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The White Mountain
"Informative, funny, and full of fascinating characters . . . Dan Szczesny bushwhacks a fresh, new, wonder-filled trail. From the foreword by Rebecca Rule Over the course of one calendar year, journalist Dan Szczesny explored the history and mystique of New England s tallest mountain. But Mount Washington is more than just a 6,288-foot rock pile; the mountain is the cultural soul of climbers, hikers, and tourists from around the world. Szczesny's research took him outside of the archives; he was on the team of a ninety-seven-year-old ultra-runner, he dressed as Walt Whitman and read poetry while hiking up the mountain, and he spent a week in winter cooking for the scientists at the observatory. In The White Mountain , Szczesny turns a veteran journalist's eye toward exploring Mount Washington's place in the collective consciousness of the country and how this rugged landscape has reflected back a timeless history of our obsession and passion for exploration and discovery.
- GenresNonfiction
284 pages, Paperback
Published June 9, 2018
6 people are currently reading
97 people want to read
About the author
Dan Szczesny
30 books41 followersDan Szczesny is a long-time journalist, travel writer and author living in New Hampshire.
His first book, The Adventures of Buffalo and Tough Cookie is a hiking memoir about a one year, 225-mile journey through some of New Hampshire's least known wilderness with his 10-year-old foster daughter.
The Nepal Chronicles: Marriage, Mountains and Momos in the Highest Place on Earth is a travel memoir about his wedding in Kathmandu and month long trek to Everest Base Camp.
A new book, Sing and Other Short Stories, published in April 2016 is Dan's first collection of fiction.
Look for a new book, Mosquito Rain: Alaskan Travel Essays, to be released in June 2016.
Dan began his career in Buffalo, New York. Since then, he has written for a wide variety of regional and national publications, including the Main Line Times, Philadelphia Weekly, Christian Science Monitor, Princeton Packet and Pennsylvania Magazine. In 2000, he moved to New Hampshire to cover the Presidential Election for the Associated Press. In 2001, Dan became Associate Publisher of The Hippo, now the state's largest weekly Arts and Entertainment journal.
He's a member of the Appalachian Mountain Club's 4,000-footer club and has written extensively about the outdoors and hiking. He has camped in the Grand Canyon, hiked England's Coast to Coast Trail and trekked to Everest Base Camp in Nepal.
His first book, The Adventures of Buffalo and Tough Cookie is a hiking memoir about a one year, 225-mile journey through some of New Hampshire's least known wilderness with his 10-year-old foster daughter.
The Nepal Chronicles: Marriage, Mountains and Momos in the Highest Place on Earth is a travel memoir about his wedding in Kathmandu and month long trek to Everest Base Camp.
A new book, Sing and Other Short Stories, published in April 2016 is Dan's first collection of fiction.
Look for a new book, Mosquito Rain: Alaskan Travel Essays, to be released in June 2016.
Dan began his career in Buffalo, New York. Since then, he has written for a wide variety of regional and national publications, including the Main Line Times, Philadelphia Weekly, Christian Science Monitor, Princeton Packet and Pennsylvania Magazine. In 2000, he moved to New Hampshire to cover the Presidential Election for the Associated Press. In 2001, Dan became Associate Publisher of The Hippo, now the state's largest weekly Arts and Entertainment journal.
He's a member of the Appalachian Mountain Club's 4,000-footer club and has written extensively about the outdoors and hiking. He has camped in the Grand Canyon, hiked England's Coast to Coast Trail and trekked to Everest Base Camp in Nepal.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 1, 2019
Well, that's settled. After reading this book and a couple of his previous books, "Sing and Other Short Stories" and "The Nepal Chronicles," I can confidently say that Dan Szczesny is one of the finest writers I know -- and I know a lot of writers! "The White Mountain" is not really about a mountain at all, but what humans make of it, and Dan tells their stories with wonderful grace, wit, and humanity. The author himself is one of those many people captivated by Mount Washington as both actual place and metaphor, and thus makes for the perfect guide. Reading the book, I felt that I was at Dan's side as he braved the wintry weather at the summit observatory, uprooted invasive dandelions from the mountain's face, tried his hand at capturing the landscape in oils, and trudged along the Auto Road in full Walt Whitman costume reading poetry to all in his vicinity. There is much to savor here in terms of philosophical pondering, vivid scene setting, and deep dives into the souls of various dreamers, adventurers, entrepreneurs, artists, and daredevils that the mountain has touched. The book could have used another pass for weeding out numerous typos (the dandelions of books!), but that's on the publisher, not Dan.
