After watching the Annular Solar eclipse, and allowing Tom to have his cup of coffee, it was time to load in the Can-Am and traverse the scary switchbacks back to the base of Mt. Washington. Part of the "fun" of this hike is the 6-mile road from Wheeler Peak Mine to the Bristlecone Pine Grove parking area. It's amazing to think it was constructed by two men in 1948 so they could reach the St. Lawrence Mine. We were thankful that it is still accessible and able to shave off 3,500 ft of elevation gain on our way to the parking area where we would begin our hike! Oh, yeah, and we were thankful for Tom's Can-Am!
 |
Looking back to where Tom parked his Can-Am
You're probably thinking why didn't he drive up further . . .
Because it appeared the Park Service had it closed off! |
 |
| It was a short but steep ascent of 200 ft |
 |
| Mt. Washington has a rugged limestone cliff face that abruptly drops off |
 |
What a view! We are standing on top at an elevation of 11,658 ft
Wheeler Peak (13,063) is directly in front of Kent . . . we hiked this in 2012 . . .
We were just kids back then! |
 |
| This is one of those hikes where we ascend (200ft), descend (500ft), ascend (500ft) and descend (200ft) again! |
 |
This panorama shows Mt. Washington on the right and Wheeler Peak on the left
(Click on the picture to enlarge for a full screen view) |
 |
Which one of these is older?
Hope you guessed the Bristlecone . . . by a few hundred years! |
 |
| Signage for a new trail system in Great Basin National Park |
 |
| We have entered the Bristlecone Pine Grove |
 |
Rain, wind and freezing temperatures cause both living and dead Bristlecone trees
to erode like stone, rather than rot, resulting in their unique shapes |
 |
This is the famous Great Basin Bristlecone!
(Used in the Park's pamphlet and also on the back of the 2013 Great Basin quarter) |
 |
| A picture of us to document this special hike |
 |
| Tom showed us these little claw-like bristles on the scales of the cones . . . thus the name Bristlecone! |
 |
An example of a windswept tree
|
 |
Someone must have been bored or enjoyed a long rest here . . .
We think it was meant as a directional arrow to the Bristlecone forest and Snake Divide Trail |
 |
| We are headed over to the top of the gray bump for a break before heading back |
 |
| A much deserved lunch break with a view of the Snake Creek drainage |
 |
| Almost back to Mt. Washington . . . where the fun of the ascent will begin! |
 |
| Yep, it was a little steep! |
 |
| Over the first bump . . . now for the final push to the top! |
 |
| Time to sign the register |
 |
| Mt. Washington stats in the log book |
 |
| Today was a special day! |
 |
Are they coming or going?
On our final descent, to the Can-Am, Tom's hamstring cramped up . . .
Walking backwards helped to relieve some of the pain . . . who knew!
(To us it just looked as if Tom wanted to show us he could moonwalk!) |
Tom made a video, using his drone and GoPro, to capture our time spent watching the annular eclipse and hiking and exploring the Mt. Washington area. Please take a few minutes to watch our posts "come to life" in video format . . . thanks, Tom!
What a perfect weekend! We were able to accomplish all that we had planned . . . and then some. If you would be interested in hiking Mt. Washington and locating the famous Bristlecone pine, you can click
here for a link to Tom's Peakbagger.com post that will give you a topo map and our GPS tracks. Round trip for this hike was less than 2.5 miles and about 700 ft total elevation gain.
