Originally Posted by
AT Traveler
125 people have died on Mt Washington because they drove up? Clearly you don't know a lot about the Mountain. While not taking anything away from Marcy, it is not anything like Washington. "Not Without Peril" is a book I would recommend for you, which documents various people and their treks that ended badly that go back over a century to now, many of them unaware or cavalier about the dangers the mountain holds for the unprepared. This is not a technical climb, but it can and will chew people up if one under estimates the potential weather issues.
The worst weather conditions in North America occur on Mt Washington, along with the strongest winds ever recorded in North America. Its also a very cold mountain, having lower temperatures rivaling higher latitudes in Alaska and most of Canada during all months of the year. This is due to mainly to its geographical location, distance from the sea and being a convergent area for weather systems. It has snowed there all months of the year and routinely has dramatic temperature changes well beyond the normal lapse rate. A balmy June or August day at the bottom can be anywhere from 30 to 50 degrees cooler at the summit depending on time of year on nice days. Weather changes happen extremely fast and can sock you in with very cold fog and drizzle in the 40 degree range in mid August with a 50 mph or higher wind. It is not unheard of for snow and freezing rain to develop in these conditions.
My point is not that one should be frightened of every step in the woods, but that one should always respect the power of nature and the elements, especially in challenging environments. Blazed trails are not always safe or easy, though they can be under perfect conditions. We work around weather and terrain effects routinely, with most hikes being in places where weather and/or terrain are easily mitigated being properly prepared. However, under estimation being what it is, its not hard at all to succumb to hypothermia, it can and does happen to tourists in cotton and sneakers and highly experienced mountaineers. Being unaware of the dangers, or worse, believing because a trail is marked makes it not dangerous and not being prepared for condition changes is a hard lesson many have learned. Some paying the ultimate price.