We booked our seats on the Cog Railway, yesterday and set off hoping for no low cloud and hopefully not too cold. The low cloud we could do nothing about, but we borrowed all sorts of warm gear from our friends and the four of set off on the adventure. We were scheduled to take the first train up the mountain, so it was an early start. Soon we were taking the turning up to the railway and our ascent of the Northeast's highest peak at 6,288-feet. The railway was the brainchild of Sylvester Marsh and with the help of Aiken, he first opened the pioneer cog railway on July 3, 1869. 'Old Peppersass' was the world's first cog driven train to climb Mt Washington. They do run some of the old steam trains, but our trip was to be on a train run on eco-friendly biodiesel.
All aboard and we were off, chuggging up the mountain, the cogs on the engine and carriage, catching the chain running between the tracks. The tracks are supported on trestles all the way up, and as we climbed there were spectacular views way into the distance. We had to wait at the passing place for the supply train to descend past us, and then we were on our way again. The Observatory and visitor centre were in sight, and we could feel how cold and windy it would be when we disembarked. We were also surprised to find everything covered with a severe rime frost giving rocks and buildings a weird white coating. Photo opportunities galore! We had travelled up from 2,700' to almost 6,288', what a clever cog railway. There was plenty to see at the top with amongst other things, the Museum, visitors centre, café and weather station. Then it was time for the return journey, and we sat right at the back, getting a great view up the mountain as we descended.
We now drove back along the road and took another turning in the direction of Bretton Woods. Here is the famous Mt Washington Resort where the articles of the International Monetary Fund were signed in 1944. We stopped by for lunch in their restaurant with great views of the mountain, and if we looked carefully, we could see the Cog Railway plying up and down the rack.
Mt Washington Cog Railway
Mt Washington Observatory
Mt Washington State Park
Mt Washington Resort, Bretton Woods
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