Throughout its century and a half of operation, the Auto Road has always drawn unique individuals eager to make unusual ascents and this tradition continues on Alton Weagle Day. “Year after year, Mt. Washington inspires certain individuals to try something different-some are athletic or vehicular firsts, others are just uniquely entertaining, but they all make history in their own way,” noted Howie Wemyss, General Manager of the Mt. Washington Auto Road and Great Glen Trails Outdoor Center.

This spirit of fun and adventure was perhaps best captured by day’s namesake, the late Alton Weagle of Walpole, NH. Weagle was a great advocate for safe and sustainable enjoyment of the White Mountains, who became known for awhile as “Mr. Mt. Washington”, thanks to his entertaining exploits during the 1950s. At various times he had run up the Auto Road barefoot, backwards and blindfolded (up and down) and he had pushed up a wheelbarrow with a 100 pound sack of sugar without setting it down; Weagle climbed up and down Tuckerman Ravine, along the Cog Railway and the Auto Road (30 miles) in 14 hours 28 minutes and even got married on the Cog Railway in 1955.

In recent years, several unusual “first ascents” were accomplished, including one person who made the climb on a unicycle, two on roller skis, a trio who Irish stepped danced their way to the top and one man who backed his vehicle from base to summit along the winding 8 mile road to the northeast’s highest peak, 2 people riding tricycles; one Star Wars scout trooper; a fireman in full fire fighting gear including SCBA and hand tool and a buckskin character going up in a go-kart, among others.

For more information about this and other events at the Auto Road visit online at: www.mtwashingtonautoroad.com

Anyone interested in participating with an unusual ascent of their own is required to contact the Auto Road at 466-3988 for schedules and more information.

Alton Weagle Day 2012

Alton Weagle Day 2011

]]> http://mtwashingtonautoroad.com/events/costume-characters-welcome-this-saturday-on-auto-road-for-alton-weagle-day/feed/ 0 http://mtwashingtonautoroad.com/auto-road/a-ride-on-the-snowcoach-with-exciting-weather/ http://mtwashingtonautoroad.com/auto-road/a-ride-on-the-snowcoach-with-exciting-weather/#comments Sun, 17 Feb 2013 17:48:18 +0000 keith http://mtwashingtonautoroad.com/?p=3993 Continue reading →]]> It is great to be driving the SnowCoach again thanks to the Nor’easter on Feb 8th and 9th! Here is a brief overview of my trips last week:

On Tuesday, passengers got to experience a sample of the “world’s worst weather”. The first trip had gusts over 50 mph with the winds on later trips approaching almost 70 mph (with blowing and drifting snow)! Awesome weather and you wouldn’t really know it from the sunny conditions at the base. As the day progressed, a large snow drift formed just below “OMG Corner” which became a great visual of what can happen with the right conditions in a short amount of time.

Friday saw warm and mostly sunny conditions. Clouds did increase over the day but the weather highlight was the soft and beautiful rime ice on the branches at tree-line. I also dropped off a couple who snowshoed down from winter the turn-around point and try to do this a few times a year.

Saturday’s trips experienced a slowly rising ceiling. During the first trip, we were among the clouds starting about 3,000 ft making for a beautiful New England winter scene. Stepping out at “Gov’t Sign” was actually relatively warm (still below freezing) with a nonexistent wind. By the final trip of the day, the sun was trying to peek through the clouds and the base had risen just enough to almost completely reveal the northern presidentials. I also had a future meteorologist on one of the trips.

Looking forward to vacation week!

A spectacular green haze bank across the sky formed. My exposures ranged between 20 seconds and 2 minutes. This shot of the Snow Coach was a tough one, as I wasn’t sure how to light up the van. The colors in the sky were brilliant and I decided to wave a few passes of light from my Petzl headlamp onto the vehicle. It took a couple of tries, but it did the trick.

Look forward to the next round of color from the north! -Ernie
See more great shots at Ernie Mills Photography.com or on his Facebook page.

Click thumbnails to enlarge.

Arriving at the Auto Road made my day – a Winter Wonderland!  I was attending the Northern NH Tourism Conference in Crawford Notch and couldn’t stick around to enjoy it, but Ernie, Regina, Susan, Mike, Nate and Chara had a blast playing in it!

The snow piled up to about 4 inches and made for a fun day!

Check out more of our photos on Facebook by photographer Ernie Mills.

Old “Pumpkin” Man of the Mountain.

