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Field climbed the mountain in June of that year to demonstrate to the Abenaki chief Passaconaway that the Europeans bargaining for tribal land were not subject to the gods believed to inhabit the summit, a primarily political move that facilitated colonists' northern expansion. In 1642, Darby Field claimed to have made the first ascent of Mount Washington. Viewing it from the Atlantic Ocean, he described what he saw as "high interior mountains". In 1524, Giovanni da Verrazzano became the first European to mention the mountain. The Abenaki people inhabiting the region at the time of European contact believed that the tops of mountains were the dwelling place of the gods, and so among other reasons did not climb them out of religious deference to their sanctity. The Algonquians called the summit Waumbik, "white rocks". The cog railway line is visible in the background along with the Summit House atop the peak.īefore European settlers arrived in the region, the mountain was known by various indigenous peoples as Kodaak Wadjo ("the top is so hidden" or "summit of the highest mountain") or Agiochook or Agiocochook ("the place of the Great Spirit" or "the place of the Concealed One"). Stereoscopic photograph of the summit of Mount Washington and the Glen House stage coach by Kilburn Brothers (circa 1872). Other common activities include glider flying, backcountry skiing, and annual cycle and running races such as the Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb and Road Race. The mountain is visited by hikers, and the Appalachian Trail crosses the summit. The Mount Washington Cog Railway ascends the western slope of the mountain, and the Mount Washington Auto Road climbs to the summit from the east. While nearly the whole mountain is in the White Mountain National Forest, an area of 60.3 acres (24.4 ha) surrounding and including the summit is occupied by Mount Washington State Park. The mountain is in several unincorporated townships, with the summit in the township of Sargent's Purchase. The mountain is located in the Presidential Range of the White Mountains, in Coös County, New Hampshire. Mount Washington still holds the record for highest measured wind speed not associated with a tornado or tropical cyclone. On the afternoon of April 12, 1934, the Mount Washington Observatory recorded a windspeed of 231 miles per hour (372 km/h) at the summit, the world record from 1934 until 1996. The mountain is notorious for its erratic weather. Mount Washington, in New Hampshire, is the highest peak in the Northeastern United States at 6,288.2 ft (1,916.6 m) and the most topographically prominent mountain east of the Mississippi River. Hike, ride cog railway, or drive via Mount Washington Auto Road. Sargent's Purchase, Coös County, New Hampshire, U.S. Location in the United States Show map of the United States
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