Mount Washington is the highest mountain in New Hampshire. It is the most prominent peak east of the Mississippi River. It sports both a road and train that go to the summit, both of which have been in place since the 1800's.

In addition to the road and tracks, there are dozens of trails that reach the summit from various starting locations.

The peak is famous for it's extreme weather and winds. In 1934, the world's highest windspeed was recorded on the summit at 231mph!

After my previous day on Mount Katahdin and long hours of driving, I wasn't really up for another long day on crappy trails on Mount Washington. That coupled with the fact that I needed to be back in Portland, Maine to catch a flight later meant that I was heading up the road.

It didn't feel right just driving to the summit, so once on top, I dropped off the summit on the Gulfside Trail and climbed Mount Clay, then dropped off Mount Clay to climb Mount Jefferson. I then followed the trail back to the top of Mount Washington.

Early in the day the summit was cold, breezy and had just a few dozen people. Upon return, the winds had died down, it was warmer, and there were hundreds of people milling about everywhere!

The views on Mount Washington are tremendous and so is the history. I enjoyed my visit of the area despite the crowds. Even below the treeline the terrain is pretty.

The descent of the road left me a bit nervous during my hike. Turns out it wasn't that bad. I just left the car in low gear and stopped to cool the brakes twice (they recommended stopping 6-8 times). The packet for the road included a CD with the history of the road, all the way from the building of it and wagons making the trip to the annual auto race where the 7.4 miles have been completed in 6 minutes and 9 seconds!!!

The driving directions vary based on the route you choose.

For my hike, I dropped off the northside of Mount Washington and followed the Gulfside Trail to Mount Clay and then Mount Jefferson. I then returned to Mount Washington.