Join us on a difficult hike (likely breaking trail in snowshoes) on an infrequently-traveled path up Boott Spur and Mt. Washington! The hike involves 6 miles (!) of above-treeline travel with breathtaking views. Or potentially cloudy views like this:

We'll start at the Pinkham Notch Trailhead, head up Boott Spur, and from there, head up to the summit of Mt. Washington. The route is about 10 miles, with 4500 ft of elevation gain, with significant above-treeline travel of 6 miles!

This route is not commonly traveled in winter, so there's a chance we'll be breaking trail the whole way up. This is a great hike for people who have some winter hiking experience and are looking to do a challenging hike.

Prerequisites

We don't have strict/inflexible prerequisites, but as a guideline, you should:

• Have done a ≥ 6 mile long winter hike
• Have done a hike with ≥ 3,000 feet of elevation gain in the last six months (in a single hike, not cumulatively)

Because of the weather forecast (supposed to be pretty mild), prior above-treeline experience is not required! Prior experience with snowshoes will be helpful, but it's not required.

If you do satisfy these prereqs, you're a great fit for this trip!

If you don't satisfy the prereqs, but you want to join the trip anyways, you are welcome to enter the trip lottery. We can be flexible on the prereqs depending on your past experience. If you don't satisfy the prereqs listed above, please send an email to the leaders. We want to make sure that this hike is safe and comfortable for everyone who joins.

Logistics

There will be a required pre-trip meeting at 5:30pm on Thursday to review gear and logistics, in the student center (W20). We'll send details by email after the lottery runs.

We will need a couple drivers for this trip! Please update your car status if you can drive (put "willing to rent" if you can rent — MIT provides discounted car rental, and we'll evenly split rental/gas costs).