After a few more hours we were able to reach the top of the mountain. By then we were a tired, cold, exhausted, thirsty crew. I was wandering to myself how on earth we were going to turn around and make it to the bottom before it got dark. The leader of our group suggested that we stop at the little shop at the top of the mountain. A shop on top of the mountain? I wondered how the heck a shop got on top of the mountain! When we reached the shop, we noticed that there were a ton of people visiting the shop. How did they get there? Our leader said "Well there's a train and a road that leads up to the top". That was one vital piece of information that I sure wished I knew before the trip. With the one person suffering from a twisted ankle, there was no way that he could make it back down the mountain. The good news was that we would be able to take a van ride back down the mountain.

So ended my trip to Mount Washington where I learned many lessons about what not to do while hiking. The breath-taking beauty and the tremendous experience of hiking up this mountain make it worth the trip. If you ever get a chance to go, I would recommend this trip to anyone. Just don't make the same mistakes that we did!