BIGEarl
Well-known member
October 11, 2013: Northern Presidentials Loop
Trails: Valley Way, Gulfside, Jefferson Loop, Lowes Path, Airline, Osgood Trail
Summits: Madison, Adams, and Jefferson
Hikers: Solo
I had a tough time deciding my hike plan for the day. I had five different options being considered; a couple big loops, a big out-and-back, a Triple Hit & Run, and a loop of the Northern Presidentials. The weather forecast was improving through the week. Finally, on Thursday the forecast made a big move in the right direction. All of the upper elevations wind was gone and the predicted conditions were ideal for a day above the treeline. That sealed it for me; I’ll head to Appalachia to loop the Northern Presidentials.
Roughly on plan I arrived at Appalachia, got my things together, and turned on my headlight. But, it’s still dark. Hmmm; dead batteries. I guess the trailhead is a very good place for this to happen. After a short delay to swap in a fresh set of batteries I was hiking.
The leaves are well past their peak and on the ground in this area. Hiking in the dark with no wind means a treat that can only be enjoyed at this time of year. The wonderful aroma from the freshly fallen leaves was terrific. They reminded me of when I was a kid. My friends and I would make huge piles of leaves and jump in them. The smells were wonderful. Those were the same smells I had as I walked along Valley Way in darkness. A small concern to watch for is everything hiding under the leaves; rocks, roots, waterbars. All of them will make you walk funny if given the chance.
A short time after passing the junction with Watson Path the day was getting light and the grade increased. From here to the treeline there would be a number of short steep pitches. I also expected some small sections of mud along the way but everything is generally dry. The only obstacle I encountered was a blowdown a short distance below the spur to Valley Way Tentsite. The tree is roughly eight inches in diameter and too high for a normal person to step over; crawl under this one. I passed the Tentsite spur and knew the treeline wasn’t far beyond.
The weather predictions included a light but generally steady wind of roughly ten miles per hour from the east. As I approached the treeline I expected to hear and feel this wind. There was none; no wind at all. I passed the WMNF warning sign and continued to the closed-for-the-season Madison Hut and there was no wind. This development is not at all disappointing. I had thin, broken, very high clouds, a warmer temperature than predicted, and no wind. Yeah; we’re having fun now!
There was no reason to hang at the hut. I made the turn onto Osgood Trail and started to climb the final half mile to the summit. As I climbed the views slowly opened up. Eventually I got my first glimpse of Washington. The higher I climbed, the better the views. There were thin clouds overhead, but they were very high overhead and the air underneath was very clear. The views were outstanding!
Near the summit I glanced to Washington and noticed the Cog making its way to the top. From their website, I get the impression most of the Cogs are now biodiesel powered but every day an early run (8:15am) is made by an old school coal-fired, steam powered Cog. They call this the “Steam Special”. The black smoke gave it away; I was seeing the Steam Special reaching the top of the line. The thick, black coal smoke went straight up and hung over the cog. Even at the slightly higher elevation of Mount Washington, there was no wind.
I reached the summit area, enjoyed the place for a while, got some pictures, and soon made the u-turn and started back to the hut. I knew there were similar and possibly better views waiting on Adams, my next stop. On my way down I met the first of several others I would see during the day.
I passed the hut again with no reason to stop and changed to Gulfside headed south. After I reached the ridge I’d make the turn onto Airline and head to Adams. The other two pairs of hikers I met near the summit of Madison were also headed on a similar plan and we leapfrogged each other on the hike to Adams. From the hut to the summit is only a mile. With great conditions and views the mile passes quickly. Very soon after leaving the hut I was in the final climb to the summit of Adams. I remember the first time I climbed this route and the windy conditions that caused me to lose my footing and open up both knees. There would be none of that on this time through; just relax and climb.
I reached the summit and got the usual pictures at the summit and distance shots. One of the hiker pairs from Madison was relaxing on the summit and we all visited for a while. They were a couple friends from Maine checking out the area for some winter hiking. Hopefully I see them again. After our visit I headed for Jefferson.
