaining "medenjaci" made by the talented elf known as "La Princesa Perdida" aka Pumpkin Pie.
Great Self-Arrest video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LM3xLshmNnk
Bu don't try this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCtxt5FijlE
