Training to Hike Mount Washington

[snowmonster]

When you posed this question, I was thinking of answering it from the physical conditioning standpoint (i.e., what can I do at the gym to get ready to climb): get some good cardio workouts (running, biking, stairmaster or treadmill) and strengthening your legs and core Work on your quads and hammies. They'll take a pounding on the way down. If you could lose some weight before the climb, do it. Every pound around your gut is weight you're carrying up and pounding your knees on the way down. Every time I climb into Tux, I always wish I shed at least another pound before I headed up.



On the gear side, bring eveything you need and nothing that you won't need. Sounds simple but you'll be surprised by the amount of crap people hike around with. Lay 'em all out on the bed and choose your gear wisely. Remember that every pound you leave behind is a pound you won't have to haul up.

If you don't already have a map of the Mt. Washington area, get one now. Start doing your homework. Know the terrain before you go.

[ski_resort_observer]

The Whites are amazing, not just the mountains but also all the great waterfalls. The auto road is longer but definately easier. I agree with TB you don't want to go that route.

My fav hike in the Whites is Mt. Lafeyette, I first hiked it when I was 12 but it's still the coolest. The view from the top of Cannon down the valley with Mt. Lafeyette, My Lincoln and Mt. Liberty on the left is IMHO the finest alpine landscape view in the east. The tallest mountain in the east might be down in NC but the Blacks down there just don't hold a candle to the alpine environment of the summits of the Whites. Good luck, hope you post some pics.

[andyzee]

Yep, gotta love the falls:



Oops, that was Paterson, NJ, sorry.

NH:

[Wavewheeler]

Regarding places to go in preparation for Mount Washington:

I love the Shawangunks right outside of New Paltz. There's the Mohonk and Minnewaska Preserves, which feature challenging conditions, rock scrambles and beautiful scenery. It's a great way to spend the day hiking.

The NY-NJ Trail Conference has some great maps you can get and their website has a wealth of information about hiking all over the NY metro area.

http://www.nynjtc.org/view/parks_ny

I've driven up to Mount Washington in late June a few years back. At the bottom it was sunny and 90 degrees. I drove up in my Jeep Wrangler with the top down and doors off. Good thing I brought long pants and a heavy sweatsuit because it was 45 degrees at the top and the wind gusts were approaching 30 mph. Even so, the place was crawling with tourists. It was a nice clear day, something is quite a rarity it seems on Mount Washington.

The next day I hiked Tuckerman's Ravine. I found it much more scenic. A really nice day hike.

BTW, if you are looking for people to hike with then go to Meetup.com. There are tons of hiking meet up groups you can join. An example would be http://www.meetup.com/Northeast-Hiking-and-Exploring/

Good luck and have fun and don't take on too much at once. Start with some relatively easy day hikes and work your way up.

[skiersleft]

Thanks for all the great advice. I just wanted to give you a status report. I've been hiking a couple of times per week for the last several weeks. The last two days have been tough. I did Breakneck Ridge/Mt Taurus yesterday. I think it was a 9 mile strenuous hike. Did it in about 5 hours. Today I did Schenemunk Summit hike via Long Path to Jessup Trail to Trestle Trail. Think it was a 7.5 mile hike. Also somewhat strenuous. So 16.5 miles in 2 days with OK elevation and significant scrambling is not a bad way to start training for the prize. Still a ways to go, but feeling good. My legs are toast, btw, much worse than what they've been after skiing recently. Feels good!

[andyzee]

Thanks for all the great advice. I just wanted to give you a status report. I've been hiking a couple of times per week for the last several weeks. The last two days have been tough. I did Breakneck Ridge/Mt Taurus yesterday. I think it was a 9 mile strenuous hike. Did it in about 5 hours. Today I did Schenemunk Summit hike via Long Path to Jessup Trail to Trestle Trail. Think it was a 7.5 mile hike. Also somewhat strenuous. So 16.5 miles in 2 days with OK elevation and significant scrambling is not a bad way to start training for the prize. Still a ways to go, but feeling good. My legs are toast, btw, much worse than what they've been after skiing recently. Feels good!

Way to Go! With this kind of hiking, I think you'll be disappointed with the difficulty of the Mount Washington, but not the views. You could easily hike it now, believe me. And the don't rule out tha Dacks,

[Wavewheeler]

Thanks for all the great advice. I just wanted to give you a status report. I've been hiking a couple of times per week for the last several weeks. The last two days have been tough. I did Breakneck Ridge/Mt Taurus yesterday.!

I'm heading up the Gunks this weekend. I'd like to check out Breakneck Ridge as well. Beautiful country up there! I love a good view and lots of rocks to scramble up!

Sounds like you have it all set for your expedition to Mount Washington but don't rule out the surrounding peaks as well. Nice thing about hiking is that there's always a mountain to hike on and it's never the same going up or coming down. Have fun and enjoy!