The Great 2007 New Hampshire Journey

OK, Allison says I need to be more conscious of how I do this, i.e. to post more compartmentally so as to enhance readability, so here goes...

We went, over this last weekend 10/28-10/30, to the White Mountains on a 'Foliage Tour'. This author, having grown up in the Mountain West, has treasured a somewhat obnoxious and elitist perception of the Appalachians, the range that includes the area we visited this weekend, as being the old, worn-down, toothless has-beens of North America. I here and now officially apologize to New England for having relegated these ranges to 'peon' status, for assuming that the area was 'kind and gentle' when compared to the Rockies, Sangre de Cristos, etc. The peaks in this area are NOT SECOND-CLASS CITIZENS. There, I said it. The topography in the Whites is every bit as challenging, awe-inspiring and potentially hazardous as anything I have seen; the region's inclines, watercourses, and its proclivity for devasting weather and avalanches make it every bit as formidable as anything we have experienced, with the possible exception of the South American Andes.

Following you may see some photos, just like all previous posts with captions, of our latest adventure. As always, click on the photo for a larger view.

The View Out The Windshield Entering The White Mountains...


Us In The Middle Of Glacial Debris, Swift River...


This Is Really How It Looks, No Kidding...


The Quintessential Sybarite...


The Train We Took To The Top Of Mount Washington (which, by the way, has 'the worst weather on the North American Continent', with a top recorded wind speed of TWO HUNDRED THIRTY ONE MILES PER HOUR, and has a specially-constructed weather station atop the summit with three-inch-thick chains holding it down to keep it from blowing away!). The train uses a ton of coal and 500 gallons of water to get to the top (only a short 3.5 miles) from the base station. Some areas of the track are inclined by as much as 37 degrees (which is REALLY STEEP). This is the FIRST cog railroad ever to go into service anywhere... invented by a New Englander that nearly died of exposure attempting to get to the top of this mountain...


On The Train, And It's Getting Cold...


We Enter The Clouds...


You Don't Need My Help With This One...


At The Top; Wind Speed 78 MPH, Tempurature 26F, Wind Chill -17F, Allison Couldn't Stand Up, And My White-Knuckle Grip On That Rail Is Not Merely To Appear Debonaire...

(Geophysical curiosity: this mountain actually extends INTO THE JETSTREAM, the primary mechanism driving climate in the Northern Hemisphere, as it descends off North America to the Atlantic. This explains the totally insane conditions which include an AVERAGE wind speed of 60 MPH. The highest recorded temperature EVER on this mountain is 74F, and it routinely drops to -40F in the winter. Record low: -84F. Not even the North Pole has worse weather.)


Getting low on battery, but we have lots more pictures, some REALLY cool, from NH. Be back later. Bye.