[Moose]

I wanted to revel in the sunshine and temperature inversion this weekend even though I had a million other commitments, so I chose Mt. Washington because of its proximity. There are a lot of blowdowns on the trail for the first half mile and consistent hard-packed snow beginning around 2,000'. I took a left at the ponds and headed up the old road, then straight up the slopes to the ridge. There is a well-established track and I didn't throw on snowshoes OR crampons the entire day - a very rare winter occurrence indeed. It was warm, probably in the 50s, but there was a fierce wind blowing that made it feel quite a bit chillier.

Can you tell how windy it was?

Getting closer

The requisite Rainier shot

Views south

Back at the ponds Depending on conditions, I would recommend bringing an ice axe for the steep slope section of the route. Although brief, there is some exposure and if the snow is hard-packed it might be uncomfortable to some.

[Mike Collins]

Where is Mount Washington in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness? I am familiar with Mount Washington that is across the street (I-90) from ALW but not one within the wilderness.

[Moose]

My mistake, I assumed it was in the ALW (since Granite Mtn is?) but a quick Google search proved me wrong. It's been corrected - thanks.