The Winds of Thor

Mt. Washington. That is such a bad-ass mountain. tMail and I took the Lion's Head (Summer) route up and down - 6 hours on the dot. The weather was terrific. The MWO reported winds between 60 and 70mph, but the summit was nowhere near as impressive as the trek from the Lion's Head outcrop to the Alpine Garden trailhead. Last winter's BadBoy was probably worse, but only because it was a steady freight train wind. tMail and I got HAMMERED. We had time to play around in it and both had the experience of leaning forward and having our full weight held. After leaping around and nearly getting thrown off the mountain I had the unfortunate experience of getting shoved by a strong gust and held in place standing for about 5 seconds. What the hell!

Mutha's Trip Report (pics): We had a few bad omens on the way up:
1 - The winds were howling in the woods
2 - The first guy down was an ice climber who had played in Huntington Ravine and commented that he had a horrific time on Lion's head in the wind.
3 - Next, a solo hiker on the way down claimed he didn't dare summit because of the blowing snow and horrific winds.
4 - Then, in the shelter of the Lion's Head boulders (the lower ones) a group of four french Canadians were clearly spent, and the woman near mental and physical exhaustion, claiming the winds were 'terrible' and that with the coming storm, it was foolish to continue on.

Bunch of amateurs. tMail and I had the greatest hike. It was warm (hovering around 15-20°F), really windy, but extraordinarily beautiful. Pics will be posted later tonight or tomorrow, along w/ some video. Taking picks while being knocked around by wind isn't easy, but we had to bring back evidence.

Transcript of brief conversation on bridge, on way down, while staring at Cutler River:
tMail: Let's check the itinerary and see if we did everything.
Mutha: Go for it.
tMail: The Winds of Thor were blowing cold.
Mutha: Check.
tMail: The Dogs of Doom were howling.
Mutha: Check.

For some great fun, click on the lovely, serene photo at the right and enjoy the beauty and tranquility of the White Mountains. Really stare hard at it and enjoy the serenity. I mean REALLY enjoy the serenity.

Then check out this 11sec YouTube video of the same scene, taken a moment later.

[Update 9pm] Mutha's Pics are posted. tMail's Pics are posted.

tMail's Trip Report: First off Bad Boy and I have a very special relationship one that sides on the side of caution. I was telling MZ like no other mountain I am more reserved on Bad Boy. I don't know what it is about the mountain but MZ and I did numerous check on time, weather, ability to spot the trail behind us. We made summit and returned. I think all of us know each other well and no limits and trust others making judgement calls and knowing that the decisions at any time can be reversed.

1. Arc Teryx Shell unbelievable all I had on going up Bad Boy was a base layer smart wool
2. Patagona Backcountry Guide Pants unbelievable the vents work awesome, suspenders awesome great great pants.
3. Tec Wick long underwear EMS awesome did not have any issues with legs getting overheated i regulated temperature well.
4. Goggles no issue what so ever...key is keeping face moisture down and good ventilation.
5. EMS windstopper shirt awesome the wind was howling below treeline this shirt did the trick.
6. New EMS mittens that are not bulky filled with primaloft awesome work them the entire day vented well and stayed dry inside.
7. Helly Hansen hat wore it from start to finish.
8. We moved at a good pace but I seemed to do the moisture management well if i got hot opened vents, took a layer off etc etc...
9. I told MZ the winds didn't really surprise me or us...talking to other people they were taken off guard and some looked like they were abducted by aliens. I think our past experiences paid dividends.
10. Once I was able to lean fully forward and be held up my the Winds of Thor.
11. This was probably one of the best hikes I have been on it had adventure, it was peaceful, spiritual coming down Bad Boy was awesome nobody around us the sun came out and the snow, ice and cairns you see for miles. I told MZ I always wanted to be on Bad Boy in the picturesque setting and finally made it...