The magnificent White Mountains in New Hampshire feature in a number of my books. I’ve hiked up various peaks and hope to do more this fall. The most spectacular (and difficult!) so far has been Mt. Washington. Our bright, sunny morning turned into dense, swirling fog and high winds by the time we reached the summit. Fortunately, unlike the other peaks in the Presidential Range (named after US Presidents), Mt. Washington has a cafe at the top.

Tech wizard and billionaire Noah Kendrick hikes Mt. Washington in That Night on Thistle Lane, the second book in my Swift River Valley series:

“I could pass for a swashbuckler right now,” Noah Kendrick said as he stretched out on an expanse of granite near the base of Mount Washington, the tallest peak in the White Mountains of northern New England. “If I don’t shower before tonight, I’ll be all set.”

Noah and his best friend, Dylan McCaffrey are en route to a costume ball, a charity fundraiser where Noah meets an equally reluctant Phoebe O’Dunn from Knights Bridge, a small town in the shadows of the Quabbin Reservoir in southern New England.

This summer, our son, Zachary Jewell, who joined us on our hike at sixteen, participated in the 24th annual Seek the Peak in support of the Mt. Washington Observatory. A photographer and web developer, he made it to the top on a mixed bag of a day. He took this photograph  with the summit in his sights. Close and yet so far! He made it and plans to participate again next year.

With a treeline at 4000 feet, the views from the 6000-foot-plus summit are incredible on a clear day. In addition to the observatory, there’s a cafe at the top. The famous cog railway, a shuttle and an access road are available for those who don’t want to hike or only want to hike one-way.

However you get to the top, it’s an incredible experience.

Oh, and Noah did get a shower before his costume ball.  🙂