Day # 18

Thanks to the innovations of man, we spent the day viewing God’s beautiful creation. Only an Almighty God could have created a landscape with such magnificence.

The view from the top of Mt. Washington was not accessible to the public until men built first a carriage road, then, in the 1860s, a cog railway. The cog system is necessary because this is the second steepest train in the world. The maximum incline is 31.4%. Coal-fired engines were replaced with steam, and today biodiesel. However, one steam engine still runs once a day, with the coal man shoveling coal into the fire continuously the entire trip up the mountain. We were on a biodiesel train.

Mt. Washington is reputed to experience the worst weather in the world. The highest wind speed ever recorded was 231 mph in 1934. The average yearly snowfall is 250 inches. The treeline – where the trees no longer grow - is at 5,000 feet. In most mountainous areas, the treelines start at about 10,000 feet. One hundred forty-eight people have died on this mountain.

We wore all our layers today. When we stepped off the train at the top of Mt. Washington, we were pleasantly surprised. It was cold, but there was not a bitter wind, the weather was clear. We had an excellent view as we walked around the summit. Ice coated railings and buildings. For the most part, the summit was a sea of rocks, devoid of all but a few wisps of greenery. An enterprising man built a hotel in the last century, the Tip Top. Visitors slept in bunks, and I’m sure they spent much time huddled about the stoves for warmth.

Kaylyn and I stepped into the mountain-top building for a few minutes. When we came out again, fog had descended on the mountain, and it was lightly hailing. I’ve heard it said in Wisconsin, “If you don’t like the weather, wait 15 minutes.” I think that applies to Mt. Washington, but five minutes is enough for the weather to change dramatically.

It is remarkable to think that 150 years ago men erected a railway in the terrible weather of Mt. Washington that continues to be used and improved today.

Several people recommended the Kancamagus Highway to Kaylyn and me. We drove that next. It was indeed spectacular scenery, particularly with the trees turning. All day I kept trying to imagine how to describe this to you. At the lowest levels, the trees are still green. Half way up the mountains, the trees are a riot of reds and oranges, still mixed with perhaps 40% of trees which have not yet turned. Toward the tops of the mountains, fewer trees are turning because there are more evergreens at higher elevations. The delight of catching the season early is that none of the trees are bare yet. The greens and reds and oranges all mix together to create something of a rust carpet covering the mountainsides.

The Kancamagus ends near Franconia Notch. Kaylyn and I hiked the Flume, which is a place where the river cuts through rock. 

Back in the 19^th century men came into the flume and somehow suspended a walkway through it. And that was long before shoes with rubber non-skid soles and modern construction equipment.  I cannot imagine how they managed to build that walkway in a gorge. But if they had not erected it, we could not enjoy the beauty of the flume. Without road-builders and cog railway builders, we could not have enjoyed all the beauty accessible to us.

And without heat, we sure would be cold in our Marshmallow. It is just above freezing outside. Brrrr…. We don’t like the thought of walking to the cold bathroom!