Gorham, New Hampshire - April 2, 2009
Some call it hell on earth.
Wind gusts here have topped 200 miles an hour, temperatures dip as low as 47 degrees below zero. And no peak in North America has claimed more lives over the past 100 years.
"More than 100 people have died on Mount Washington," says Peter Crane, of the Mount Washington Observatory. "A couple dozen more if you include the neighboring peaks."
But not everyone fears this towering giant.
For $179 a pop, thrill-seekers can take a ride to the summit of the iconic peak in the harshest of conditions.
The Mount Washington Observatory has been offering snow tractor rides the past four years. Each includes a couple of memorable stops.
The eight mile trip can take up to six hours depending on snow drifts and visibility.
"There's days when there's zero visibility," says Gus Vincent, who operates the snow tractor. "You can barely see the blade on the front of the cab."
After a lot of white knuckle turns and a little bit of plowing, most trips do finally reach the summit-- the perfect place to take in spectacular views.
On a clear day you can see the Adirondack Mountains and even the Atlantic Ocean.
This is not one of those days.
"They say it might blow over. I don't know," laughs Brooks Reinhard, of West Chester, Pa.
"There are times when you can look down at your feet and not see them, where you can be with a companion, five feet away from you and not be able to make him or her out," Crane says.
And no trip here is complete without a hike to the official 6,288-foot summit.
Fortunately for these travelers, the hike is a short one.
"When we came up here we were looking for pretty extreme weather and we've got it somewhat extreme," says Kip Moore, of Portland, Maine.
Not only is it cold, it's also windy. Mount Washington is home to the world's strongest wind gusts. In 1934 the wind was clocked at 231 miles per hour here.
But there is a bit of warmth atop the mountain.
Inside the Mount Washington Observatory homemade cookies are just coming out of the oven.
A team of meteorologists and weather observers live and work here year-round.
The observatory has been helping the National Weather Service with forecasts for the past 76 years.
Wind speeds, temperature, barometric pressure, and most other data are recorded from the inside.
But observers do step outdoors every hour to record visibility and to knock the ice off various weather instruments.
"If you were in sneakers you'd be sliding all over the place," says Larry Wagner, of Scarborough, Maine.
But for these adventure seekers, a couple hours visit is long enough.
It's the trip of a lifetime.
"It's just great coming up here and seeing the top of the world," Wagner says.
No matter how windy, how cold, or how drastic the weather, it's just another day atop Mount Washington.
Click here for more information on visiting Mount Washington. Keagan Harsha - WCAX News
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