Hold your breath and don't look down! All aboard the Mount Washington Cog Train!
Left Bill and Faye's for the Kancamangus Hwy in New Hampshire's White Mtns on a clear, sunny morning. Yesterday was cloudy and drippy. Perfect timing! Today we were treated to gorgeous autumn color at every twist a
nd turn of the hwy. We drove on toward Mount Washington and the cog railway. On the way, we secured a site for the nite at Crawford Notch campground.
The original "little train that could," Mt Washington Cog Railway has been climbing to the summit of Mt Washington since 1869. The track runs along a steep, 3.1 mile long trestle whose maximum gradient is over 37%, making it the second steepest mountain climbing train in the world, second only to the Pilatus Bahn in Switzerland. The entire run is built on a trestle, taking visitors on a scenic adventure from the 2700' base station to the summit of the 6288' mountain, 'home of the world's worst weather', but this day we could see to the top, and we could hardly believe our eyes at the straight up route we'd take. The little engine looked like a broken toy, but it did the job, jerking along the cogs and belching black smoke all the way. The Appalachian Trail crosses the summit of Mount Washington, and the stone cairns show the way to hikers when the mountain is socked in by bad weather.
The temp was maybe 40ish when we arrived at the summit and we stayed only 20 minutes before the whistle blew. Our descent was nothing short of miraculous. Clouds drifted in and light rain began again while we ate dinner. Like I said, perfect timing!
nd turn of the hwy. We drove on toward Mount Washington and the cog railway. On the way, we secured a site for the nite at Crawford Notch campground.The original "little train that could," Mt Washington Cog Railway has been climbing to the summit of Mt Washington since 1869. The track runs along a steep, 3.1 mile long trestle whose maximum gradient is over 37%, making it the second steepest mountain climbing train in the world, second only to the Pilatus Bahn in Switzerland. The entire run is built on a trestle, taking visitors on a scenic adventure from the 2700' base station to the summit of the 6288' mountain, 'home of the world's worst weather', but this day we could see to the top, and we could hardly believe our eyes at the straight up route we'd take. The little engine looked like a broken toy, but it did the job, jerking along the cogs and belching black smoke all the way. The Appalachian Trail crosses the summit of Mount Washington, and the stone cairns show the way to hikers when the mountain is socked in by bad weather.
That cog railway is absolutely amazing, isn't it? We sure had a great time riding that thing!
ReplyDeleteWow . . . the little engine that could -- my favorite story. I'm looking forward to the pictures. "Bo" W.
ReplyDelete