Post by MtnGoat2 on Jan 26, 2008 14:09:28 GMT -5
It was a nice sunny day in June of '79 when three of us decided to hike to the top of Mt. Washington... We ascended the Boott Spur trail reaching the summit somewhere in the 6:00 range (due to an inexperienced hiker), downed several soda's then began the descent via the Tuckerman's Ravine Trail.
A quarter of a mile below the Lions Head cut-off we came across a 'warning' sign advising us to turn around and go back up to the junction to take the Lions Head Trail down. Thick snow was covering the Tuckerman's trail along the lip of the headwall with a fast-paced brook underflowing the mound. Unpassable!!!
Due to the condition of one of our hikers, our leader suggested we skirt up over the rock outcrop above us, loop around and come back down onto the Tuckerman's Ravine Trail.
We didn't get far before the ground started to give away sending rock and gravel slides down into the ravine. We were now out over the trail looking directly down into the 'bowl'...We grabbed onto anything we could find that seemed stable and MtnGoat started to hyperventilate
Horror stories of hiker's tragedies flooded my mind and I snapped out of my attack only when our leader yelled 'If you don't knock it off we're all going to die!'...
After collecting what was left of my wits, we scrambled up and were now within reach of small, wind-stunted mini-trees which we used to haul us up to safety.
The ground leveled out and we stumbled onto the Lions Head Trail ... Humbly descended by moonlite reaching the visitors hut at 11:55pm...!!!
Moral to story: Heed signs! AND...STAY ON TRAILS!
A quarter of a mile below the Lions Head cut-off we came across a 'warning' sign advising us to turn around and go back up to the junction to take the Lions Head Trail down. Thick snow was covering the Tuckerman's trail along the lip of the headwall with a fast-paced brook underflowing the mound. Unpassable!!!
Due to the condition of one of our hikers, our leader suggested we skirt up over the rock outcrop above us, loop around and come back down onto the Tuckerman's Ravine Trail.
We didn't get far before the ground started to give away sending rock and gravel slides down into the ravine. We were now out over the trail looking directly down into the 'bowl'...We grabbed onto anything we could find that seemed stable and MtnGoat started to hyperventilate
Horror stories of hiker's tragedies flooded my mind and I snapped out of my attack only when our leader yelled 'If you don't knock it off we're all going to die!'...
After collecting what was left of my wits, we scrambled up and were now within reach of small, wind-stunted mini-trees which we used to haul us up to safety.
The ground leveled out and we stumbled onto the Lions Head Trail ... Humbly descended by moonlite reaching the visitors hut at 11:55pm...!!!
Moral to story: Heed signs! AND...STAY ON TRAILS!