MadRiver
New member
My friend John’s knees were causing him some problems so he decided to forgo our little adventure, while my wife remained in Connecticut to attend her sister’s post wedding party, that left my girlfriend Pauline and I to brave the Presidentials alone. As is usual when you plan a trip in the comforts of a warm and inviting kitchen, you tend to overestimate your ability while underestimating the task at hand. Such was the case with our Gray Knob trip.
Last year our little band of explorers were unable to summit Mt. Adams for a variety of reasons, two of which were fatigue and darkness, so Pauline decided to compensate for this affront to her hiking ability by planning to bag Adams, Jefferson, and maybe Washington. Although my wife and I cautioned her against such a bold plan, she nonetheless remained adamant in her resolve. Knowing Pauline as well as I do, talking her out of her mission wasn’t going to be easy, so I just acquiesced and made plans to spot a car at the cog in the event that if the mountain gods did decide to favor us with a cobalt blue windless day on the ridge, we would at least be prepared to take advantage of the opportunity.
We arrived at the cog around 7:30 am and after paying inside and placing a hiking sign on my car, we headed to Lowe’s Store. When we arrived at the store, the mountain was shrouded in a cold mist which gave us pause for our hopes of reaching the summit were in question, as least for that day anyway. Even with the weather less than ideal, we nevertheless began our little adventure with a great sense of optimism knowing that tomorrow was another day.
After the warm spell that hit New Hampshire in the early part of the week, I wasn’t surprised to see only a trace amount of snow on the trail. Although the trail was wet, the footing was good and we made decent time heading to Gray Knob without need of snowshoes or crampons, though we carried both.
Just above the log Cabin the trail became icy. For a fleeting moment we had thoughts of stopping and putting on our crampons, yet the trail wasn’t so icy that simply watching your step was enough to safely navigate the trail. The winds also began to pick up as we approached the cabin, so our hearts sank a little knowing that we might not be able to attempt the summit.
When we arrived at the Gray Knob we were relieved to see only Ryan the caretaker and his girlfriend Sarah. It’s not so much that we are antisocial, but we do plan out trips for a Friday night to avoid the crowds that can amass at Gray Knob and Crag Camp on any given Saturday night. Having to share a small intimate cabin like Gray or Crag with 20+ other people can be exhausting sometimes, so we always plan our stay for a Friday night. Besides, hiking out and then having to drive back to CT on the same day can be exhausting as well.
After exchanging pleasantries with Ryan and Sarah, we headed upstairs to layout our bags and unpack. By this time the wind had increased and I asked Pauline if she wanted to attempt the summit or wait until tomorrow and just relax for the evening. She weighted the pros and cons and came to the conclusion that since we were safe and warm, why tempt fate by venturing out, so we both settled in for the evening.
After stripping off my wet clothing and putting on warm and dry thermals, I headed down stairs to relax while Pauline snuggled in her bag trying to stay warm. Twenty minutes later I realized that she wasn’t going to budge, so I laid my bag over hers and headed back down to continue reading Not Without Peril. I did find it somewhat amusing and a tad ironic that I was reading several of the stories of hikers attempting hikes that the conditions clearly warranted against. Yet, here we were planning on hiking across the ridge to Jewell in conditions that we going to be less than ideal. Hmmm.
In between reading and sharing my Oreos with Sarah we all chatted about life in general and enjoyed the fact that most likely it would be a quiet night with just the four of us. After Princess Pauline emerged from her gentle slumber and joined us downstairs, we cooked and ate diner and after which I broke out the cognac. Apparently, cognac is Sarah’s favorite liquor and even asked jokingly if I had called her mother before heading up. I do not bring large amounts of liquor with me on our overnight trips, just a small amount to be social, which it turns out was just the right amount.
The next morning I listened to the weather report from the observatory and quickly realized that a ridge walk was totally out of the question given the winds were 62 mph with gusts of 84 mph predicted. Couple that with a wind chill of -33 and you immediately arrive at the realization that the mountain gods did not give you the type of day you had hoped for.
After eating breakfast and saying goodbye to Ryan and Sarah, we headed down the mountain in a soft blanket of freshly fallen snow. Knowing that the water that covered the trail the previous day was now ice, we donned our crampons for the trip down. The hike down was one of the most enjoyable times I had in the woods in quit awhile. The snow softly caressed the shrub trees which produced an eerie quiet found nowhere else. As much as we wanted to get to our car and eventually home, I also wanted to remain in the woods as long as possible knowing that the pristine path of newly fallen snow would soon give way to the onslaught of hikers heading to the ridge. And it was just after the log cabin we met our first group heading to Gray Knob. After that, we just picked up our speed and headed out.