March 14, 2019
Agiocochook is the epicenter of the White Mountains. It’s magnetic pull draws people from all walks of life. This humble yet deadly mountain attracts tourist, weather enthusiasts, runners, cyclists, hikers, geologists, skiers, botanists, etc. Truly a unique place that feels like entering a different planet. From the formidable ravines to the auto road, Mount Washington can be accessed by just about anybody. That’s why it means different things to different people. A year in the life of the rock pile. Interesting read.
June 19, 2019
The White Mountain, published by Hobblebush Books in 2018, is the culmination of a year-long project by New Hampshire journalist Dan Szczesny to explore Mount Washington’s hidden culture. Mount Washington is perhaps best-known to people outside of New Hampshire for its weather: record-setting winds and heavy snows. Particularly when winter storms are forecasted, television weather reports will show video clips of begoggled observatory staff struggling to keep their feet against hurricane-force winds, buildings and weather-recording equipment unrecognizable under rime ice.
It is fitting, then, that The White Mountain opens in a snowstorm as the author churns up the White Mountain Auto Road in a snowcoach to spend a week with the meteorologists at the observatory to learn what they do and how they live. In true participatory journalism fashion, he has been given the opportunity to assist the cook in preparing their meals.
After introducing us to the ecosystem of Mount Washington and the workings of the observatory, the book delves into the mystique of the mountain. What is there about this “6,288-foot rock pile” that compels so many to climb it, photograph it, paint it, touch the summit sign in talismanic reverence?
Szczesny answers this question by telling us the stories of people who have interacted with Mount Washington in one way or another--from hikers who have lost their way and died to the ninety-seven-year-old man running the Mount Washington Road Race for the twelfth time to the nineteenth-century inventor of the Cog Railway to a group of steampunks riding the Cog as part of their annual festival.
One of the highlights of the book for me was the chapter, “Kindred Spirits: Seeing Mount Washington through the Eyes of the Artists,” which explains what exactly the nineteen-century painters who came to be known as the Hudson River School were doing with those soaring mountain vistas on those impossibly large canvases.
I was particularly impressed by Szczesny’s ability to present a wide range of detailed and well-researched information--as evidenced by a three-and-a-half-page bibliography--in a consistently engaging way. There were no sections of the book that lagged or tempted me to skim. I enjoyed them all.
Ultimately, The White Mountain is an ode to place--how we define place and what place means in our lives--which transcends the White Mountains of New Hampshire as it inspires readers to reflect on the meaning of place in their own lives. Nowhere is this transcendence more in evidence than in the chapter, “Ablutions of a Goddess: Mount Washington Meets a Toddler,” in which Szczesny takes his daughter to the summit and introduces her to the place that means so much to him and her mother. You won’t want to miss it.
It is fitting, then, that The White Mountain opens in a snowstorm as the author churns up the White Mountain Auto Road in a snowcoach to spend a week with the meteorologists at the observatory to learn what they do and how they live. In true participatory journalism fashion, he has been given the opportunity to assist the cook in preparing their meals.
After introducing us to the ecosystem of Mount Washington and the workings of the observatory, the book delves into the mystique of the mountain. What is there about this “6,288-foot rock pile” that compels so many to climb it, photograph it, paint it, touch the summit sign in talismanic reverence?