The day was really great and encouraged some relaxing along the way. After getting back onto Gulfside Trail south of Thunderstorm Junction that’s exactly what I did. There are many great places to enjoy a day like this between Thunderstorm Junction and Edmands Col. I picked one and got comfortable. As I enjoyed the sun, a few other hikers, including the pair from Maine passed by. All stopped at least briefly to discuss the day. Rested and refueled I got back on-trail and continued the hike to Jefferson.
Passing through Edmands Col I found the pair from Maine doing what I was doing further north. Their approach was a little more serious; boots off, stretch out, get some sun. I zipped off the lower sections of my pants and got rid of the fleece shirt; the day was too nice for either. Soon I was climbing away from Edmands Col heading to the summit of Jefferson. A short distance south I made the turn onto Jefferson Loop Trail and climbed the short .4 miles to the BIG cairn near the summit.
Jefferson was the only place all day that I wished there was some wind. The place had quite a population of biting insects and there wasn’t enough of a breeze to control them. If we only had the ~10 mph in the NWS forecast we’d be all set. Instead, I got my usual summit and view pictures, finished off a monster size Monster Assault (24 ounce), made the u-turn, and started my exit hike.
Descending from Jefferson I once again bumped into the pair from Maine. They were planning to visit Jefferson and then find a good place to camp for the night. I believe their plans were to spend the next couple days working their way to Crawford Notch. I hope they had a good weekend. For me, it was simply a descent back to Edmands Col, re-climb to Thunderstorm Junction, and then a relatively easy cruise back to Appalachia and the truck. On the way I was entertained by a glider doing laps of the Madison summit. I recall hearing an airplane engine while on Jefferson. That was probably the glider tow that I heard.
There were no surprises at all on the exit hike to the truck. I did manage to do a little daydreaming a couple times as I was working my way back through the lower hardwoods. Twice I stepped into a waterbar hidden by the leaves. Fortunately, no harm was done on either trip.
Generally on-plan I reached the trailhead, tossed my things into the truck, and hit the highway south for home. I probably won’t forget this one for a while, what a day!
I’ve posted some pictures from the day.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Straight to the slideshow
Trails: Valley Way, Gulfside, Jefferson Loop, Lowes Path, Airline, Osgood Trail
Summits: Madison, Adams, and Jefferson
Hikers: Solo
I had a tough time deciding my hike plan for the day. I had five different options being considered; a couple big loops, a big out-and-back, a Triple Hit & Run, and a loop of the Northern Presidentials. The weather forecast was improving through the week. Finally, on Thursday the forecast made a big move in the right direction. All of the upper elevations wind was gone and the predicted conditions were ideal for a day above the treeline. That sealed it for me; I’ll head to Appalachia to loop the Northern Presidentials.
Roughly on plan I arrived at Appalachia, got my things together, and turned on my headlight. But, it’s still dark. Hmmm; dead batteries. I guess the trailhead is a very good place for this to happen. After a short delay to swap in a fresh set of batteries I was hiking.
The leaves are well past their peak and on the ground in this area. Hiking in the dark with no wind means a treat that can only be enjoyed at this time of year. The wonderful aroma from the freshly fallen leaves was terrific. They reminded me of when I was a kid. My friends and I would make huge piles of leaves and jump in them. The smells were wonderful. Those were the same smells I had as I walked along Valley Way in darkness. A small concern to watch for is everything hiding under the leaves; rocks, roots, waterbars. All of them will make you walk funny if given the chance.
A short time after passing the junction with Watson Path the day was getting light and the grade increased. From here to the treeline there would be a number of short steep pitches. I also expected some small sections of mud along the way but everything is generally dry. The only obstacle I encountered was a blowdown a short distance below the spur to Valley Way Tentsite. The tree is roughly eight inches in diameter and too high for a normal person to step over; crawl under this one. I passed the Tentsite spur and knew the treeline wasn’t far beyond.
The weather predictions included a light but generally steady wind of roughly ten miles per hour from the east. As I approached the treeline I expected to hear and feel this wind. There was none; no wind at all. I passed the WMNF warning sign and continued to the closed-for-the-season Madison Hut and there was no wind. This development is not at all disappointing. I had thin, broken, very high clouds, a warmer temperature than predicted, and no wind. Yeah; we’re having fun now!