As much as I realize that our little venture was not filled with heroic tales of daring-do that captivate the imagination of small children and the admiration of adults, it was nonetheless an enjoyable trip. I am somewhat saddened that Pauline still has not summited Adams after two attempts, yet realize that given the conditions there was no other choice.
Last year our little band of explorers were unable to summit Mt. Adams for a variety of reasons, two of which were fatigue and darkness, so Pauline decided to compensate for this affront to her hiking ability by planning to bag Adams, Jefferson, and maybe Washington. Although my wife and I cautioned her against such a bold plan, she nonetheless remained adamant in her resolve. Knowing Pauline as well as I do, talking her out of her mission wasn’t going to be easy, so I just acquiesced and made plans to spot a car at the cog in the event that if the mountain gods did decide to favor us with a cobalt blue windless day on the ridge, we would at least be prepared to take advantage of the opportunity.
We arrived at the cog around 7:30 am and after paying inside and placing a hiking sign on my car, we headed to Lowe’s Store. When we arrived at the store, the mountain was shrouded in a cold mist which gave us pause for our hopes of reaching the summit were in question, as least for that day anyway. Even with the weather less than ideal, we nevertheless began our little adventure with a great sense of optimism knowing that tomorrow was another day.
After the warm spell that hit New Hampshire in the early part of the week, I wasn’t surprised to see only a trace amount of snow on the trail. Although the trail was wet, the footing was good and we made decent time heading to Gray Knob without need of snowshoes or crampons, though we carried both.
Just above the log Cabin the trail became icy. For a fleeting moment we had thoughts of stopping and putting on our crampons, yet the trail wasn’t so icy that simply watching your step was enough to safely navigate the trail. The winds also began to pick up as we approached the cabin, so our hearts sank a little knowing that we might not be able to attempt the summit.
When we arrived at the Gray Knob we were relieved to see only Ryan the caretaker and his girlfriend Sarah. It’s not so much that we are antisocial, but we do plan out trips for a Friday night to avoid the crowds that can amass at Gray Knob and Crag Camp on any given Saturday night. Having to share a small intimate cabin like Gray or Crag with 20+ other people can be exhausting sometimes, so we always plan our stay for a Friday night. Besides, hiking out and then having to drive back to CT on the same day can be exhausting as well.
After exchanging pleasantries with Ryan and Sarah, we headed upstairs to layout our bags and unpack. By this time the wind had increased and I asked Pauline if she wanted to attempt the summit or wait until tomorrow and just relax for the evening. She weighted the pros and cons and came to the conclusion that since we were safe and warm, why tempt fate by venturing out, so we both settled in for the evening.
After stripping off my wet clothing and putting on warm and dry thermals, I headed down stairs to relax while Pauline snuggled in her bag trying to stay warm. Twenty minutes later I realized that she wasn’t going to budge, so I laid my bag over hers and headed back down to continue reading Not Without Peril. I did find it somewhat amusing and a tad ironic that I was reading several of the stories of hikers attempting hikes that the conditions clearly warranted against. Yet, here we were planning on hiking across the ridge to Jewell in conditions that we going to be less than ideal. Hmmm.
In between reading and sharing my Oreos with Sarah we all chatted about life in general and enjoyed the fact that most likely it would be a quiet night with just the four of us. After Princess Pauline emerged from her gentle slumber and joined us downstairs, we cooked and ate diner and after which I broke out the cognac. Apparently, cognac is Sarah’s favorite liquor and even asked jokingly if I had called her mother before heading up. I do not bring large amounts of liquor with me on our overnight trips, just a small amount to be social, which it turns out was just the right amount.
The next morning I listened to the weather report from the observatory and quickly realized that a ridge walk was totally out of the question given the winds were 62 mph with gusts of 84 mph predicted. Couple that with a wind chill of -33 and you immediately arrive at the realization that the mountain gods did not give you the type of day you had hoped for.
After eating breakfast and saying goodbye to Ryan and Sarah, we headed down the mountain in a soft blanket of freshly fallen snow. Knowing that the water that covered the trail the previous day was now ice, we donned our crampons for the trip down. The hike down was one of the most enjoyable times I had in the woods in quit awhile. The snow softly caressed the shrub trees which produced an eerie quiet found nowhere else. As much as we wanted to get to our car and eventually home, I also wanted to remain in the woods as long as possible knowing that the pristine path of newly fallen snow would soon give way to the onslaught of hikers heading to the ridge. And it was just after the log cabin we met our first group heading to Gray Knob. After that, we just picked up our speed and headed out.
As much as I realize that our little venture was not filled with heroic tales of daring-do that captivate the imagination of small children and the admiration of adults, it was nonetheless an enjoyable trip. I am somewhat saddened that Pauline still has not summited Adams after two attempts, yet realize that given the conditions there was no other choice.
Last edited:
