Narrator: These are four happy people. They're having fun, just back from climbing Mount Washington.
And this is how it all came about. Here's John and Burt now. John's on the left.
They both had a great deal of experience in the mountains and have covered most of
the trails there many times over. John reminds Burt that the young couple from
down the street is still planning to go climbing with them. They want someone to
teach them how to climb safely. That was Verne.
She said that Alan would be along with her in a few minutes and if they could
get some pointers about the trip for the long weekend coming up, they would certainly appreciate it.
Burt wants to start at Pinkham Notch and do Mount
Washington by way of the Tuckerman Ravine Trail, coming down the Crawford Path the next day.
Here's Vern and here's Alan.
Let's listen a minute.
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One of the things, Bert says, is the importance of having plenty of warm clothing.
A great many people start up the mountain in the summer just wearing
shorts and a t-shirt, and perhaps carrying a box camera.
There can be terrific winds which chill you to the bone in a matter of minutes. A windproof parka or jacket is a must.
Here John shows what is carried in a pack. A good heavy wool shirt.
You can imagine how comforting it is, particularly when the wind is blowing up top.
Another shirt provides a welcome change at the day's end.
If you're going above treeline, and this group will as soon as they get out
of Tuckerman's Ravine, a pair of long trousers is a necessity.
Slacks or dungarees keep the legs warm and the body comfortable even in driving rain or sleet.
Allen is taking notes here to make sure he gets all the important points.
To take a flashlight. To have a couple of spare candy bars for emergency food.
To take a sweater along. Of course Vern is interested in footwear, as all women are.
See her dainty pump. And believe it or not, there have been a few foolhardy
women who have tried climbing in these. And here is a real climbing boot.
Just for the fun of it, she's going to try it on herself.
I don't think any shoe salesman would make a success of selling her that barge.
A good pair of climbing is best.
If you don't have the boots and don't plan to do a lot of climbing,
sneakers will take you through. Actually a high basketball type sneaker is better than a low sneaker.
It helps prevent turn ankles. Alan certainly is an eager beaver.
I wonder if he made a note about Footwear.
This picture is of Mount Washington in the winter. It's rugged and tough and it
should only be attempted at this time of year by a strong party, well trained in
Alpine techniques. Bert traces the route from the summit, past the Lake of the
Clouds and down the ridge to Crawford Notch.
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Verne may well be thanking her lucky stars that this is a summer trip and has
no desire to sample this Arctic wasteland in the winter.
At long last we're on the road and heading toward the mountains.
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Mount Chocorua, a picturesque landmark known to thousands.
The famous covered bridge at Jackson is only 11 miles from our destination,
so we're going to stop for just a moment and take a look.
Allen says "Verne, that oughta be a good place to fish.
Let's look over the other side of the bridge."
Fishermen and white mountain streams seem to go together.
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On to Pinkham Notch Camp.
This mountain lodge is open to all.
It is operated year round by the Appalachian Mountain Club and the nicest thing is,
that it doesn't make any difference whether you're a member of the club or not.
You're always welcome here.
Burt took the precaution of writing ahead for a reservation from the hut's manager, George Hamilton.
They're going in to have a look around.
With the long weekend ahead, our group is planning the climb for the following day.
It's fun to relax at Pinkham and think about what you're going to do.
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In fact, it's a lot of fun just to sit and soak up the sun.
Anyway the serious business is at hand and I think we'd better have a look at the map and see how it shapes up.
Now the map is spread on the grass. The compass is placed on top of it and
then the map is turned so that the north of the map, which is always at the top,
lines up with the compass. This is known as orientation and positions the map
exactly the way the terrain actually is. And here the route goes up the
summit and crosses over to the Lake of the
Clouds Hut where they plan to stay tomorrow night.
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There's a hutman now. It's interesting to know that in all the club huts, and there are eight in the chain,
each is provisioned by hutman who carry the supplies in.
Every bite you eat, except the blueberries which grow in season, comes in over the trail.
Everything - pancakes, bacon and eggs, even the turkey for roasting, come on the hutman's packboard.
Most of these men are preparing for college sports in the fall.
What better way to develop sturdy legs and long endurance?
Ah, sack time.
What a wonderful time and Verne hits it early. In fact her watch says only 9:30.
It's funny how fast the hours go in the mountains.
Here's morning already and out comes a young man with purpose in his eyes.
He picks up a piece of an old Ford axle.
George Hamilton says this will wake the dead,
but it's a wonderful sound for anybody who's ever been in Pinkham.
Gradually it penetrates even Verne's consciousness.
6:30?! Oh that's too early!
Just time for another little bit of shut-eye.
Oh no! That really did it!
