Another Commando Weekend

This weekend, Mikey had the brilliant idea to climb Pinnacle Buttress on Mt. Washington. (Click on the title for more info.) I had never been up there, and though the prospect of Alpine stylin' on the biggest Mountain in New England was enticing, I was a bit leery of the 2-3 hour approach to the base of the climb. Mikey assured me it would be great, so on Saturday 5 of us (Mikey, Other Mike, Rob-the guy who will forever be known as the one who kept me from the ALL YOU CAN EAT ICE CREAM SUNDAE BAR, and Van-Mikey's super cute love interest) headed up north.

We ended up getting a later start than we intended despite my getting up at 4:45 am and getting on the road by 5:30 am. We hit the trailhead at Pinkham Notch sometime about 11:00 am and started hiking. And hiking. And hiking. After about FOREVER, we saw a sign that indicated we had gone .9 miles. Sigh. Slog. My camelbak somehow developed this HORRID chemical taste to it that made 50 oz of water totally undrinkable. More hiking. Sigh.

After about 50 years we get to the base of the buttress. It's kinda late to begin climbing, but the thought of having lugged all that impossibly heaving climbing gear all that way for nothing was more than enough of an incentive for us to rack up and go. We do. It's nice climbing, but we are seriously raging against the dying of the light and are trying to get up as quickly as possible. One pitch from the top of the climb the winds are whipping around us at close to 50 mph. We can barely stand up and while Rob leads the last pitch, I lay on the ground trying to keep myself from being blown off the death dome.

We reach the top, do our best to pack up in hurricane force winds and scramble up a big talus field to the Alpine Garden. According to the trail map, it's about a mile below the Summit. We look at the sinking sun and start booking it down the mountain. No time to tag the summit and try and hitch a ride down the Auto Road. It is 7.30.

TWO HOURS LATER we reach the parking lot exhausted, delirious, and using the last remains of our energy to keep from falling over. It is totally dark. We are too tired and hungry to celebrate much.

My small victory isn't quite enough to sustain me through what has become one of the most annoying days ever. Work is really pissing me off and if there were a window that opened I would totally throw myself out. G is back from Western MA, and somehow this week, we have to finish EVERY LAST LITTLE THING in the apartment and move him in. Oh, and get carpet. Fuck.