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Mount Washington, New Hampshire |
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Mount Washington, the centerpiece of the Presidential Range in New Hampshire's White Mountains, is the highest peak east of the Mississippi. |
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Its summit is renowned for its severe weather, which claims the lives of numerous hikers and climbers every year. I've hiked up Mount Washington into a blizzard, in a temperature of 14°F and winds gusting to 100 mph (161 km/h) at the summit, on the last day of August! No New England weather forecasts or generalizations apply to the weather at the summit of Mount Washington in New Hampshire. This highest peak in New England (6288 ft, 1917 meters) is said to have the worst weather in all the US. You can check current conditions on the Mount Washington Observatory website. New Englanders delight in exchanging horror stories of the latest report: winds of 150 miles per hour (the record is 211 mph/340 km/h!), temperatures of -47°F/-99°C, wind-chill factors that don't seem earthly. Regional news media often carry the reports even though they don't really affect anyone but the forlorn weather forecasters at the Mount Washington Observatory who have to sit through the storms on the mountaintop. By the way, the most-fun way to reach the summit is by the Mount Washington Cog Railway, departing from Fabyan, between Bretton Woods and Twin Mountain on the north side of Mount Washington, not far from the famous Mount Washington Hotel & Resort at Bretton Woods. This does not mean you will hit impossible weather, but it does mean that you should be prepared. The weather is no joke. People die here every year. If you are ascending the mountain via the Mount Washington Cog Railway or the Mount Washington Auto Road, staff will advise you of conditions at the summit. If you plan to hike up, you should—absolutely!—check with forest rangers and Appalachian Mountain Club personnel, and have warm clothing, food, good equipment and a knowledge of hiking and camping (and, if necessary, winter camping) before you attempt this climb. Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) White Mountains National Forest
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A Mount Washington Cog Railway locomotive arrives at the summit of Mount Washington in dense fog.
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