The summit of Mt. Washington rises 6,288 feet in the White Mountains of New Hampshire and is the highest peak in the northeastern United States. I drove the harrowing 7.6 miles auto road to reach the summit.
The weather atop Mt. Washington is considered to be among the worst in the world. The average temperature is 27 degrees F. The wind exceeds hurricane force over 100 days a year, with an average wind velocity of 35 mph. In fact, the highest wind velocity ever measured on earth was clocked at 231 mph on April 12, 1934. All things considered, the weather wasn't too bad on the day I visited, though I wished I had brought gloves. I decided it was too windy to bring Ty out. Besides, he wouldn't have liked the steps he would have had to climb to reach the summit.
The summit, 6,288 feet
Carpark at the summit
There were several structures atop the mountain. The Tip-Top House was built in 1853 and is the oldest surviving structure on the summit. It is the oldest mountain-top hostel in the world and now functions seasonally as a museum. The historic Yankee building houses an FM radio station. WHOM (94.9 FM) transmits from the Mt. Washington summit. The station has survived severe weather and fires over the years.
Tip-Top House, c. 1853
The Sherman Adams Summit building houses the visitor's center, museum, and post office, along with observatory and radio facilities (Mt. Washington Observatory). Unfortunately, all were closed for the season when I visited. The first meteorological observations on Mt. Washington were conducted in 1891 by the US Signal Service.
