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Mount Washington New Hampshire
Mount Washington (formerly Agiocochook) in Coos County, New Hampshire is the highest peak in New England. It is located in the Presidential Range of mountains, named for Presidents of the United States, located in the White Mountains of the State of New Hampshire. Mt. Washington was first climbed in 1642, but there was little activity there until the middle of the 19th century when it was developed as one of the first intentional tourist destinations in the country with the construction of several summit hotels including the Tip Top House, which is still standing and was recently renovated as an historical exhibit. Other tourist construction in the 19th century included a stagecoach road and the Mount Washington Cog Railway (1869), both of which are still delivering tourists to the top. Mount Washington literally has some of the worst weather in the world, as it holds the wind speed record at 231 mph (372 km/h), recorded in 1934, and regular winter temperatures of -47°F (-44°C). Buildings there are designed to withstand 300 mph (480 km/h) winds. Some are chained directly to the mountain. In addition to a number of broadcast towers, the mountain is the site of a non-profit scientific observatory reporting the weather as well as other aspects of the sub-arctic climate of the mountain. The mountain is a popular hiking and recreational area, including Tuckerman Ravine, famous for its Memorial Day skiing and its 45-degree slopes, and notorious for its avalanches. About 100 are recorded every year and since 1849 more than 130 people have died in slides. Numerous hikers have been lost on the mountain due to the difficulty of judging the weather on the mountain from down below. Hikers on the Appalachian trail visit the summit while on their way to and from Mt. Katahdin External Links
Categories: New Hampshire mountains | Coos County, New Hampshire
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