Mount Washington is the highest peak in the Northeastern United States at 6,288 ft (1,917 m) and the most prominent mountain east of the Mississippi River. It is famous for dangerously erratic weather. Until 2010, the world's highest windspeed of 231 miles per hour (372 km/h), was recorded by the Mount Washington Observatory atop the summit on the afternoon of April 12, 1934. Before European settlers arrived, the mountain was known as Agiocochook, or "Home of the Great Spirit".
The mountain is located in the Presidential Range of the White Mountains, in the township of Sargent's Purchase, Coös County, New Hampshire. While nearly the whole mountain is in the White Mountain National Forest, an area of 59 acres (24 ha) surrounding and including the summit is occupied by Mount Washington State Park.
History
The first European to mention the mountain was Giovanni da Verrazzano. Viewing it from the Atlantic Ocean in 1524, he described what he saw as "high interior mountains". The Abenaki people inhabiting the region at the time of European contact believed that the tops of mountains were the dwelling place of the gods, and so among other reasons did not climb them out of religious deference to their sanctity. Darby Field claimed to have made the first ascent of Mt. Washington in 1642. Field climbed the mountain in June of that year to demonstrate to the Abenaki chief Passaconaway that the Europeans bargaining for tribal land were not subject to the gods believed to inhabit the summit, a primarily political move that facilitated colonists' northern expansion. Field again summited Agiocochook in October 1642 on an early surveying expedition that created maps of land as far as Maine, maps which assisted the delegations from the Massachusetts colony seeking to acquire the more arable coastal regions.
A geology party, headed by Manasseh Cutler, named the mountain in 1784. The Crawford Path, the oldest mountain hiking trail in the United States, was laid out in 1819 as a bridle path from Crawford Notch to the summit and has been in use ever since. Ethan Allen Crawford built a house on the summit in 1821, which lasted until a storm in 1826.
Little occurred on the summit itself until the mid-19th century, when it was developed into one of the first tourist destinations in the nation, with construction of more bridle paths and two hotels. The Summit House opened in 1852, a 64-foot-long (20 m) stone hotel anchored by four heavy chains over its roof. In 1853, the Tip-Top House was erected to compete. Rebuilt of wood with 91 rooms in 1872â€"1873, the Summit House burned in 1908, then was replaced in granite in 1915. The Tip-Top House alone survived the fire; today it is a state historic site, recently renovated for exhibits. Other Victorian era tourist attractions included a coach road (1861)â€"now the Mount Washington Auto Roadâ€"and the Mount Washington Cog Railway (1869), both of which are still in operation.
For forty years, an intermittent daily newspaper, called Among the Clouds, was published by Henry M. Burt at the summit each summer, until 1917. Copies were circulated via the Cog Railway and coaches to surrounding hotels and other outlets.
In November 2010, it was revealed that Orlando, Florida-based CNL Financial Group, which owns the Mount Washington Hotel at the foot of the mountain, had formally filed to trademark the "Mount Washington" name. CNL officials said they were directing their efforts against other hotels that use the mountain's name and not the numerous businesses in the area that use it. CNL's application at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office seeks registration of the trademark "Mount Washington" for any retail service, any restaurant service, and any entertainment service.
Climate
The summit station of Mount Washington has an alpine climate or tundra climate (Köppen ET), although it receives an extremely high amount of precipitation, atypical for most regions with such cold weather. Lower elevations have a subarctic climate (Köppen Dfc).
The weather of Mount Washington is notoriously erratic. This is partly due to the convergence of several storm tracks, mainly from the Atlantic to the south, the Gulf region and Pacific Northwest. The vertical rise of the Presidential Range, combined with its north-south orientation, makes it a significant barrier to westerly winds. Low-pressure systems are more favorable to develop along the coastline in the winter months due to the relative temperature differences between the Northeast and the Atlantic Ocean. With these factors combined, hurricane force wind gusts are observed from the summit of the mountain on average of 110 days per year.
Mount Washington once held the world record and still holds the Northern Hemisphere and Western Hemisphere record for directly measured surface wind speed, at 231Â mph (372Â km/h), recorded on the afternoon of April 12, 1934. Measurements indicate that Cyclone Olivia surpassed this record in 1996. (Satellite and radar measurements, e.g. of tornadoes, hurricanes, and air currents in the upper atmosphere, do not compete with records for surface measurements.)
