BIGEarl
Well-known member
Another Great Hiking Weekend With Steve, 2/11-13/06
Another great weekend in the mountains with Steve….
The weather forecast seemed to indicate friendly conditions on Washington for Saturday so we decided to spend some time above the tree line. We met at Lyon’s Motel on Friday night to be ready for an early Saturday start.
We planned a very early start but actually got off a little late at 5:30am. The local temperature was reported at -12 by the Weather Channel but the forecast was for warmer temperatures by mid-morning. We headed out on Valley Way. There was a group just ahead and another just behind all the way to the Madison Springs Hut. After pulling the crampons out at the hut it was a fairly quick up and down on Madison via the Osgood Trail. Then, we were off on Gulfside for the typical north to south hike taking loops over summits along the way. By mid-morning the wind was way down, as forecast, and we were having a great day. By mid-afternoon, with Madison, Adams, and Jefferson behind us, we were on the observation deck on Mount Washington. After a quick snack we continued on the Crawford Path to Monroe.
The original plan was to hike to Jefferson, and if possible Washington, and if we cleared Washington to hike Monroe on the way out.
What a temptation to keep hiking and get the final three. After all, we had a full moon to work with and it was out. With no daylight left and our second vehicle spotted at Marshfield Station we decided to call it a day, and come back tomorrow to finish the job.
Sunday was a comfortably late, 8:00am start. We headed up the Crawford Path to the Eisenhower Loop and hit the summit. After some pictures and quick refreshments we made a u-turn and headed back to Pierce, and then Jackson. With the exception of the Webster Cliff Trail all trails were in great shape. The Webster Cliff Trail had significant post holing. Sunday wasn’t nearly the great weather day we enjoyed on Saturday but it was workable.
Today we decided to take care of the final clean-up work in Crawford Notch. With a 8:00am start at -1 degrees we headed up the Avalon Trail for the start of our hike of Tom-Field-Willey. We bare booted the first two miles and then went with the crampons. The hike to Tom was on generally good trails. Heading to Field we found a good amount of drifting near the summit. The trail was still easy to follow. On the approach to Willey it was a different story. There was significant drifting and at one point we spent some time locating the trail. We managed to complete the hike with no further difficulties.
The score card for our weekend…..
Madison
Adams
Jefferson
Washington
Monroe
Eisenhower
Pierce
Jackson
Tom
Field
Willey
I’m tired and hungry. And, I may need a shower.
Another great weekend in the mountains with Steve….
The weather forecast seemed to indicate friendly conditions on Washington for Saturday so we decided to spend some time above the tree line. We met at Lyon’s Motel on Friday night to be ready for an early Saturday start.
We planned a very early start but actually got off a little late at 5:30am. The local temperature was reported at -12 by the Weather Channel but the forecast was for warmer temperatures by mid-morning. We headed out on Valley Way. There was a group just ahead and another just behind all the way to the Madison Springs Hut. After pulling the crampons out at the hut it was a fairly quick up and down on Madison via the Osgood Trail. Then, we were off on Gulfside for the typical north to south hike taking loops over summits along the way. By mid-morning the wind was way down, as forecast, and we were having a great day. By mid-afternoon, with Madison, Adams, and Jefferson behind us, we were on the observation deck on Mount Washington. After a quick snack we continued on the Crawford Path to Monroe.
The original plan was to hike to Jefferson, and if possible Washington, and if we cleared Washington to hike Monroe on the way out.
What a temptation to keep hiking and get the final three. After all, we had a full moon to work with and it was out. With no daylight left and our second vehicle spotted at Marshfield Station we decided to call it a day, and come back tomorrow to finish the job.
Sunday was a comfortably late, 8:00am start. We headed up the Crawford Path to the Eisenhower Loop and hit the summit. After some pictures and quick refreshments we made a u-turn and headed back to Pierce, and then Jackson. With the exception of the Webster Cliff Trail all trails were in great shape. The Webster Cliff Trail had significant post holing. Sunday wasn’t nearly the great weather day we enjoyed on Saturday but it was workable.
Today we decided to take care of the final clean-up work in Crawford Notch. With a 8:00am start at -1 degrees we headed up the Avalon Trail for the start of our hike of Tom-Field-Willey. We bare booted the first two miles and then went with the crampons. The hike to Tom was on generally good trails. Heading to Field we found a good amount of drifting near the summit. The trail was still easy to follow. On the approach to Willey it was a different story. There was significant drifting and at one point we spent some time locating the trail. We managed to complete the hike with no further difficulties.
The score card for our weekend…..
Madison
Adams
Jefferson
Washington
Monroe
Eisenhower
Pierce
Jackson
Tom
Field
Willey
I’m tired and hungry. And, I may need a shower.
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