Taking Flight

With school getting out two days ago, I was ready for a big hike, and I quickly decided it was going to be Mt Washington. I don't know exactly why I love Mt Washington so much, but it's definitely one of my favorite hikes. I think there's a couple factors there. First, Mt Washington is high payoff for not that much distance. It's not an easy hike, but it doesn't involve endless miles of trudging through the green tunnel, and I appreciate that. Second, on the Ammonoosuc Ravine side where I almost always hike from, Mt Washington has the Lakes of the Clouds hut as an intermediate stop, giving me a chance to assess conditions before I push for the summit. I had been monitoring the weather conditions all week, and it didn't look like there was going to be an ideal day for the hike. Still, Wednesday looked like the best option, and it was the day I had the most free time, so it was a good fit. The weather report on Mountain Weather Forecast lined up fairly well with t...