Szczesny answers this question by telling us the stories of people who have interacted with Mount Washington in one way or another--from hikers who have lost their way and died to the ninety-seven-year-old man running the Mount Washington Road Race for the twelfth time to the nineteenth-century inventor of the Cog Railway to a group of steampunks riding the Cog as part of their annual festival.
One of the highlights of the book for me was the chapter, “Kindred Spirits: Seeing Mount Washington through the Eyes of the Artists,” which explains what exactly the nineteen-century painters who came to be known as the Hudson River School were doing with those soaring mountain vistas on those impossibly large canvases.
I was particularly impressed by Szczesny’s ability to present a wide range of detailed and well-researched information--as evidenced by a three-and-a-half-page bibliography--in a consistently engaging way. There were no sections of the book that lagged or tempted me to skim. I enjoyed them all.
Ultimately, The White Mountain is an ode to place--how we define place and what place means in our lives--which transcends the White Mountains of New Hampshire as it inspires readers to reflect on the meaning of place in their own lives. Nowhere is this transcendence more in evidence than in the chapter, “Ablutions of a Goddess: Mount Washington Meets a Toddler,” in which Szczesny takes his daughter to the summit and introduces her to the place that means so much to him and her mother. You won’t want to miss it.
April 13, 2020
Great stuff, makes me want to go out and hike it again. I’ve read many books about Mount Washington so I know most of the stories. I assumed this would be more of the same. The thing that made this one special in an unexpected way was that Dan was able to link different, more far flung stories - as well as his own personal one - to the main theme. Again fascinating stuff. Great job Dan!
January 4, 2023
A friend from New Hampshire gifted me this. The book wasn’t even on my radar, but I’m glad he alerted me to it. I wasn’t sure what to expect from it, but my husband & I lived in New Hampshire for 4 years, so I knew I’d probably dig the subject matter. What a unique concept: a year in the life of Mount Washington, New Hampshire’s highest point. Dan did everything there is to do on Mount Washington—painting with our friend Byron Carr, snowcoach ride to summit as a volunteer cook for the observatory crew, invasive species (dandelion) picking, the cog railway, the foot race, and more. His storytelling is magnetic and colorful, and now I’ve added his other books to my list!
January 25, 2024
Dan Szczesny's "The White Mountain" is a beautifully written and engaging exploration of Mount Washington's hidden culture. From his week-long stay at the observatory to the tragedies on the treacherous mountain to the stories of people interacting with the mountain as a part of their daily lives, Szczesny presents a wide range of well-researched information that enchants and inspires. Szczesny's ode is an inspiring read that makes readers reflect on the meaning of the majestic places in their lives.
January 7, 2026
Finished reading The White Mountain this morning, and I really enjoyed it. Szczesny did an excellent job of not just relaying the spirit of the hiker, but of all the various people who derive meaning from New Hampshire's tallest peak. The White Mountain is a worthy add for any New Hampshire mountain enthusiast's library. For a longer review, you can find more at my blog: https://wanderingmattlarson.com/readi...
June 20, 2020
I really enjoyed Dan’s writing, kindness and respect towards others and his appreciation of and respect for nature. He sees so much beauty in it and helps others to do the same.
December 2, 2020
4.5. great local New England read!
April 23, 2023
Dan Szczesny's "The White Mountain" is a beautifully written and engaging exploration of Mount Washington's hidden culture. From his week-long stay at the observatory to the tragedies on the treacherous mountain to the stories of people interacting with the mountain as a part of their daily lives, Szczesny presents a wide range of well-researched information that enchants and inspires. Szczesny's ode is an inspiring read that makes readers reflect on the meaning of the majestic places in their lives.
February 17, 2024
Read for the ATL reads Book Club - the introduction to this book was a little scattered, but once into the “meat” I enjoyed reading about the journey. I know so little about this big mountain that has been a big presence in my home state. I came away totally inspired to visit this summer and read more. I already have two more books by Dan to read. His writing is lyrical and lovely to read.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews