Mt Washington Winter Ascent - Backpacking in Huntington Ravine

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• published: 04 May 2015
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Join me for a winter ascent of Mt Washington, followed by some snowy hammock camping. GPS data at http://www.sintax77.com . For this trip, I'll be heading up to the White Mountains for one more winter backpacking trip before the season ends. This will also be my first attempt to climb Mt Washington in winter. Okay, climb may be a bit overzealous of a term, but it will be pretty aggressive compared to my other winter hikes. Which brings up an important topic - additional gear needed. I'll get to that a little later, but first lets take a look at where exactly I started off from and the general route I took. Full GPS track data for this trip can be downloaded on my website here: http://www.sintax77.com/trip-data/ For an easier to read, full trip report with maps and pictures and more details, check out my blog post here: http://www.sintax77.com/mt-washington-winter-ascent- backpacking-in-huntington-ravine Parking Location: Pinkham Notch Visitor Center near Jackson, New Hampshire in the White Mountains. List of Trails Used, in Order: Start at Tuckerman Ravine Trailhead (located right behind visitor center) Follow the Tuckerman Ravine Trail. Stop at the Fire Road Junction. Do not continue up Tuckerman Ravine! You should see a sign stating that it is closed in winter due to avalanche danger. Take Huntington Ravine Fire Road towards Harvard Cabin. Arrive at Harvard Cabin to setup camp and get organized. Once setup and geared appropriately, backtrack a bit down the Fire Road. Before getting back to the junction, take the Lion's Head Winter Route on your right. Follow Lion's Head Winter Route. This is a very steep trail opened as a safer alternative to Tuckerman Ravine Trail during avalanche season. Be prepared to use both hands as well as your ice axe for support. While I did not carry one, a rope could be quite useful and convenient on the way back down. Rejoin the Tuckerman Ravine Trail (you're above of the avalanche zone now). Continue on Tuckerman Ravine Trail, crossing the summer Auto Road and on to the summit. Follow course in reverse to return to Harvard Cabin to camp for the night. On day two, hike back out via Huntington Ravine Fire Road and Tuckerman Ravine Trail. Extra Gear used for my Mt Washington Winter Ascent: There were two pieces of gear that I brought on this trip, that I've never previously felt the need for on other White Mountains winter trips - Crampons and an ice axe. The ice axe is not to be confused with an ice tool, specialized for actual ice climbing, supported by ropes and typically headed straight up a wall of ice. The ice as, or mountaineering axe as it's also often called, is longer and straight with a pick for self arresting on one side (this is the primary reason to bring it out on the ice fields of Mt Washington), and an adze on the other side for digging and chopping tasks. The adze is mostly used for more advanced mountaineering techniques than may be required on a Mt Washington attempt, but it does come in handy around camp for setting up a home for the night. The crampons I chose were universal strap-on crampons, so that I could use them with my regular, flexible winter hiking boots, as opposed to the typical Automatic or semi-auto crampons that require a traditional hard plastic climbing boot, which I do not own. EMS Packable Pack (small daypack) EMS Ascent Mittens with fleece glove liners Synthetic Ski Hat Seirus Innovation neofleece face mask / scarf combo Bolle Mojo Snow Goggles (Lemon lense color) Spare hat and gloves (in case others get wet or blown away) Garmont GTX Snow boots CAMP Stalker Universal Crampons Black Diamond Raven Ice Axe Nalgene 1 Liter wide mouth water bottle Clothing worn was pretty much exactly what I've used on my previous White Mountains snow camping trips. I cover some of the details later in the video as well. Notable Gear Used at Camp: Dutchware PolyD 10' Hammock with Dutch Titanium Cinch Buckle suspension and 12' webbing straps. Hammock Gear Incubator 0 Underquilt Hammock Gear Burrow 0 Top Quilt Dutch Winter Sock for extra protection for wind and blowing snow. Hammock Gear Cuben Hex Tarp, 12' - equipped with 9'Zing-It guy lines and Dutch Wasps for quick tension adjustment. MSR Rapidfire Stove Vargo 450ml titanium cup Toaks 750ml titanium pot for water boiling. Sea to Summit Long Handled Aircraft Aluminum Spork EMS Longtrail 70 Backpack MSR Denali Ascent Snowshoes Various meals and food from Packit Gourmet. Related Links http://www.outdoors.org/ (Appalachian Mountain Club official site - great for trip planning) http://www.dutchwaregear.com http://www.packitgourmet.com http://www.hammockgear.com http://www.harvardmountaineering.org/cabin/