7/28/07
Seek the Peak

Boott Spur 5500' to Mount Washington 6288'

9.3 Miles 4300' Elevation gain

Kevin, Judy and Emma

Another July, another Seek the Peak fundraiser for the Mount Washington Observatory! We climbed Mount Washington for the sixth year in a row to raise money to help fund the Mount Washington Observatory. The observatory is a non-profit organization which relies on donations from its membership and corporate sponsers. Over the years we have come to rely heavily on the forecasts produced at the summit of Mount Washington to guide us in our decision making when journeying into the White Mountains. As you know the weather can make or break a hike, so having an accurate weather forecast focused on the mountains, and especially on the higher summits, can take some of the guess work out of what is generally considered a crap shoot when venturing forth into the mountains. As I said before, this was our sixth time climbing in support of the Obs and each year has been a new adventure. This year we again made the climb using the Boott Spur Trail. We climbed the Tuckerman Ravine Trail 4/10ths of a mile to where the Boott Spur Trail leaves on the left. From this point we did not see another soul until we were at Harvard Rock, 1.7 miles up the trail. Near the first outlook we both saw a bird fly up from the trail. At first I couldn't imagine what it was, a thrush, or maybe a robin. I saw it land in a tree next to the trail. Peeking through the spruce boughs I spotted it, a Saw-Whet Owl! Jude also saw one. Hers flew across the trail and also landed in a tree beside the trail. This is the first time either of us had seen one of these tiny, nocturnal creatures, and to see them in the daylight was quite a surprise. We have seen owls before on the trail, but not this kind. We were amazed at their diminutive stature, not a large, frightening predator at all, but about the size of a fat robin, hardly intimidating. A first for both of us. To this point I was doubting my ability to complete the hike to the summit of Boott Spur, let alone Mount Washington. The heat was up a notch from the usual cool mountain temps, and the humidity was unbearable. Ten minutes into the hike I was soaked in sweat, but we were now near popping out above treeline and we were starting to get some air. When we finally did get above treeline there was a nice, gentle breeze which was just enough to cool us down. The problem was, now the blue sky was quickly becoming overcast. A fellow Seek the Peaker we met at Harvard Rock told us he expected rain in about an hour, and that he was heading down Boott Spur Link and calling it a day. The forecast was for thunder storms to be hitting the summits mid-day, and indeed the radar showed a large storm coming up from the south. We toyed with the idea of bailing out for a moment, then decided to head to the summit of Boott Spur and retreat down the Link if necessary. On the summit we sat and ate lunch as we watched the surrrounding mountains disappear. The fog rolled across the moors and we decided we would continue on along the Davis Path and descend by the Lawn Cut-off and down Tuckerman Ravine Trail. When we reached Tuckerman Junction the weather seemed stable, so, along with the rest of the throng we had just walked into, we headed for the summit of Washington. The steep climb went relatively easily from there, and soon we were crossing the Auto Road, and climbing the stairs to take our place in line behind the people in shorts, flip-flops and t-shirts who had rode the Cog or who had driven to the summit and were now posing for their pictures at the summit signpost. We answered the usual questions, "Did that little dog climb Mount Washington?", etc. There was a guy who had run by us on the trail. He had shorts and running shoes for gear. He had run from Pinkham in an hour and 29 minutes. I told him there ought to be a law against people like him. Our climb took us about four hours. I popped in the Obs and said "Hi!' to a few people, Jon Cotton and Kyle Paddleford in particular. On the way out I stopped at the State Park desk and was happily surprised to see Diane Holmes and Chris Uggerhart. We had a much too brief chat as she was very busy telling bewildered hikers how to get back down off the mountain. "No, you really don't want to descend by Huntington Ravine.",etc. Then a quick stop at the Tip-Top House to see her husband Mike Pelchat with whom I had another much too short conversation. It was beginning to sprinkle out, so it was best we got down below treeline as fast as possible. On the descent through Tuckerman Ravine we had a couple of very brief sprinkles, enough to put on the raincoats, but not enough to soak the slippery rocks. Thank God for little favors. We were back down at Pinkham before we knew it. The waterfalls and wildflowers in Tuckerman Ravine never cease to amaze me. After going back to our campsite at Moosebrook State Park, we showered up and headed over to the base of the Auto Road where Hart's Turkey Farm served a wonderful buffet style meal for all the hikers who had raised money for the Obs. I met lots of friends from the Observatory forum who I had shared the online world with but had never met in person. It was the perfect way to cap off an awesome hike. Emma took home a prize along with two other dogs who had kept their families company on the hike, then she had a big turkey dinner. The hikers tripeled the observatory's best Seek the Peak total by raising over $60,000.00! A great day on Mount Washington and a great day for the Obs!