MOUNT WASHINGTON OBSERVATORY PRESENTS THE 23rd ANNUAL SEEK THE PEAK

North Conway, NH – May 23, 2023 – New Hampshire’s hiking community will gather once again this July as Seek the Peak returns with its 23rd annual Mount Washington hike-a-thon and Après Hike Party. All are invited to seek alpine adventure, earn gear, and raise vital funds for the nonprofit Mount Washington Observatory (MWOBS), located at Mount Washington State Park.

“Seek the Peak is returning to its roots as the Northeast’s premier hiking event,” said MWOBS Executive Director Drew Bush. “We’re incredibly excited to welcome all hikers who care deeply about the White Mountains. There are many challenges and expenses to running our weather station on New England’s highest peak, where our observers live and study Earth’s weather and climate. We encourage all who support our work to help us fundraise.”

This inclusive peer-to-peer fundraising event welcomes participants of all ability levels to sign up as individuals or teams. All who register on Memorial Day weekend at seekthepeak.org will be entered to win collectible items from participants’ favorite Seek the Peak merchandise, including one of 20 T-shirts and one of five backpacks.

Climbing Mount Washington is not required. Participants can choose to hike any trail, anywhere, at any time while rallying support from family, friends, and colleagues. After completing the simple online registration, a personal fundraising page makes it easy to collect support, with all proceeds benefiting MWOBS. Participants are also encouraged to register for the Hike and Make Friends option which makes its debut this year, pairing hikers of similar ability level to complete an adventure of their choosing.

The Après Hike Party will take place at the base of the Mount Washington Auto Road on Saturday, July 15 from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. as participants gather for a celebratory afternoon featuring live music, WMWV radio DJ Roy Prescott, food trucks, beer garden, vendors, and the epic gear raffle with Eastern Mountain Sports and Backpacker Magazine’s Get Outside Tour. An educational program is planned to begin at 2:00 p.m.

Seek the Peak is MWOBS’ largest annual fundraiser, and this year’s goal is to raise $170,000 to sustain research, educational programs, and services like the Higher Summits Forecast, which supports safe hiker decision-making in the White Mountains. Hikers are rewarded for their fundraising with locally designed T-shirts, Cotopaxi backpacks, tickets to the raffle, and entry to the Après Hike Party with a food truck voucher. Everyone who registers also can tour MWOBS’ mountain top weather station on July 15 during Seek the Peak weekend.

Seek the Peak is made possible by Presenting Sponsors including Great Glen Trails and Eastern Mountain Sports, with additional valued support from Backpacker Magazine’s Get Outside Tour, Mount Washington Radio Group (93.5 WMWV, Magic 104.5, and Easy 95.3), Consolidated Communications, Martini Northern, the Mt. Washington Auto Road, Appalachian Mountain Club, White Mountain National Forest, New Hampshire State Parks, Mount Washington Cog Railway, and Tuckerman Brewing Co.

Learn more and register today at seekthepeak.org. Hikers are reminded to hikeSafe and Leave No Trace.

photos courtesy of Mount Washington Observatory

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