Mt Washington - what to pack?

[Dan Simoes]

Add comfortable shoes and flexible clothing - one minute you might want
shorts, the next you might need pants.  Weather is unpredictable, so be
prepared for anything.  A light jacket/fleece would not be uncalled for.

Brett Dikeman wrote:
> 
> Ok, this'll be my 3rd year, so here's what I've learned.
> 
> Earplugs aren't all that necessary; the noise isn't constant(runs are
> every 3-5 minutes, and no matter where you are, you see each car for about
> 10 seconds or the car is only close to you for a few seconds(up top I
> believe there are some spots where you can watch the cars come up from
> below you.)
> 
> One big item is this...amusement items.  Chris Miller brought a set of
> Bocce balls which a bunch of us had far too much fun with(there are some
> pictures of various colored balls flying, us cheering/yelling/running/jumping up+down :-)
> This is the time to dig out that backyard volleyball net you've never used
> since you bought it and toss it in the trunk :-)
> 
> coolers are excellent ideas.   Water/lemonade/soda is expensive.
> The lunchfood is usually good quality but nothing fancy for sure.
> 
> Our eventmaster is quite partial to Tuckerman's Ale, incidentally(we have
> photographic evidence of this, too)
> 
> If you signed up in time and paid for it, the NEQ will have a long-sleeved
> t-shirt, which everyone usually starts wearing on the spot :-)  It is
> supposed to rain(hopefully it won't), so be prepared for that; courtesy of
> my employer, we'll have about 24 umbrellas(well, 24 if my coworkers stop
> stealing them :-)  The marketing dept was happy to unload some of the
> several hundred we had on hand.
> 
>   If you're going up to the top, it can be as cold as 40 degrees when
> it's 80 down at the start, and the wind is ALWAYS blowing.  So add long
> pants, windbreaker, what have you.  The general rule is that whatever it
> is down below, it's windier, colder, etc up top.  Keep an eye on the
> forcasts on accuweather.com and similar sites, but remember things can
> change radically, so the current forecast for rain might be totally
> bogus(cross fingers, pray, etc.)  If you go up Sunday with the club on the
> mini-parade, you can come right back down again, but if you go up before a
> race, guess what...you're stuck up there until that half of the race is
> over, which can be a few hours, so be prepared(bring a shoulder pack with
> a bunch of the necessities like a rain jacket, sunscreen, etc.)
> 
> Sunscreen and bug repellant are also must-have items.  Remember, you're up
> pretty high already even at the base, so there's more UV etc.  Even in
> overcast skies you can get a good sunburn regardless of where you are, so
> bring sunscreen.  Sunglasses are also a good idea, esp up on top.
> 
> The Dana Place Inn has a pool; I always forget to bring a suit.
> 
> Lawn chairs are handy, yes.  Make some friends and bring extras if you
> have 'em :-)  The NEQ also provides a good-sized tent for shade and 2-3,
> maybe 3-4 tables w/chairs.
> 
> Having a small amount of cash on hand is important for food, goodies,
> donations to make-a-wish for participating in the NEQ
> mini-parade-drive-up-the-mountain, etc.  Cash machines are quite a drive
> away.
> 
> If you're staying at the inn, toss some cleaning supplies in the trunk and
> head around in back in the morning and you can wash off the bug guts off
> in a small area with a hose the inn provides for us.
> 
> Well, that's what comes to mind, quickly...if you're on the edge about
> bringing a camera, keep in mind that a bunch of us(myself included) take a
> number of photos and post them up and I don't mind doing requests(if you
> look at last year's photos on my site,
> http://www.200q20v.com/~brett/pics/car/audi/washington_2000/index.html
> 
> you can see I did a few portraits(as well as lending the camera to a few
> folk for some, uh, interesting, self-portraits :-)   Not sure what
> happened with that picture of joe and his few-week-old TT, there.  Looks
> kinda fuzzy, I'll have to dig out the original(which was spectacular.)
> 
> I think in the past I've usually averaged around 100 photos that make it past my initial
> fuzz/finger/exposure/composition "filter" the monday following :-)
> 
> Brett
> 
>  On Thu, 21 Jun 2001, Kent McLean wrote:
> 
> > For someone making their first trip to the Mt Washington
> > Hillclimb, what do you recommended I/we bring?
> >
> > - clothes? (I know, it's Mt Washington ...)
> > - cooler with drinks/lunch? or concession stands?
> > - lawn chairs?
> > - earplugs?
> >
> > I'll be bringing a camera w/lots of film (regular and
> > digital).