This Truck Climbed Mt. Washington

Mount Washington is the Northeast’s highest peak at 6,288 feet. We are staying just a 30 minute ride from the base of the mountain so today we went there.

For only $55.00 we got this lovely bumper sticker (which Bud doesn’t want on the truck) and the chance to drive to the summit on the “Auto Road”. The road is eight miles long and except for a few hundred feet near the entrance it goes up! The steepest quarter mile is a 16% grade, and the steepest mile is a 13% grade. It averages a 12% grade. The road is so narrow we were asked to fold our diver’s side mirror in. There are no guard rails.

The road was finished in 1861 as a carriage road and has been operated by the same family company ever since. The Cog Railway, seen here from a stop near the summit of the road, was finished in 1868. It took a lot of business from the Carriage Road until automobiles became more common. The first mechanized vehicle to climb the road to the summit was a Stanley Steamer driven by Freelan Stanley in 1899. I wonder if the steam car rally going on here now includes the Auto Road, although I rather think they would be prohibited now for safety reasons. Surprisingly, the last bit of the Auto Road, the “five mile stretch” (less than a mile long at the five mile mark), was not paved until 2022.

At the top you are literally in the clouds. This was one view from the parking lot, looking down the mountain through a gap in the clouds.

There are a number of buildings on the summit, including this gift shop. Notice the chains.

I assume they are to hold it in place in the wind. If you can read the sign it says that in 1934 the weather observatory, that was on this site and manned, recorded a wind speed of 231 miles per hour. Mt. Washington still has a weather observatory where the extreme weather it experiences is recorded. It was 77 degrees at the campground and only 61 degrees on the mountain.

There is no problem with wind with the Tip Top House. It was built in 1853 as a guest house. It fell into disrepair, but the thick rock walls stood. Renovated in the 1980’s it is operated as a museum. Unfortunately, it was closed now for further renovation. To the right of the building is a cairn of stone that marks the summit.

Today was a mix of clouds and sun, but between the clouds we got some stunning views.

A lot of people hike up, or down the mountain. There is a hiker’s shuttle that operates on the Auto Road and you can buy a one-way ticket on the Cog Railroad. The Appalachian Trail crosses the summit, so some hardy souls go up and down.

I was pretty nervous about the ride down because of all the warnings about overheated brakes (some types of cars are prohibited because you can’t put them in a low gear). We only stopped for the stunning views.

We never had to stop, as numerous signs urged, to cool our brakes. With the truck in Tow/Haul mode, engine braking engaged and first gear selected we drove down at a sedate 20 mph and Bud had to use the brakes only occasionally.

And we all got to the summit.