Two for the Summit : Mt. Washington

July 1st was the big hike.  If you've been following along the Two for the Summit features you know that Matt and I have been hiking a summit each month gearing up for our big physical challenge of 2011; Mt. Washington.  It was by far the hardest and most incredible thing I've ever done.  This is a picture heavy post but it's so worth it! 
Mt. Washington is the tallest in New England standing at 6,288 ft.  Getting to the top and back was quite the accomplishment.

The first 2.4 miles of the hike is relatively easy - and follows a rushing river

About 3 miles in we hit the Alpine Zone - now the weather changes - we couldn't see a thing!

Simply a really awesome photo of us! Certainly Christmas card material

Approaching the basin of Tuckerman's Ravine

The basin of Tuckerman's Ravine and the first clear view of it due to all the fog.  People ski these 55 degree slopes!

About halfway up the Ravine - I look so small! This really puts the mountain in perspective.

This shot is from Tuckerman's Junction.  We had about .8 miles to the top, in the hardest terrain of the day.

And we made it!  We're on top of all of New England!  It's a little weird because both cars and a train bring tourists to the top of Mt. Washington - but they all were impressed with the hikers and took our summit photos.

You can't hike Mt. Washington without encountering some kind of weather.
On the descent we hit a downpour for about 20 minutes - boy was that rain cold!

We were rewarded for enduring the downpour with a rainbow over the valley, I'll take it.

Matt putting the rain gear away for the rest of the trip down.

We took Lion's Head trail for the descent.  Note for the future: this was probably harder than Tuckerman's.

We got back to the hermit lake shelters at about 5:30 PM, we had 2.4 miles left to get back to the car, what an incredible day.

Have you hiked a mountain this summer? You should! Check out All Trails for a summit near you!  You'll be surprised at what you find in your own backyard. 

Thanks for taking the time to check our of photos of the hike!

Check out the other Summits we've hiked:
March: Hollywood Sign  Los Angeles, CA
April: Washusett Mountain - MA
May: Sleeping Giant - CT
June: Mt. Monadnock -NH
July: Mt. Washington - NH