The first regular meteorological observations on Mount Washington were conducted by the U.S. Signal Service, a precursor of the National Weather Service, from 1870 to 1892. The Mount Washington station was the first of its kind in the world, setting an example followed in many other countries. For many years, the record low temperature was thought to be âˆ'47 °F (âˆ'44 °C) occurring on January 29, 1934, but upon the first in-depth examination of the data from the 19th century at NOAA's National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, North Carolina, a new record low was discovered. Mount Washington's official record low of âˆ'50 °F (âˆ'46 °C) was recorded on January 22, 1885. However, there is also hand-written evidence to suggest that an unofficial low of âˆ'59 °F (âˆ'51 °C) occurred on January 5, 1871. The official record cold daily maximum is âˆ'28 °F (âˆ'33 °C) on February 6, 1995. Highs of 0 °F (âˆ'18 °C) or below occur on 13 days annually, while lows at or below 0 °F can be expected from November 17 thru April 1; from December to March temperatures rise above freezing on only 15 days.
On January 16, 2004, the summit weather observation registered a temperature of âˆ'43.6 °F (âˆ'42.0 °C) and sustained winds of 87.5 mph (140.8 km/h), resulting in a wind chill value of âˆ'102.59 °F (âˆ'74.77 °C) at the mountain. During a 71-hour stretch from around 3 p.m. on January 13 to around 2 p.m. on January 16, 2004, the wind chill on the summit never went above âˆ'50 °F (âˆ'46 °C). The official record high temperature at the summit is 72 °F (22 °C) on June 26, 2003 and August 2, 1975. while the official record warm daily minimum is 60 °F (16 °C) on the latter date. Readings of 60 °F or more at the summit are seen on an average 16 days annually.
The primary summit building was designed to withstand 300Â mph (480Â km/h) winds; other structures are chained to the mountain. In addition to a number of broadcast towers, the mountain is the site of a non-profit scientific observatory reporting the weather as well as other aspects of the subarctic climate of the mountain. The extreme environment creates strong winds and ice at the top of Mount Washington making using unmanned equipment problematic. The observatory also conducts research, primarily the testing of new weather measurement devices. The Sherman Adams summit building, which houses the observatory, is closed to the public during the winter and hikers are not allowed inside the building except for emergencies and pre-arranged guided tours.
The Mount Washington Observatory was built on the summit in 1932 through the passion of a group which understood the worth of a research facility at that demanding location. The observatory's weather data have accumulated into a valuable climate record since. Temperature and humidity readings have been collected using a sling psychrometer, a simple device containing two mercury thermometers. Where most unstaffed weather stations have undergone technology upgrades, consistent use of the sling psychrometer has helped provide scientific precision to the Mount Washington climate record.
The observatory makes prominent use of the slogan "Home of the World's Worst Weather", a claim that originated with a 1940 article by Charles Brooks (the man generally given the majority of credit for creating the Mount Washington Observatory), titled "The Worst Weather In the World" (even though the article concluded that Mt Washington most likely did not have the world's worst weather).
Precipitation
Due in part to its high prominence, to its situation at the confluence of two major storm tracks and to the north-south orientation of the Presidential Range ridgeline which it crowns, Mount Washington receives very high levels of precipitation, averaging an equivalent of around 96.9 in (2,460 mm) of rain per year, with a record high for a calendar year anywhere in the US east of the Cascade mountains along the west coast of 130.14 in (3,305.6 mm) in 1969 and a low of 71.34 in (1,812.0 mm) in 1979. Monthly precipitation has ranged from 0.75 in (19.1 mm) in October 1947 to 28.70 in (729.0 mm) in October 2005. Large amounts of precipitation often fall in a short period of time: in October 1996, a record 11.07 in (281.2 mm) of precipitation fell during a single 24-hour period. A substantial amount of this falls as snow, with a seasonal average of around 280 inches (7.1 m) of snow; seasonal accumulation has ranged from 75.8 in (1.93 m) in 1947â€"48 to 566.4 in (14.39 m) in 1968â€"69. The record amount of snowfall in a 24-hour period, 49.3 in (125.2 cm), occurred in February 1969, which is also the snowiest month on record with 172.8 in (4.39 m).
Geographical features
Although the western slope that the Cog Railway ascends is straightforward from base to summit, the mountain's other sides are more complex. On the north side, Great Gulfâ€"the mountain's largest glacial cirqueâ€"forms an amphitheater surrounded by the Northern Presidentials: Mounts Clay, Jefferson, Adams and Madison. These connected peaks reach well into the treeless alpine zone. Massive Chandler Ridge extends northeast from the summit of Washington to form the amphitheater's southern wall and the incline is ascended by the Mount Washington Auto Road.
