Wind in the Presi's

[Bobby]

I'm leaving tomorrow, hopefully for a loop over Washington via the Jewell Trail to the Lakes hut for the night. If it's too windy, I'll just go up the Am. Just curious though, how windy is too windy?

 

[NH_Mtn_Hiker]

I've seen 65 mph sustained winds with gusts over 80 in the summer.....

In the winter 120 mph is fairly common.

 

[--M.]

Obviously, it's personal, depending on your mass and your tolerance.

For me, making a commitment to step on a very specific rock and having that decision redirected at the last instant by a gust (75mph?) was close to too much.

How big a pack? How much do you weigh? How agile are you in tricky situations? Do you suffer vertigo on unstable felsenmeer? Is going down worse than ascending?

Like that.

As I recall, the Ammo is relatively sheltered until treeline.

--M.

 

[ctsparrow]

Before you leave go online to www.mountwashington.org and go under their weather link to higher summits forecast. They usually post a 6am conditions and forecast for the day. Right now it calls for 70mph winds down to 35mph. Obviously if its windy down low when you start it won't be calm up above . Does your car radio have a weather band, if so you can catch updates and a higher summits forecast on your drive up. Depending on what time you get started, it may be dropping through the day. You spend the first couple hours sheltered on Jewell. Also if you have sticks, they will help in gusty conditions. With a full pack i've endured 50mph gusts, but it made for an interesting day. I just did ammo with a fairly full pack and the ledges near the top were a pain in the a__, but relatively short lived. I would have rather had a day pack on at the time. ctsparrow..sue

 

[Bobby]

Thanks for the tips, I'm leaving Boston about 5:30am, I'll check the weather at Crawford before I start. I weigh about 220, with maybe a 25lb pack, but will be flexible depending on the weather. Thanks again, Bobby