Mt. Washington is an icon in New Hampshire, and "The White Mountain" author Dan Szczesny spent 365 days there as a hiker, cook, weather observer and journalist. We discover the hidden culture and characters who populate the mountain's rugged landscape and take up the challenge of the extreme weather. Szczesny seeks to understand the outsized mystique of "the rockpile" and its role in our passion for exploration and discovery.
This program was originally broadcast on August 1, 2018.
GUEST: Dan Szczesny, author of "The White Mountain: Rediscovering the Hidden Culture of Mount Washington." He has written extensively about the outdoors and hiking.
More Characters of Mount Washington

Cats are part of the culture at the Mount Washington Observatory, as seen in Dan Szczesny's pictorial essay for the Appalachian Mountain Club.
Read Dan Szczesny's profile of Barbara Hull Richardson, one of the first female staffers at the Applachian Mountain Club's Pinkham Notch lodge at the base of Mount Washington.

At sunrise on August 5, teams will ascend the Mount Washington Auto Road in an event for the Adaptive Sports Partners of the North Country. Each team will include an adaptive athlete and a team of “mules” who will help the athlete up the 8 miles to the summit.

Participants of The Great Race stopped by Mount Washington, as chronicled by The Conway Daily Sun.

Read the history of the "Weaglers" who creatively ascend Mount Washington every year.