Spring Break 5: New Hampshire's Gloomy White Mountains

Yesterday, I mentioned a fascination with wild, dark, gloomy, eerie sceneries. That fascination was confirmed when we drove through New Hampshire's White Mountains late on a very somber and foggy afternoon two days ago. 

Replica of an Old Mount Washington Weather Observatory

   We'd left Augusta, ME, early and arrived in the mountains before noon; the day was already very cold and drab, with thick clouds hanging deep in the grey sky. So we just checked out some lovely old fashioned (and I mean fashioned, not really truly vintage) stores and a weather and meteorology experience center in the town of North Conway. Mostly designed for children, it also entertained the two of us for a couple of minutes, and it was for free! One truly cool thing was their replica of an old weather observatory cabin that stood on the peak of Mount Washington, the most prominent mountain this side of the Mississippi (6,288 ft/1,917m). Pressing a button, you could trigger a simulation of a wind that developed into a horrifying storm rattling and shaking the counterfeit cabin. The peak of Mount Washington was actually the place with the highest wind speed ever measured until 2010 at an unbelievable maximum of 231 mph/372 km/h. So that commanded my deepest respect for those people who actually decided to spend some time under such conditions in the years past, and still today, although the new weather observatory looks much more sturdy than that old log cabin.

   In the afternoon, we did a micro hike to the completely frozen and snow covered Echo Lake at the foot of White Horse Ledge not too far outside town, and then drove north directly through the heart of the White Mountain National Forest. After a few miles we saw mighty mountain sides rising to the left and right, some sprinkled with trees, some covered with dark woods, while the descending fog completely veiled the summits from our sight. We could only guess that on our left we would be able to see the highest peaks of the Presidential Range under better conditions; Mount Washington, Mount Adams and Mount Jefferson. Once again, I felt reverence, deep respect and awe for nature. It's hard to be put in words when you sit tiredly in the lobby of a Boston hostel after such a week. Sorry.

   After one or two lazy hours in our room, we decided to attempt another short hike since the weather seemed to have cleared a little. So back up towards the Presidential Range we drove, and got off at a parking lot where we hoped to get to a frozen waterfall in a few minutes. The wood was dark already and the icy snow did not make walking any easier. But after a last very steep ascent after a short hike of maybe 15 minutes we arrived at that waterfall. Well. It might be there in the summer. What we saw was only a rocky wall with much snow, partly hidden by scraggy black trees. Not even the waterfall's ice was visible. Anyway, the journey is its own reward, right!? Well. This one wasn't exactly. Our friend Steffen might have referred to this short hike as a Gewaltmarsch, a somewhat forced march, or footslog. Maybe we felt like we had to make the best of the rest of that day that did not really allow for a lot of outdoors activity. It was almost dark when we started our short but fast-paced hike, and when we returned, darkness had entirely settled. However, we had a good dinner at a very nice Irish pub and decided to call it a day. We knew that tomorrow, the weather was supposed to be better.