The steam whistle gets your attention. You can hear it from far across the mountain. There’s the steady chugging sound as the engine and railway car approach, brightly colored and headed for the summit.
The Mount Washington steam powered train, also known as the Cog, was the world’s first mountain-climbing cog railway. The train has been bringing passengers to the summit of Mount Washington since the 1800’s
Hikers ascending the peak may cross the tracks on certain approaches. I have taken a ride on the Cog myself, and the train has even been a help in rescuing hikers by allowing rescuers to reach the summit expeditiously.
Some hikers however, view the train with derision. Reaching the summit “the easy way” and posing for a photo at the top is frowned upon, or perhaps it’s because they deliver the crush of tourists to the summit? Yes, it’s loud, and obnoxious to see one every half hour blowing it’s whistle cranking up to the top of the mountain, but people are willing to pay the crazy price for tickets to ride up to a view they might not otherwise ever see.
Once, while hiking to the Observatory and visitor’s center at the top, I crossed the tracks with the train not far behind me. A mature lady hiker saw me stop to look back at the approaching tourists. I waved my hat, and she admonished me.
“No! You’re supposed to show them your bum!”
This unofficial act of “greeting” has been performed by some hikers in the past in some cases, but certainly not on a regular basis as to be a traditional greeting.
I was wearing sunglasses, so she couldn’t see my eyes roll at her suggestion. I gave her a little smile and kept on my way, thankful that she chose not to follow her own advice.
An Unmapped Route: A Hiker's Blog 