It took 222 small pumpkins and one gourd to make the Old Man come to life. The family enjoys the crisp air while gazing up at the profile and the little boy even has binoculars. The scene is complete with an audio recording of first and last interview with the Old Man before he left us in May 2003. Come see the Old Pumpkin Man of the Mountains and enjoy the foliage!

To take a trip on a self guided tour click here for a complete list of participating properties.

The next few days are looking great for a visit to the Auto Road!

We loaded the van with all our gear; cameras, tripods, lens, hats, gloves and plenty of layers-the temp read 32 and winds were in the low 30′s. We were ready for anything but nothing could prepare us for what we came upon nearing the two mile. A small fox had just popped out of the woods, stood for a few seconds, looked at us, and began trotting up the side of the road. When he turned to cross the road we noticed something hanging from his mouth. As he continued up the road we got a better look-it was his lunch, a red squirrel. He trotted alongside the van for about a 1/2 mile, never once considering ducking into the woods to eat it. He’d stop every now and again probably wondering what this huge object was following him. After Ernie took about 600 shots and me keeping an eye out for traffic, we decided to leave him be and let him eat.

Just as a motorcycle rounded the corner behind us, he finally veered off into the woods probably never to be seen by us again. We stopped at a pull off and quickly looked at the photos Ernie got and were blown away at the whole experience. As we traveled up the road we were both awestruck at what we just witnessed. People see fox but to see one after a successful hunt -incredible. Don’t worry we felt for the squirrel (a little). We stopped again at 4.5 mile to get some more footage and it was unbelievable, right on cue the same fox still with squirrel in mouth, came up out of the krumholtz and crossed the road right in front of us. Ernie jumped out and cautiously followed him up the path to grab a few more shots before the fox disappeared for good. My camera was still attached to the tripod so I was only able to get this one shot of the two of them. What an amazing experience!

As we neared the 6 mile we could see the remains of the 5 inches of snow that fell over the past few days preventing safe travel for the public. I was so excited, I absolutely love snow!! We reached the summit and there were patches of snow everywhere. Of course I made a snow ball and had to throw it as far as I could. The winds were weak and the temps pretty chilly but it felt so good on the skin. Ernie continued snapping away, so intrigued by the mountain and how different it is every single time he goes up. I love the mountain too but I really, really like snow. We headed over to the observatory deck and found the snowman they had made and I had to get my picture with him! On the way back to the stage I couldn’t resist jumping in the snow to make a snow angel. We got what we needed and both agreed we did not want to leave…..ever.

No matter how many times you travel up Mt. Washington by car, by foot, by train, by any other means it is always an incredible adventure! I can’t wait to see whats next.

A few more photos from the day can be seen on our Facebook page. You don’t need to have a Facebook account to look at the photos. ~ms

The Auto Road is now open from 8 am -5 pm, as is the base lodge and gift shop. Beginning on Memorial Day weekend, the Summit Stage office will be open (and be offering hiker shuttles). Saturday the 26th will also mark the opening of the newly dedicated Douglas A. Philbrook Red Barn Museum, as well as the Glen View Café, the Outfitters Shop and Great Glen Trails Outdoor Center. Alton Weagle Day, which features and celebrates several unusual first ascents of the Auto Road, will also be held on the 26th.

“We are delighted to be open to the summit for our 151st season here on Mt. Washington. Although we experienced a mild winter, our spring Road opening turned out to be quite challenging, we’re particularly proud of the work our Road Crew has accomplished in the past several weeks!” noted Howie Wemyss, General Manager of the Auto Road and Great Glen Trails Outdoor Center. “As always, the Auto Road operation is heavily weather dependent at this time of the year so it’s often best to call ahead”, he added.

Included on the schedule for the coming season (in addition to the aforementioned Alton Weagle Day) will be events as diverse as bicycle races, footraces, sunrise drives, a colonial muster in the mountains and a 1920s speakeasy casino night. For more information about Mt. Washington Auto Road operations, schedules and events please call (603) 466-3988 or online at www.mt-washington.com

The Auto Road typically opens in early to mid May. Our Road Crew has been working non stop over the last three weeks trying to make that happen. This involves chained vehicles and equipment plowing, grading, ice drilling and rebuilding. State Parks and The Mt. Washington Observatory snowcats have been aiding us with removal of new snow that has fallen almost nightly.

Keep in mind that opening the road is mostly being done in severe weather such as snow, ice, heavy winds and freezing temperatures on the side of a mountain. Safety is always a concern and sometimes the Crew is brought back to the base if the weather becomes too dangerous.

Stay tuned for another update early next week. The Auto Road will open to treeline at 4200’ (2/3 of the way up) soon and to the summit once the Road above treeline is safe to travel on – and oh yeah once the weather decides to cooperate!

by Steven Caming

Photo: Mike Pelchat

Some people just need to challenge themselves. Its part of their DNA…it’s how they get to know themselves and the world around them. For some, the challenge is professional or financial, for others it’s personal. Some need the accolades of many, while others require only the quietly competent knowledge that they did what they set out to do.

Each challenge, each goal is uniquely tailored to the personality of the individual, as only they know what particular achievement will meaningfully validate the effort. You might think climbing the Northeast’s highest peak during winter, on stilts with snowshoes attached, would be a challenge…and you’d be right. But for Hans Bauer of Center Conway it was more of a whimsical adventure that didn’t quite get to the level of being truly challenging.

Of course, Bauer is a man who’s already logged a few endurance miles along the way. He has biked through all six New England states in just 17 hours. In his “ultra-running” mode he has several grueling treks under his belt, including 100 miles in 17 hours, 5 minutes; 130 miles in 24 hours and 195 miles in 48 hours (it should be noted he is not satisfied with any of these times). He has run 7000 miles (including halfway across the USA) in one 18 month period and has biked more than 31,000 miles during five grand tours that have taken him through 11 countries and all of the lower 48 states…and he has done this all alone.

Generally speaking, it’s not about speed and records for Bauer, but about endurance. He pushes himself to discover not life-threatening limits, but life-enhancing perspectives. A near fatal climbing accident on Cathedral Ledge this past year (falling more than 100 feet) further developed his philosophical position. “I could easily have been dead, so I enjoy what every day has to offer. Sure, I’ve been doing things that could be considered dangerous, but I don’t take it to that place. For me, it’s more just testing the limits of my endurance. I like to know that I’ve lived on THIS day,” he said emphatically. “It’s about seeing the world a certain way—as full of wonder and possibility and the chance to experience things we may have done before in new ways”.

While many of his adventures have taken him around the world, Bauer finds plenty to test himself right here in the Mt. Washington Valley. After tackling his first 23 mile Presidential Range/Mt. Washington winter traverse (which goes from the Dolly Copp campground area in Pinkham Notch all the way across to the AMC Highland Center in Crawford Notch), he decided to step it up a notch, so to speak. The next time around Bauer did a one day solo winter double traverse, reversing his course and covering the 46 miles in just about 23 hours. Yes, this is what he does for fun…

Photo: Mike Pelchat

Bauer began what would become Mt. Washington’s first ever ascent on stilts at 6:00 am from the Auto Road base. He had attached a pair of snowshoes (with built in crampons) to the bottom of the construction stilts (he found those at a yard sale for $30) and began his ascent (alone again, naturally) in the quiet darkness of the pre-dawn morning.

While not an imposing fellow physically (“I’m the same size as Napoleon!” he noted), Bauer does exude a certain quiet (and well earned) confidence in his abilities. Still, he never takes a cavalier attitude towards his wilderness adventures. As the winds gusted over 35 mph above treeline during his ascent of the Auto Road, he lowered his stilt height from three feet to two feet off the ground, to keep from being excessively blown around. “I was definitely afraid at times, but mostly of ending up in the paper for doing something dumb and getting hurt!” he said.

For the record, Bauer never took his stilts off during the entire eight mile ascent and then skied back down the road to finish his long day.

Tolstoy wrote that every man is three men: how he sees himself; how others see him and who he really is. Hans Bauer sees the world through the eyes of a man who challenges himself, challenges nature and challenges onlookers to question what they themselves may be capable of…If seeing the world from his heightened perspective (he stands over 7 ½ feet tall with the stilts fully extended) has broadened his horizons, it is a hard won view to a thrill.

Upon his arrival at the summit, Bauer provided quite an unusual and unprecedented sight to those working at the Observatory and State Park…it was certainly an unexpected visit. As the summit crew looked up at the man who towered above them on stilts, one asked “How’s the weather up there?” Taking in his surroundings on the summit of Mt. Washington, his simple answer summed up his day “Just perfect”.

Those who may be interested in coming up with their own unique way of ascending the Mt. Washington Auto Road can inquire about participating in Alton Weagle Day, scheduled for May 26th. For more information call the Auto Road at 603-466-3988 or online at www.mtwashingtonautoroad.com