I’m not sure how it is you think I was lucky unless it was to have father who had survival skills. The kids with shorts and cherry red knees were from a camp. The wind was blowing around 40 mph, and the temperature between 38 and 40 degrees and it was drizzling. Good hypothermia conditions. Even though it was mid July, Mt. Washington gave us nasty weather. Pop had us dressed in three layers of tops and bottoms and socks, warm jackets and rain gear. If he had not been able to see the next cairn using our leap frog system, we would have gone back the way we came which was below the fog (cloud cover) and returned to our starting point, car and parking lot. As it was we made the top, we sent the boys down in the railcars, and Pop and I walked back down an easier trail.
In the sense that you were *fortunate* to have your father guiding you to summit.
I’ve hiked most of the AT. Lived in its shadow for over a decade pretty familiar with the stories of those who got in trouble; skied the Tuck in June.
**Generally, fitness and ability to do the hike are not the concern. There are trails that are not that hard to do. However, this would also be a contributing factor to the reason why more people die on Mt. Washington than anywhere else in the country. (Sounds like fun, huh.)
If none of you or members of your party are experienced hikers, I would question your choice of a first time hike.
Read this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Essentials and actually carry all of the items. Have clothing for very cold conditions. Do not wear anything made from cotton, performance clothing is necessary. Have extra food. Pay attention to the weather and avoid any day where rain or lightning is in the forecast.
The way people get in trouble is that they start out on a warm day, sweat up their shirts, get to altitude where wind comes up, temps drop, and in 50 degrees and high wind, you’re freezing. When fog rolls in (a common condition near the summit), you get lost and lose the trail. And this is when you will need those warm dry clothes.
On the plus side — it’s one of the great hikes, and if you have your act together and can be sure you are comfortable in the bad weather, it’s pretty darn fun to be in a snow squall and 60-70 mph winds on an August day.**
Just think; now you can scratch that off your bucket-list. :)