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Allen is raring to go. He's been up for some time and hungry.
He says "Hey Verne, how 'bout it? Let's eat!"
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With this breakfast under their belts,
they come out to get the pitch from George. What's the weather on top? Is it going to be a good day?
"Yes sir" says George, "it certainly is." Bert
asks, "George, remember last night I asked if someone could take the car around to
the other side of the mountain to Crawford Notch?" George says, "You're in luck.
One of the huttmen has agreed to do it tomorrow on his day off."
And so we start the famous fire trail, which leads up to Tuckerman.
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Ah, a suspension bridge. Don't think that every stream on the mountain can be
crossed by a wonderful bridge like this. Lots of them have only stepping stones.
Here they go at a steady, easy mountaineers pace. It's a slow slogging
step that doesn't burn up energy. It conserves it. And not only that,
the pace can be maintained over a long period. Those who rush ahead and rest and rush
ahead again, get pretty tired out. The good mountaineer hits this pace and
holds it and covers a lot of ground. And when the day is done he has had his
exercise but he isn't in the last stages of exhaustion. There's always time for a
snapshot. Scenery like this makes wonderful pictures.
Ha, Bert and John have shucked off a shirt or two and have tucked them away in their pack.
They're getting ready for a little work ahead and they don't want to work themselves into a lather.
Better to climb cool and have warm dry clothes to put on at the the lunch stop.
This part of the Tuckerman Trail is well known to thousands of skiers.
Those who grew up during the winter follow this famous trail to the Tuckerman shelter,
which is maintained by the Appalachian Mountain Club.
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And of course, the nice thing about any trail is what you see along the side.
Here are bunch berries. And the woods too are always beautiful, with their patterns of light and shade.
This path, being a valley trail, has water all along it.
The water is good to drink. No fluorine to save your teeth. No chlorine to taste,
like it does in the city. Just pure fresh sweet water.
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Hey Vern, come on!
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Once in a while, if a shoe is new or if it isn't laced up quite snug enough,
it begins to ride up and down causing a little friction, and of course that means blisters.
It looks to me as though Vern is beginning to limp a little bit.
Perhaps we better have a look at that foot see what the trouble is.
Ah, this shows us.
If you are on the trail the shoe begins to hurt, don't be a hero.
Tell your friends about it and fix it.
Watch how this blister is being taken care of.
The pad is put on either side to take the pressure off.
Never put a pad over the blister itself. Once the pads are on either side
they take the pressure away and make the foot comfortable.
This has gone a little further than it should have, but with this treatment I think she'll
be as good as new.
The first aid kit is small and compact. It contains adhesive tape, an antiseptic,
a roll of gauze and a few band-aids. That's all you need. It doesn't weigh
much or take up much room in the pack. Always have one first-aid kit in the party.
Lunch time. And of course, good lunches are always wrapped well to keep them fresh and moist.
Watch Vern. She's so hungry she throws her wrapper right on the ground.
John picks it up and says to Vern, "we never throw things on the trail
because trash just spoils the woods for everyone."
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Here's the Tuckerman Ravine shelter. Built by the National Forest Service and
used in the spring as well as in the summer. It's right at the foot of the
little head wall and commands a wonderful view of the ravine.
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Up to the right ,where our group is looking, is Lion's Head. It doesn't look
much like a lion's head from this side but from the other side it definitely does.
Then we swing across the head of the
ravine, noticing the ever changing cloud formations. You will find it in the
mountains, cloud formations come and go very quickly.
Blue and gold days turned a very drab and dark day and it may be only a few
minutes between changes.
This is the beginning of the little head wall and as you can see, the graded path ends about here.
And the going gets a good deal rougher and steeper.
Clouds have swung in and now the day that was so bright has
become overcast. Let's hope it's only temporary.
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This is the floor of the ravine proper and in a few minutes we will start
slamming up the right side of it.
Peculiar-looking gray slab is all that is left of the snow arch.
In the earlier part of the season, this snow bridge is massive. A hole is cut through the bridge
by the water pouring down. The bridge may weigh many tons, so if you pass early in
the season when the bridge is still there, give it a wide berth.
Sections weighing hundreds of pounds may break loose at any minute.
We're looking now back across the valley, along the Wildcat ski trail.
And we see the Carter Ridge, and then the opposite wall of the ravine itself.
You will notice that the character of the terrain has changed from woodland to rock formations and low scrub.
The considerate hiker never picks the flowers. He leaves them for all to enjoy.
Now that we are at treeline,
this is where, in threatening weather, the experienced Mountaineer will stop.
He will weigh the conditions. And, if in doubt, will wisely return to the shelter
of the trees rather than press on into an area without shelter of any kind.
