grouseking
Well-known member
I wanted to head into a new wilderness region in NH for me, so I chose the Presidential/Dry River wilderness. Me and my hiking parter Brian decided on hiking up Mt Crawford and Stairs, with a possible trip to Resolution if time allowed. We arrived at the trailhead around 9:30am and were off shortly therafter. Spring has sprung down low, with small leaves budding as well as trilliums in full bloom. We even saw a garter snake partway up the trail, sunning himself in the balmy spring weather.
The Davis Path started out very nicely. Stream crossing were easy, and despite the steepness, we made good time up to the summit of Mt Crawford....about 80 minutes, where we were met to awe inspiring views of Crawford Notch, over to Carrigain and beyond. Mt Washington also stood out magestically to our north, with the sun reflecting off its leftover snow. We spent a good 30 min on top relaxing and then made our way north.
The trail was very mellow for a couple miles and there were occasional views which were quite nice. There was also an increasing amount of water...prob from snowmelt and some springs here and there...so the trail was very muddy at times. But it didn't last long and before we knew it we were near the Mt Parker trail. We decided to skip Resolution because there was a chance of showers later and we wanted to get back on time, so onward to Stairs. From here the trail got interesting....quite steep, wet, muddy and there were blowdowns galore. Some required caution because if you landed on it the wrong way you probably wouldn't be able to have kids
. There was also some snow that started to appear, but it was very patchy and melting fast. Soon we were at the Stairs Mtn spur and were ready to head over to the views. The Davis Path looked snowcovered as far as the eye could see further north from Stairs so I'm assuming travel past Stairs is difficult without traction or snowshoes.
Views from Stairs were also magnificient. They wern't 360 degree views but that was fine with me. I'll let the pics do the talking, although, pics never do the land justice. After a good 30 min break, we decided it was time to head back since we saw some slightly thicker clouds towards the west. We figured it was probably a sign of the showers/thundershowers that were forecasted.
The trip back was very nice after the walk down the very wet rock. I used my poles for the first time, and are helpful in some parts, but tended to get in the way. For the most part it kept my arms busy. We took a few breaks here and there on the way back, just so it wouldn't make the walk like a death march. By the time we reached the lower ledges of Mt Crawford, clouds were really beginning to thicken and it looked like rain was just not too far away. So we headed down swiftly and were back at the bottom by 4pm.....about 6.5 hours later. Not bad for at least 1 hr 30 min of breaks. By now the rain had started and it looked like downpours were not far away. We drove up toward Crawford Notch and went into the gut of the heavy showers...and I think I heard some thunder. As usual though, I get through another hike without getting wet.....besides my sweat.
This is a great hike on a very narrow but easily followed trail through some peaks that most people forget about I think...or have never heard of. Weather was great throughout...I wore shorts and tee shirt the whole time and was never cold and rain held off. And as usual I took over 100 pics...and here they are....
Mt Crawford, Stairs
grouseking
The Davis Path started out very nicely. Stream crossing were easy, and despite the steepness, we made good time up to the summit of Mt Crawford....about 80 minutes, where we were met to awe inspiring views of Crawford Notch, over to Carrigain and beyond. Mt Washington also stood out magestically to our north, with the sun reflecting off its leftover snow. We spent a good 30 min on top relaxing and then made our way north.
The trail was very mellow for a couple miles and there were occasional views which were quite nice. There was also an increasing amount of water...prob from snowmelt and some springs here and there...so the trail was very muddy at times. But it didn't last long and before we knew it we were near the Mt Parker trail. We decided to skip Resolution because there was a chance of showers later and we wanted to get back on time, so onward to Stairs. From here the trail got interesting....quite steep, wet, muddy and there were blowdowns galore. Some required caution because if you landed on it the wrong way you probably wouldn't be able to have kids
. There was also some snow that started to appear, but it was very patchy and melting fast. Soon we were at the Stairs Mtn spur and were ready to head over to the views. The Davis Path looked snowcovered as far as the eye could see further north from Stairs so I'm assuming travel past Stairs is difficult without traction or snowshoes.Views from Stairs were also magnificient. They wern't 360 degree views but that was fine with me. I'll let the pics do the talking, although, pics never do the land justice. After a good 30 min break, we decided it was time to head back since we saw some slightly thicker clouds towards the west. We figured it was probably a sign of the showers/thundershowers that were forecasted.
The trip back was very nice after the walk down the very wet rock. I used my poles for the first time, and are helpful in some parts, but tended to get in the way. For the most part it kept my arms busy. We took a few breaks here and there on the way back, just so it wouldn't make the walk like a death march. By the time we reached the lower ledges of Mt Crawford, clouds were really beginning to thicken and it looked like rain was just not too far away. So we headed down swiftly and were back at the bottom by 4pm.....about 6.5 hours later. Not bad for at least 1 hr 30 min of breaks. By now the rain had started and it looked like downpours were not far away. We drove up toward Crawford Notch and went into the gut of the heavy showers...and I think I heard some thunder. As usual though, I get through another hike without getting wet.....besides my sweat.
This is a great hike on a very narrow but easily followed trail through some peaks that most people forget about I think...or have never heard of. Weather was great throughout...I wore shorts and tee shirt the whole time and was never cold and rain held off. And as usual I took over 100 pics...and here they are....
Mt Crawford, Stairs
grouseking
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