I've described Mt. Si as my go-to destination when the conditions aren't great or I'm not feeling it. But I can only climb Mt. Si so often. Since it was less than a month since the last climb I opted for Mt. Washington instead. Like Mt. Si, the climb is mostly forested, but unlike the state's most popular hike it's not crazy crowded. And certainly not at 6am.
In case you're not aware, getting up at 5am after being up late at a beach party in the snow is hard. Really hard. But, the bitter cold has a way of waking you up and clearing your head. It works even if you haven't been indulging the night before.
The Mt. Washington trail is a pretty straight forward hike. It follows old logging roads before joining a new trail created by WTA to the summit. The only challenge is on a traverse of a steep slope where spindrift has buried the trail. Since only the trail that has been packed by hikers is solid a misplaced step through the loose powder can (and did) wind one up hip deep in unconsolidated snow.
The summit was plenty cold and exposed to the wind. Even my complete wool base layer (courtesy of WoolX) was challenged and Treen might have been a little cold. The solution is to start moving again. We saw no one until we were 1,000 feet below the summit, but still nothing like we would have seen on Mt. Si or even Mailbox.
Better than the snow, views, or quiet was the clarity the hike delivered. Had I stayed in bed (and I almost did) I'd have slept until someone woke me up. I'd have woken with a fuzzy head and likely a headache (due to lack of caffeine more than anything else), and the day would have been a struggle to recover.
Instead, I rolled home energized and ready for the day. Sure, I might have been a little cold and sore, but it was far better than the alternative.