East of the summit, a plateau known as the Alpine Gardens extends south from Chandler Ridge at about 5,200 feet (1,600Â m) elevation. It is notable for plant species either endemic to alpine meadows in the White Mountains or outliers of larger populations in arctic regions far to the north. Alpine Gardens drops off precipitously into two prominent glacial cirques. Craggy Huntington Ravine offers rock and ice climbing in an alpine setting. More rounded Tuckerman Ravine is New England's premier venue for spring back-country skiing as late as June and then a scenic hiking route. It rises about 500 meters above alpine tree line.
South of the summit lies a second and larger alpine plateau, Bigelow Lawn, at 5,000 feet (1,500 m) to 5,500 feet (1,700 m) elevation. Satellite summit Boott Spur and then the Montalban Ridge including Mount Isolation and Mount Davis extend south from it, while the higher Southern Presidentialsâ€"Mounts Monroe, Franklin, Eisenhower, Pierce, Jackson and Websterâ€"extend southwest to Crawford Notch. Oakes Gulf separates the two high ridges.
Uses
The mountain is part of a popular hiking area, with the Appalachian Trail crossing the summit and one of the Appalachian Mountain Club's eight mountain huts, the Lakes of the Clouds Hut, located on one of the mountain's shoulders. Winter recreation includes Tuckerman Ravine, famous for its Memorial Day skiing and its 45-degree slopes. The ravine is notorious for its avalanches, of which about 100 are recorded every year, and which have killed six people since 1849. Scores of hikers have died on the mountain in all seasons, due to harsh and rapidly changing conditions, inadequate equipment, failure to plan for the wide variety of conditions which can occur above tree line, and poor decisions once the weather becomes dangerous.
The weather at Mount Washington has made it a popular site for glider flying. In 2005, it was recognized as the 14th National Landmark of Soaring.
Hiking
The most popular hiking trail approach to the summit is via the 4.1-mile (6.6Â km) Tuckerman Ravine Trail. It starts at the Pinkham Notch camp area and gains 4,280 feet (1,300Â m), leading straight up the bowl of Tuckerman Ravine via a series of steep rock steps which afford spectacular views of the ravine and across the notch to Wildcat Mountain. Fatalities have occurred on the trail, both from ski accidents and hypothermia. Water bottles may be refilled at the base of the bowl 2.1 miles (3.4Â km) up the trail at a well pump near a small hiker's store which offers snacks, toilets and shelter. At the summit is a center with a museum, gift shop, observation area, and cafeteria. Descent can be made by shuttle bus (in the summer) back to the Pinkham Notch camp for a fee. Other routes up the eastern slopes of the mountain include the Lion Head, Boott Spur, Huntington Ravine and Nelson Crag trails, as well as the Great Gulf Trail ascending from the northeast. Routes from the western slopes include the Ammonoosuc Ravine and Jewell trails and the Crawford Path and Gulfside Trail (coincident with the Appalachian Trail from the southwest and from the north, respectively).
There are many differences between climbing Mount Washington in summer and climbing it in winter. Big differences in weather and ground conditions exist, of course, but there are also significant differences in the level of amenities available to the visitor. There are no public facilities on the summit in winter. In the winter months, the most popular route is the Lion Head Winter Route, which begins on the Tuckerman Ravine Trail but then turns north to ascend up to Lion Head at elevation 5,033 feet (1,534Â m). The winter route variation is recommended to help climbers avoid avalanche danger. Exactly where the route turns from the Tuckerman Ravine Trail depends on the snow conditions. If the amount of snowfall hasn't been significant enough yet, the Lion Head Summer Route may be open. After hiking 2.3 miles (3.7Â km) from the visitor center in Pinkham Notch, the trail will take a right turn onto the Lion Head Summer Route. If there has been enough snow accumulation on the summer Lion Head Trail, the Forest Service will open the Lion Head Winter Route, which turns off after approximately 1.7 miles (2.7Â km).
Cog railway
Since 1869, the Mount Washington Cog Railway has provided tourists with a train journey to the summit of Mount Washington. It uses a Marsh rack system and was the first successful rack railway in the US.
Races
Every June, the mountain is the site of the Mount Washington Road Race, an event which attracts hundreds of runners. In August the Mount Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb, a bicycle races takes place along the same route as the road race. The hillclimb's most notable victor to date has been former Tour de France contender Tyler Hamilton.
On August 7, 1932, Raymond E. Welch Sr. became the first one-legged man to climb Mount Washington. An official race was held and open only to one-legged people. Mr. Welch climbed the "Jacob's Ladder" route and descended via the carriage road. Raymond Welch had lost his leg due to a sledding injury as a seven-year-old child. At the time of his climb, Mr. Welch was the station agent for the Boston & Maine Railroad in Northumberland, New Hampshire.
