FLASHBACKS - Mt. Washington, New Hampshire
1984 and 2000

The Northeast's highest peak at 6,288.3 feet

July 1984, Karen and Lee Duquette took the Cog Railway up Mt. Washington. It ascends the western slope of the mountain, while the Mount Washington Auto Road climbs to the summit from the east, so they returned in the year 2000.

Since 1869, the Mount Washington Cog Railway has provided tourists with a train journey to the summit of Mount Washington. It uses a Marsh rack system and was the first successful rack railway in the United States. In June, the mountain is the site of the Mount Washington Road Race, an event that attracts hundreds of runners. In August a bicycle race takes place along the same route as the road race. The mountain sometimes hosts one of the oldest car races in the country, the Mount Washington Hillclimb Auto Race.

Unfortunately, any other photos taken on Mount Washington in 1984 have been lost through the years. Karen Duquette did not take a lot of photos back then. But they did return in the year 2000 and took more photos, as shown below.

September 9, 2000 Karen and Lee Duquette DROVE their car up Mt. Washington, something they will NEVER do again because the road was very narrow, and barely wide enough for the car going up and the car going down the mountain to pass each other, except with extreme caution. The cliff did not have a railing to prevent cars from going over the edge. But the drive did provide spectacular views into the Great Gulf Wilderness and the Presidential Mountain range if passengers dare to look (drivers should not be looking at the scenery). If you are afraid of heights, this may not be the trip for you.

Below: Arriving at the Summit, Karen and Lee Duquette received a certificate for driving on such a dangerous road. The drive down the mountain was not as scary because they were on the mountain side of the road, not the cliff side, as shown in the above photo. They had to pull as close to the mountain as they could, and come to a complete stop to let the cars on the outside figure out how to get past them.

Karen and Lee Duquette at the Mt. Washington Summit sign

Franconia Notch State Park, The Old Man in The Mountain and Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway 1984

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