The provisions for the entertainment of guests at the summit were
formerly very limited, a few rude stone structures furnishing shelter
for such as dared brave the hardships of a night in the clouds. But now
all is changed. The capacious and comfortable building which serves the
double purpose of depot and hotel, not only provides comfortable
shelter, but a first-class table and excellent fare for about one
hundred and fifty guests. The house was opened to the public in 1873,
and has been in successful operation since, sometimes being taxed to its
utmost capacity.
[Illustration: MOUNT WASHINGTON SUMMIT HOUSE.]
The view from the summit is indescribably grand. At an altitude of 6,193
feet, or more than a mile and one-fifth above sea-level, the line of
vision bounds a circle nearly a thousand miles in circumference; and
within that circle are lakes, rivers, mountains, valleys, dark forests,
smiling villages, and in fact a variety of scenery, ever changing as the
gaze is directed to the different points of the compass. In a clear
day, the distant glimmer of the Atlantic may be seen, away to the
southeast. A little more to the south a brighter gleam reveals the
location of Lake Winnipesaukee, while the Saco valley and Chocorua
Mountain are in the nearer foreground. Turning still to the right, you
see other mountains of the range on whose highest summit you are
standing, Mount Monroe, the Twin Ponds, Mount Pleasant, Mount Franklin,
Mount Willey, the scene of the famous “slide,” and lesser elevations
beyond.
[Illustration: MOUNTS ADAMS AND MADISON.]
Westward, away in the dim distance, the horizon is broken by the Green
Mountains of Vermont, with an occasional view of the remote Adirondacks
in New York; while nearer, you see the valley of the Ammonoosuc, the
Fabyan House, Bethlehem, Mount Lafayette, and the expanse of forest
which fills the picture. To the northwest, the villages of Littleton,
Jefferson and Lancaster appear, while in the distance, to the north, the
table lands of Canada unite with the sky in bounding the horizon. To the
northeast, the eye reaches to the unbroken forests of Maine. Mount
Katahdin throws its dim outline against the sky, while in the foreground
Mounts Jefferson, Adams and Madison tower grandly up before you as a
grim body-guard to Washington. Nestled in the glen, the white hotel
buildings of the Glen House establishment are visible; while near at
hand, toward the southeast, Mount Jackson appears, and in the distance,
the Pequaket or Kiarsarge may be seen, together with Sebago Lake in
Maine.
[Illustration: WHITE MOUNTAINS, FROM JEFFERSON.]
[Illustration: CLIMBING MOUNT JEFFERSON.]