proposal for a hotel near summit of Mount Washington

[DavidNH]

This must be stopped. Cog Railway owners are proposing to build a 35 room hotel (high priced no doubt) 2/3 of way up Mt Washington along side the railroad track.

http://www.concordmonitor.com/cog-ra...oposed-6622865




DavidNH

[rickb]

Worst idea ever.

Someone in the state with clout needs to tell them if they proceed with this plan for even a little while longer, they will do everything in thier power to limit, fight and otherwise legally obstruct the continuing operations of the Cog itself.

[One Half]

Worst idea ever.

Someone in the state with clout needs to tell them if they proceed with this plan for even a little while longer, they will do everything in thier power to limit, fight and otherwise legally obstruct the continuing operations of the Cog itself.

Unfortunately TPTB in NH like crap like this.I think last year they voted to spend a bunch of money to help redvelop a privately owned resort.

[Old Grouse]

Will there be work-for-stay?

[Slo-go'en]

Mixed feelings about this. The mountain is already trashed, so what the heck. You got a road going up one side, the railroad up the other side and a pill box on top. It probably wouldn't cost much more then staying at a AMC hut. Peakbagger will likely have something to say about this.

[Slo-go'en]

Worst idea ever.

Someone in the state with clout needs to tell them if they proceed with this plan for even a little while longer, they will do everything in thier power to limit, fight and otherwise legally obstruct the continuing operations of the Cog itself.

Unfortunately, the Cog RR owns a 99 foot wide strip of land up the side of the mountain and they have owned it for nearly 150 years. The state has a lease for the power cables which go up along the tracks to power the summit station. Try to pressure the Cog owners and they could cut the power to the summit. Similarly, the state is beholden to the auto road (which is also private land) for access to the summit station.

[FrogLevel]

Mixed feelings about this. The mountain is already trashed, so what the heck. You got a road going up one side, the railroad up the other side and a pill box on top. It probably wouldn't cost much more then staying at a AMC hut. Peakbagger will likely have something to say about this.

Don't forget all those hiking trails carved all over the mountain.

[rickb]

Unfortunately TPTB in NH like crap like this.I think last year they voted to spend a bunch of money to help redvelop a privately owned resort.

You are probably right.

I recall they exempted the COG from all sorts of environmental laws before it converted many of the engines over to diesel.

I feel a need to hold out some hope for something beyond the power of petitions, however.

[DavidNH]

work for stay? you are joking right? I suspect if this hotel ever got built rooms would go for 200 + a night and be filled months in advance. No way would this hotel be hiker friendly. It's alll we need.. more snooty flatlanders in the mountains.

[Old Grouse]

Of course I'm joking, David - just as I was when I suggested you practice hiking back and forth to Penny-cook!

[moldy]

When they build this hotel, and they will build it, It will have no effect what so ever on the Appalachian Trail. Mt Washington will be the exact same "three ring circus" that it is right now. We will have the same path that we have now. AT thruhikers will hold our breath, keep our heads down and get to hell out of there as fast as we can, just like we do right now. Mt Washington, been there, done that. Gave up on it decades ago.

[tiptoe]

Aargh. I am imagining a Trump Tower with adjoining golf course, with improved RR track leading to it. Infrastructure, infrastructure.

[dudeijuststarted]

ok well i'll just have to show them my ass too then!

[hikernutcasey]

If I were a billionaire I would spend my money buying up any moron companies that tried to do stuff like this and make them go away.

[rafe]

In the article I read two things that, in a just and perfect world, would be contradictory: a) the site of the proposed hotel is pretty much where the AT crosses the railway, and b) it's privately owned land.

There might be a creative way to stop it. In my own town, the Unitarian congregation was prevented from putting solar panels on the roof of their church -- by the state's Historical District Commission. The church is suing the HDC over that ruling. Private property, even a church, isn't always sacrosanct.

http://edenkeeper.org/2016/08/17/uni...freedom-solar/

[Hikingjim]

NOBO thru hikers running overbudget can rummage for half eaten beef tenderloin in the back trash bins of the new hotel.

This doesn't seem great to me, but who goes to Mt. Washington for wilderness experience? Other than off season, when this place will be closed anyway

[peakbagger]

I am participating in a similar thread of VFTT.org. It is a moderated site and tends to keep on topic a bit more than freewheeling whiteblaze. (no insult implied) There is a change org petition against the development if folks are interested.

I got the impression that the proposed facility is much lower on mountain, around treeline at or near the set of double tracks. This location is 1000 feet vertical or more down off the AT and a mile off the AT corridor similar to the Jewell trail bootleg site that thru hikers use. In this case there is no trail access and the FS would need to allow a new trail to access the facility unless it were wholly on Cog property. It would be interesting to find out what rights the NPS extracted from the cog when the AT corridor was protected across this strip of private land.

I expect the state of NH has a pretty solid right of way on the cog property for the power cable, not very worried that the Cog has the legal right to shut it down. If they tried I expect eminent domain would be applied quickly.

With respect to the observation about the Mt Washington zoo, there is very nice piece of classic trail building that skirts the summit of Washington called the West Side trail. Its is mostly out of sight of the zoo on the summit. It is the original AT route over the summit according to the 1939 Cutter map of Mt Washington. I have heard references that it was intentionally rerouted to its current location that just skirts the buildings to the west of the summit as thru hikers were going to the summit anyhow.

[Starchild]

Anyone been to the 'cog railway' in Chamonix? Multiple stops, hotels, taverns, hiking trails, even livestock, everywhere etc. Sometimes standing room only (no reserved seating, more like a NYC subway ride during rush hour). People not just going to the top, it actually stops short of the top, but hiking throughout this area. I would WAG that it what some people would like to see happen here (minus the livestock perhaps).

[Starchild]

I expect the state of NH has a pretty solid right of way on the cog property for the power cable, not very worried that the Cog has the legal right to shut it down. If they tried I expect eminent domain would be applied quickly.

.

there may not be much the state could do, I don't think it would be the case for eminent domain, as the state owns all other land. I believe the Cog would just have to wait till the new line was complete and power switched till they could end the lease. This happened with a power cable over a old railroad bridge over the Hudson River, the owner wanted much more money for the lease, the power company just laid the cable on the river bed.

[atraildreamer]

Aargh. I am imagining a Trump Tower with adjoining golf course, with improved RR track leading to it. Infrastructure, infrastructure.

I want an escalator installed. .Mountain escalator.jpeg