The balance of the morning saw relatively stable conditions. At noon it was a balmy 23 F in Whitefield and 8 F on Mt Washington. Not too bad, considering that this is January. But as lunchtime came and went, everything began to change. The bottom was about to fall out for Ken and there was very little he could do about it…except experience it.
The temperature profile for the rest of this day presents a sobering lesson in what can happen as a Winter high-pressure system moves across New England. The barometer in Whitefield bottomed out at noon. It then began a steady rise indicative of clearing and colder -much colder- weather. Winds also began picking up and by 4 PM were gusting to 97mph on Washington. Even protected Whitefield was seeing gusts over 30.
During the afternoon Ken might have made his way up Bond Cliff toward the summit of Bond, where he would eventually camp. As the afternoon progressed he faced increasing winds and falling temps. The wind was likely not his main problem however. It was the free-falling temperatures. According to reports, Ken had camped near the summit of Bond on Tuesday might. That placed him at approximately 5K feet. Conditions he would experience here were probably not that much different than those recorded on Mount Washington: Maybe 5 degrees warmer with a bit less wind. The following hourly observations from Washington tell the tale.
Noon: +9 Deg F
1 PM: +7
2 PM: +1
3 PM: -7
4 PM: -13
5 PM: -16
6 PM: -20
It must have been a cold and rushed super that night. But a good bag and sturdy tent would be up to the challenge, if the thermometer leveled off at -20. But unfortunately it didn’t. In a phone call with a friend that evening, Ken indicated that he wanted out, but seemed to be dealing well with the conditions and staying comfortable. However, things were going to get worse at 5k feet on the Bond ridge.
8 PM: -27
9 PM: -31
11 PM: -36
1 AM: - 40
3 AM: - 42
6 AM: - 43.6
Ken must have been a very courageous and amazing person. Under those unimaginable conditions he managed to rouse himself, pack up and move. The fortitude and stamina he mustered to do this is the stuff of polar exploration legend. On his ill-fated quest for the pole, Scott stayed in his tent (for days) when conditions became this severe. Ken apparently did not feel that was an option. He needed to get out, probably because he was unable to stay warm hunkered down in his camp.
As he turned into the wind and made his way north and west toward the Guyot and then South Twin, the cold did not relent. At 8 AM it is –42 on Washington and –20 far below the Twinway in Whitefield. At 10 AM Washington records winds gusting to 98 mph. At noon the temp has reached only –36. Oddly enough, visibility on Washington is pretty good at 70 miles. South Twin must have looked so close...
Coldest Overnight Outing
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Originally Posted by Harry
