Huntington Ravine

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Huntington Ravine
Highest point
Elevation3,392 ft (1,034 m)[1]
Coordinates44°16′20″N 71°17′00″W / 44.27222°N 71.28333°W / 44.27222; -71.28333Coordinates: 44°16′20″N 71°17′00″W / 44.27222°N 71.28333°W / 44.27222; -71.28333[2]
Geography
LocationNew Hampshire, United States of America
Parent rangeWhite Mountains

Huntington Ravine is a glacial cirque on Mount Washington in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. It is named for , the Principal Assistant to State Geologist (1836–1919) for the Geological Survey of New Hampshire.

Of the four major cirques on Mount Washington (Tuckerman and Huntington ravines, , and the Great Gulf), it has the steepest and highest headwall.[citation needed] Only one hiking trail ascends Huntington Ravine toward Mount Washington's summit; that trail, the Huntington Ravine Trail, crosses a boulder field, ascends a talus fan, and winds steeply up the center of the cirque's headwall, requiring several tricky scrambling moves that may be intimidating for less-experienced (or more acrophobic) hikers.

All other portions of the headwall are too steep to climb safely without climbing gear and technical expertise. Several popular rock-climbing routes, such as the Pinnacle route and the Henderson Ridge, do ascend the ravine, and in the winter the Pinnacle Gully is especially popular as an ice-climbing challenge. Because the ravine is higher and more exposed to the elements than most other climbing areas in the eastern United States, rock and ice climbing — and even hiking — are risky and weather-dependent. Avalanches, icefalls, and hypothermia have killed climbers in Huntington repeatedly in recent years, and the hiking path is usually not passable until late May or early June.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Huntington Ravine". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. 1980-08-27. Retrieved 2010-07-25.
  2. ^ "Mount Washington, New Hampshire". U.S. Geological Survey 7½x15 minute quadrangle series. 1982. Retrieved July 27, 2010.

External links[]

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