That's in Allegheny, right?
And, you can just drive right up Mt. Washington - or take the cog train. The story of how those came into being is pretty fascinating.
Driving up will save some time and effort!
You can only drive up when the weather is clear, and it's hell on your vehicle. You can also only drive certain vehicles up the mountain. They want you to have a manual transmission but you can do it with an automatic - so long as it has a clearly labeled (and they will check) low gear. No, "2" doesn't cut it. It must be "1" or "L." Otherwise, you ride the van, take the train, hike, or don't go.
I have a six speed trans that I can set a maxium gear on, so I can set it not to shift out of first gear if I wish. I do believe it is labled L on the column. I hadn't thought about how that would wear on the trans. Maybe I'm better off taking the train.
Yes, that's Allegheny.
Yeah, it has to be clearly labeled with a 1 or an L. They aren't in the business of knowing the different features and models of cars, so they set that rule and stick with it pretty firmly - as of the year before last (and every prior trip that I've taken). I wasn't up last year and I didn't go up this year, but I doubt they've changed it. I don't believe the allow any exceptions to this rule.
The train is pretty neat. It's a cog railway, so it uses a special track with gears. It's also called a funicular railway, if you're interested in 'em. It was either the first, or the longest, or some shit. I don't remember.
It's also steam powered and shaped funny - it's at a weird angle, so that you remain sorta level as the ground slopes.
There are vans. Those aren't very expensive and you don't have to go down in the van you went up in. So, you can chill at the top of the mountain for a while.
They used to have races (timed) up the mountain and they have also had snowmobile races up it. (They just take the auto road.) They no longer have automobile races - but they do have a regular bike race up it, which seems like an absurd idea to me.
Yep that is me. I couldn't make it happen this year. I did get some nice hiking and camping in, and I'll be at Tracy Ridge in PA later this month, but NH I had to put off until next year.
This is the hiking plan I'm most likely to follow. I'll definitely visit Mt. Washington, but not as part of my hike.