The Forest Service has placed a sign on every trail at treeline reminding those
who are not familiar with the area to stop, to consider the conditions,
and if necessary to turn back. Is this a lone climber? No indeed. No one with any sense
climbs alone. He stopped to make his pack ride easier, while the rest of his party
waits for him just down the trail.
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Stairs?! After what we've just been over?
Actually, these stairs just lead from the
carriage road parking lot to the summit house.
Here is one of the early buildings. And as you will notice, there is a chain over it.
These buildings are literally chained down because the winds up here can
become extremely high. The Summit House and the Cod Railroad from the base are
presently owned by Dartmouth College. The Summit House is open to visitors.
Allen wants to take a closer look at this unusual railroad.
It was put up many years ago by Sylvester Marsh.
The state of New Hampshire, thinking the idea frivolous, granted him a franchise to put
a railroad up Mount Washington, or to the moon if he so desired.
The engines are old timers that burn a
ton of coal per trip.
From the summit, the highest point in New England, we're looking down on everything we see.
You should notice the cairns, or piles of rock, that have been built here to mark the trails.
They seem unnecessary on a beautiful clear day like this one,
but in heavy fog, they are the greatest invention above treeline.
Our tail leads down to the lake of the clouds Hut ,whose slate roof is shining in the distance.
It is here that John, Vern, Allen and Bert will spend the night and then start
tomorrow down the long ridge trail to Crawford Notch.
It's hard to believe that this is the same place we saw in the picture that
hangs over the fireplace in John's house. Imagine what it would be like to be here
without proper equipment or experience in this area absolutely devoid of trees or cover.
On April 11th 1934, it was here that the wind blew 231 miles an hour,
the highest ever recorded anywhere. Even in the summer there may be winds of
100 miles an hour with snow, cold or freezing fog.
That's why extra gear is so necessary in this area.
Not far from here in the middle of July, two young people died of exposure,
simply because they didn't know. But with a little knowledge and the use of common
sense, the mountains are wonderful to see and enjoy.
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Doesn't this look good?! That's turkey with all the fixings.
After packing away a supper like this, and a breakfast just as good, they're going to
have plenty of energy for tomorrow.
Wow! What a change from yesterday! Nothing but fog. The cairns will really prove
their value and keep us on the trail today.
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Once again, just to be on the safe side, they will check out the signposts with their guidebook map.
A mountain guidebook of any area you climb in is worth its weight in gold.
It's only good sense to have one in the party.
A parka that sheds water is particularly welcome on a day like this.
Perhaps the weather is better down below. It often is. The clouds cling to the peaks, even on good days.
When the weather socks in like this, everyone in the party
should make a point of keeping at least one other member of the party in view at all times.
Swinging off the Crawford Path for a little way, we come to the Mizpah Shelter.
This is one of the open shelters maintained by the club. No huttmen here.
No prepared meals. In fact, facilities are definitely limited.
But we shouldn't complain because it's all for free. Look! There's a man and his son. Their fire is
burning on the stone fireplace and on a day like this it sure looks warm and comforting.
This man is obviously a thoroughly experienced hiker and he is teaching his son.
They are going up where our group has just come from.
They plan to stay in another shelter tonight, but the one over in the great Gulf.
People who stay in shelters must carry sleeping bags, all their food.
In fact, everything they need or think they might need on the trip. With so much gear it's
more practical to put it on a pack board instead of ruck sacks, like our friends carry.
Vern is interested in this new piece of equipment and asks if she can
heft it to get an idea of how much it weighs. It seems it's a man-sized load.
The lad is going down to the spring to fill the canteens for the trip.
Before leaving, like all good campers, they make sure that the fire is completely out.
And one good way to make sure, is to pour water on the fire and then stir it with
a stick until the dead coals stop smoking.
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Once again we're back on the Crawford Path and heading down the trail.
We have gotten below cloud level at last and sure enough the weather has improved.
Here it is sunny and delightful once more. That's one of the lessons you learn
in the White Mountains. Changes of wind, weather, and temperature often occur in a
very short time and sometimes drastically.
The end of the trail where the Crawford Path comes out at Crawford Notch.
Our friends sit down for a few minutes and think about what they have done and how much they have enjoyed themselves.
Back to cars! The smell of gasoline and the hard macadam.
It takes a moment to readjust to civilization.
John and Burt are in good shape, but you notice that the newcomers seem a little bit tired.
Alan thinks it would be an awfully good idea just to kind of stretch out and Vern think so too.
There's our car. George Hamilton was as good as his word.
As our hikers leave the mountains, they realize that they had a successful trip because they planned it that way.
They had fun. So much fun that already they're planning their next mountain holiday.