The Lion in Winter (Mt. Washington)
- Leaders
- Bjorn Poonen (B coC), Chrissy Glover (A coC), Jack Hare (coC), Lucas Arthur (C coI)
- WIMP
- Joe Palin
- Program
- Winter (outside IAP)
- Type
- Hiking
- Terrain level
- C
- Trip date
- Saturday, February 17th, 2024
- Difficulty rating
- Advanced
- Prerequisites
- Extended winter hiking experience. Physical condition for a hike of this length and elevation gain.
Join us on a challenging hike Saturday to the highest peak in the Northeast, with grand 360-degree views of the entire region! We'll be ascending via one of the steepest trails in the White Mountains, the Lion Head winter route, which has a section gaining 950 ft. in 0.4 miles, requiring crampons and ice axe. Full skin covering will be required. Mt. Washington can be subject to extreme winds and cold, so there is a significant chance that the weather will force us to modify or cancel the trip.
Route: 7.6 mi, 4250 ft. gain, with very steep scrambling. A few miles above treeline. If conditions are atypically good, we might descend via Nelson Crag (making it 9.1 mi, 4450 ft. gain). Map: https://caltopo.com/m/G0LH1
We will leave Cambridge very early so that we can hike at a comfortable pace. We'll stop for a quick breakfast along the way.
Mandatory in-person pre-trip meeting Thursday, February 15, 6:30pm in the MIT Student Center.
Participants will share car costs (about $130/car). If you can drive your own car or are willing to drive a rental car, please edit the lottery preferences on your MITOC profile to show this.
Signup
- Algorithm
- first-come, first-serve
- Maximum participants
- 5
- Signups opened at
- Feb. 12, 2024, noon
- Signups closed at
- Feb. 14, 2024, 10 a.m.
- Notes
- Describe a winter hike you have done before (length and elevation gain, if you remember them).
- Have you hiked above treeline in winter before (preferred)?
- Have you used snowshoes before (preferred)?
- Have you used crampons and ice axe before (preferred)?