There was no reason to hang at the hut. I made the turn onto Osgood Trail and started to climb the final half mile to the summit. As I climbed the views slowly opened up. Eventually I got my first glimpse of Washington. The higher I climbed, the better the views. There were thin clouds overhead, but they were very high overhead and the air underneath was very clear. The views were outstanding!
Near the summit I glanced to Washington and noticed the Cog making its way to the top. From their website, I get the impression most of the Cogs are now biodiesel powered but every day an early run (8:15am) is made by an old school coal-fired, steam powered Cog. They call this the “Steam Special”. The black smoke gave it away; I was seeing the Steam Special reaching the top of the line. The thick, black coal smoke went straight up and hung over the cog. Even at the slightly higher elevation of Mount Washington, there was no wind.
I reached the summit area, enjoyed the place for a while, got some pictures, and soon made the u-turn and started back to the hut. I knew there were similar and possibly better views waiting on Adams, my next stop. On my way down I met the first of several others I would see during the day.
I passed the hut again with no reason to stop and changed to Gulfside headed south. After I reached the ridge I’d make the turn onto Airline and head to Adams. The other two pairs of hikers I met near the summit of Madison were also headed on a similar plan and we leapfrogged each other on the hike to Adams. From the hut to the summit is only a mile. With great conditions and views the mile passes quickly. Very soon after leaving the hut I was in the final climb to the summit of Adams. I remember the first time I climbed this route and the windy conditions that caused me to lose my footing and open up both knees. There would be none of that on this time through; just relax and climb.
I reached the summit and got the usual pictures at the summit and distance shots. One of the hiker pairs from Madison was relaxing on the summit and we all visited for a while. They were a couple friends from Maine checking out the area for some winter hiking. Hopefully I see them again. After our visit I headed for Jefferson.
The day was really great and encouraged some relaxing along the way. After getting back onto Gulfside Trail south of Thunderstorm Junction that’s exactly what I did. There are many great places to enjoy a day like this between Thunderstorm Junction and Edmands Col. I picked one and got comfortable. As I enjoyed the sun, a few other hikers, including the pair from Maine passed by. All stopped at least briefly to discuss the day. Rested and refueled I got back on-trail and continued the hike to Jefferson.
Passing through Edmands Col I found the pair from Maine doing what I was doing further north. Their approach was a little more serious; boots off, stretch out, get some sun. I zipped off the lower sections of my pants and got rid of the fleece shirt; the day was too nice for either. Soon I was climbing away from Edmands Col heading to the summit of Jefferson. A short distance south I made the turn onto Jefferson Loop Trail and climbed the short .4 miles to the BIG cairn near the summit.
Jefferson was the only place all day that I wished there was some wind. The place had quite a population of biting insects and there wasn’t enough of a breeze to control them. If we only had the ~10 mph in the NWS forecast we’d be all set. Instead, I got my usual summit and view pictures, finished off a monster size Monster Assault (24 ounce), made the u-turn, and started my exit hike.
Descending from Jefferson I once again bumped into the pair from Maine. They were planning to visit Jefferson and then find a good place to camp for the night. I believe their plans were to spend the next couple days working their way to Crawford Notch. I hope they had a good weekend. For me, it was simply a descent back to Edmands Col, re-climb to Thunderstorm Junction, and then a relatively easy cruise back to Appalachia and the truck. On the way I was entertained by a glider doing laps of the Madison summit. I recall hearing an airplane engine while on Jefferson. That was probably the glider tow that I heard.
There were no surprises at all on the exit hike to the truck. I did manage to do a little daydreaming a couple times as I was working my way back through the lower hardwoods. Twice I stepped into a waterbar hidden by the leaves. Fortunately, no harm was done on either trip.
Generally on-plan I reached the trailhead, tossed my things into the truck, and hit the highway south for home. I probably won’t forget this one for a while, what a day!
I’ve posted some pictures from the day.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Straight to the slideshow
