Mount Washington Ecology Ascending Mt

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Mount Washington Ecology Ascending Mt. Washington or any of the high peaks of the White Mountains travellers pass through several distinct ecological zones. At the base is a forest of northern hardwoods, followed a bit higher by a forrest of spruce and fir. As more elevation is gained, trees become small and stunted. These dwarf and gnarled trees of the sub-alpine zone are called krummholtz. Tree line, the elevation above which trees do not grow, is about 4,400 feet in the White Mountains, nearly 2,000 feet below the summit of Mt. Washington. The area above tree line is called the alpine zone. The short growing season, soil acidity and the destructive effect of high winds on ice-covered foliage at the higher elevations create an environment in which trees cannot survive. Although rain is plentiful, the meager soil does not retain moisture, and nearly constant winds cause plants to lose precious moisture to the atmosphere. Many of the plants of the sub-alpine and alpine zones have special adaptations to cope with the extreme conditions. They grow close to the ground in locations where they are sheltered from winter winds by snowbanks; many have evergreen leaves that eliminate the need for energy to re-foliate each spring; and many have hard, waxy leaves that retard the loss of moisture. Some of the plants are rare or endangered, including one on Mt. Washington, Robbins Cinquefoil, that is found nowhere else on earth. The tiny plants of the alpine zone are extremely sensitive to trampling and very slow to recover. It is important to stay on designated trails and camp below tree line. Division of Parks and Recreation P.O. Box 1856 Concord, NH 03302-1856 www.nhstateparks.org.

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MOUNT WASHINGTON COG RAILWAY Constructed 1869
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers The American Society of Civil Engineers MOUNT WASHINGTON COG RAILWAY Constructed 1869 National Historic Mechanical and Civil Engineering Landmark June 26, 1976 MOUNT WASHINGTON COG RAILWAY Mount Washington, rising 6288 feet above sea level in the mountainous north country of New Hampshire, is the highest peak in the Northeast. The world's first cog railway ascends a western spur of the mountain between Burt and Ammonoosuc Ravines from the Marshfield Base Station which is almost 3600 feet below the summit. The railway is a tribute to the ingenuity and perseverance of its founder, a civil-mechanical engineer, Sylvester Marsh. History attributes the conception and the execution of the railway idea directly to Mr. Marsh. Indeed, his very actions personify the exacting requirements of the National Historic Engineering Landmark programs of The American Society of Civil Engineers and The American Society of Mechanical Engi- neers. The qualities of the Cog Railway are so impressive that, for the first time, two national engineering societies have combined their conclusions in order to designate the train system as a National Historic Mechanical and Civil Engineering Landmark. Sylvester Marsh was born in Campton, New Hampshire on September 30, 1803. When he was nineteen he walked the 150 miles to Boston in three days to seek a job. There he worked on a farm, returned home for a short time, and then again went to Boston where he entered the provision business. After seven years, he moved to Chicago, then a young town of about 300 settlers. From Chicago, Marsh shipped beef and pork to Boston as he developed into a founder of the meat packing industry in the midwestern city.
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