Mount Washington, Tuckerman's Ravine, Boott Spur, Mt. Washington Valley

	I've been leading snowshoeing workshops for the Appalachian Mtn. Club from their Pinkham Notch facility for a number of years and this excursion up onto the shoulder of Boott Spur was one of the more spectacular I've done. While the workshop is billed as 'Snowshoeing Above Treeline', it's not often that there's really enough snow to snowshoe that high up in the Presidential Range. Most of the winter the alpine region is a sheet of ice requiring full crampons, ice axe and some mountaineering techniques. This day in early March, 2001 was simply grand. There was fresh snow everywhere, the weather was gorgeous, and with a good energetic group of snowshoers we made it up to the Boott Spur Link trail high up on the ridge of Boott Spur. The view from there is truly dramatic - looking from the Gulf of Slides to the top of Boott Spur then into Tuckerman and Huntington ravines and up to the summit of Mount Washington. The Carters and Wildcat are across the valley to the east, and the view extends both up and down the Mount Washington Valley. The winds were calm - especially considering we were near the summit of one of the 'windiest places on Earth'. We hung around the trail junction for awhile before returning back to the Appalachian Mtn. Club lodge at Pinkham Notch.