Alpine Garden via Huntington's Ravine

 Don't be fooled by the name of this hike, as this is arguably one of the toughest hikes in NH's White Mountains.  We will be ascending via the Huntington's Ravine trail which involves a perilous scramble across a narrow ledge, which is not recommended for novice hikers or for folks who are afraid of heights.  The reward, however, should be one of the most extensive natural alpine gardens in the Northeast, which hopefully should be in full bloom on this weekend.  We will start at the Pinkham Notch Visitor's Center (2,032 ft.), up via the lower Tuckerman Trail to the Huntington Ravine trail, to the junction with the Alpine Garden trail (5,475 ft).  This part of the hike will be 3.4 miles, and will involve a fairly rugged 3,443 foot ascent.  The crossing of the Alpine Garden Trail is a fairly level, and easy .9 mile hike to the Lion's Head Trail, which we will use for the moderate descent (3 miles).  The total mileage will be a bit over 7.3 miles.  Please don't sign up for this hike unless you are an experienced hiker and are in shape enough to tackle the rock/ledge scramble described above.  If I don't know you, I will be e-mailing you to get a better sense of whether you are up to this or not.  Rain will cancel.