The mountain is also the host of one of the oldest car races in the country, the Mount Washington Hillclimb Auto Race, which has been held on and off since 1904. In September 2010, Travis Pastrana set an unofficial record at six minutes, 20.47 seconds, driving a Vermont sports car Subaru WRX STi. In June 2014, David Higgins set a new record for ascent of Mt. Washington in a car, at 6:09.09 with an average speed of 75 mph, using the same model vehicle.
Transmission stations
Edwin H. Armstrong installed an FM-broadcasting station on the top of Mount Washington in 1937. The station stopped operating in 1948, due to excessive maintenance costs. In 1954 a TV tower and transmitters were installed for WMTW, Channel 8, licensed to Poland Spring, Maine. The station continuously broadcast from the top of the mountain, including local forecasts by (now retired) WMTW transmitter engineer Marty Engstrom. WMTW continually broadcast from the mountaintop until 2002.
Mount Washington continued FM broadcasting in 1958 with the construction of WMTW-FM 94.9, which became WHOM in 1976. WHOM and WMTW-TV shared a transmitter building, which also housed the generators to supply power to the mountain. On February 9, 2003, a fire destroyed the transmitter building and the generators (where it started), which at the time still had WHOM's transmitters inside it. WHOM subsequently built a new transmitter building on the site of the old power building, and also constructed a new standby antenna on the Armstrong tower. (For the first time since 1948, the Armstrong tower was used for broadcasts.)
In 1987, WHOM and WMTW were joined on the peak of the mountain by WMOU-FM (renamed WZPK and now WOKQ) on a separate tower. Steve Powell, owner and president of New England Broadcasting, had the tower for WZPK (known as "The Peak") built higher than the other structures on the summit; it became the highest point east of the Mississippi and north of the Carolinas. The WPKQ transmitters are located in the back of the Yankee Building. Due to the extreme weather on Mount Washington, both WHOM and WPKQ use specially designed FM antennas which are housed in special cylindrical radomes, manufactured by Shively Labs of nearby Bridgton, Maine.
The National Weather Service forecast office in Gray, Maine operates NOAA Weather Radio station KZZ41 on 162.5 MHz from the summit of Mount Washington. Due to its point as the highest elevation in the Northeast and the frequency range NWR broadcasts on, the station can be heard at very far distances. It has been heard in northwest Vermont (at Vergennes, much of western Maine, and northern Massachusetts (at Dracut and Salisbury, the latter of which had a totally clear reception). Based on the official NWS coverage area map, it can be heard clearly throughout most of New Hampshire, western Maine, northeast Vermont and portions of southern Canada. During very clear conditions KZZ41 has the potential to reach the majority of northern Massachusetts (including some northern areas of Greater Boston and much of the North Shore) as well as the majority of Vermont and Maine.
In June 2008, the possibility of television returning to Mount Washington came to light, with the filing by New Hampshire Public Television to move WLED-TV from its current location near Littleton to the old WMTW mast on top.
Deaths
Since 1849 nearly 150 people have died on Mount Washington. William Buckingham Curtis, often called "the father of American amateur athletics" after his death, died on June 30, 1900 during a snowstorm.
Artistic tributes
Mount Washington has been the subject of several famous paintings, part of a New England school of art known as White Mountain art. Inspired by the Hudson River School of landscape painting, a number of artists during the Victorian era ventured into the White Mountains in search of natural subjects. Conway became their base, first arriving by coach and boarding at farmhouses, then in the 1870s by train to newly opened inns and hotels. They created a flood of paintings that found their way around the world, most notably to Hampton Court Palace. The interest their works generated attracted others to visit Mount Washington and the region, initiating the tourism business that remains vital today.
Musical tributes have also been made, such as Symphony no. 64, Op. 422 ("Agiochook"), composed around 1990 by the American composer Alan Hovhaness (1911â€"2000), dedicated to Mount Washington, which the composer climbed during his youth.
See also
- Outline of New Hampshire
- Index of New Hampshire-related articles
- List of U.S. states by elevation
- List of mountain peaks of North America
- List of mountain peaks of the United States
- List of Ultras of North America
- List of Ultras of the United States
Notes
References
External links
- Mount Washington Observatory
- Mount Washington Cog Railway
- Mount Washington Auto Road
- Tips for hiking Mount Washington
- Current trail conditions on and around Mount Washington
- 19th-century paintings of Mount Washington
- Computer generated summit panoramas North South West to Adirondack Group Index
- National Geographic: Mount Washington â€" Backyard Arctic
- Hazecam view of Mount Washington
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