loanshark
Active member
I've been trying to hike the Presidential range for the last two weekends, however the weather wasn't quite right. Tuesday looked good. Weekday hiking on the Presis with a good forecast sounds like a Silver Fox type of day. Mark and Karen, Cymbidium, met me at Marshfield for a car spot. We drove to Appalachia and were on the Valley Way a little after 8am. Good company and spirited conversation quickened the hike to Madison Hut.
We did not see any other hikers on the trail or at the hut. After dropping our packs we headed for the summit of Madison. Without packs it was an easy climb. The conditions were nearly perfect. There was almost no wind and only a few wispy clouds. The views were very strong. Strangely enough we did not encounter any bugs until the top of Madison. This would be the case the rest of the day. We headed back to the hut for water refills, some baked goods, our packs and we were off.
It had been a while since breakfast and the snack gave me a second wind. Mark asked me what I had for breakfast (cereal & a bananna) and told me I needed more carbs. He had his usual Jimmy Dean frozen bacon & egg breakfast (3 minutes in the micro and good to go), followed up with a chocolate donut chaser. What else could you ask for.
Next target, Adams. We took the Airline to Gulfside. At T.S. Junction we dropped packs again for the final push to the summit. Once again the summit was swarming with bugs. The views deserved more time than we gave it, but some of the bugs looked like wasps. I did get some shots of the Great Gulf towards Washington. On Jefferson we could see a couple of lingering snow fields. Back at T.S. Junction we stopped long enough for lunch. At that time we discussed bagging Washington later in the day. We would make that call after Jefferrson.
Back on the Gulfside Trail my camera was working overtime. The views were incredible, the Great Gulf, Jefferson's knee, a couple of lingering snow fields; what a panorama. I think the most striking image for me is how big everything is. The scope of everything makes one feel insignificant.
After reaching the Edmunds Col we decided to detour taking the seldom used Cornice to the Castle trails. The footing is rough and with the exception of some small cairns there really is no trail, just a rock hop. We did get rewarded with some striking views of the Castellated Ridge and the massive Castle Ravine. We finally made it to the big cairn just below the summit of Jefferson, dropped our packs and baged the peak.
On top we were surprised to meet old friend Steve Smith. We had a nice discussion on the virtues of the Cornice trail and we were off again. At this point we decided to save Washington for another day. The detour on the cornice had used up too much time. The walk across Monticello Lawn and Clay was easy enough. The Jewell trail, although easy enough, seems to go on forever.
Back in the truck and half way down the access road a mangy looking fox dashed across the road. I had my camera handy and stopped. He seemed to be in hurry to get someplace so I whistled, like I was calling my dog, and he stopped long enough for a couple of photos. What a great day. We had perfect presis weather, very few people on the trails, hiking with good friends and all on company time.
I hope you enjoy the photos.
http://outdoors.webshots.com/slideshow/577999730unmiqY
We did not see any other hikers on the trail or at the hut. After dropping our packs we headed for the summit of Madison. Without packs it was an easy climb. The conditions were nearly perfect. There was almost no wind and only a few wispy clouds. The views were very strong. Strangely enough we did not encounter any bugs until the top of Madison. This would be the case the rest of the day. We headed back to the hut for water refills, some baked goods, our packs and we were off.
It had been a while since breakfast and the snack gave me a second wind. Mark asked me what I had for breakfast (cereal & a bananna) and told me I needed more carbs. He had his usual Jimmy Dean frozen bacon & egg breakfast (3 minutes in the micro and good to go), followed up with a chocolate donut chaser. What else could you ask for.
Next target, Adams. We took the Airline to Gulfside. At T.S. Junction we dropped packs again for the final push to the summit. Once again the summit was swarming with bugs. The views deserved more time than we gave it, but some of the bugs looked like wasps. I did get some shots of the Great Gulf towards Washington. On Jefferson we could see a couple of lingering snow fields. Back at T.S. Junction we stopped long enough for lunch. At that time we discussed bagging Washington later in the day. We would make that call after Jefferrson.
Back on the Gulfside Trail my camera was working overtime. The views were incredible, the Great Gulf, Jefferson's knee, a couple of lingering snow fields; what a panorama. I think the most striking image for me is how big everything is. The scope of everything makes one feel insignificant.
After reaching the Edmunds Col we decided to detour taking the seldom used Cornice to the Castle trails. The footing is rough and with the exception of some small cairns there really is no trail, just a rock hop. We did get rewarded with some striking views of the Castellated Ridge and the massive Castle Ravine. We finally made it to the big cairn just below the summit of Jefferson, dropped our packs and baged the peak.
On top we were surprised to meet old friend Steve Smith. We had a nice discussion on the virtues of the Cornice trail and we were off again. At this point we decided to save Washington for another day. The detour on the cornice had used up too much time. The walk across Monticello Lawn and Clay was easy enough. The Jewell trail, although easy enough, seems to go on forever.
Back in the truck and half way down the access road a mangy looking fox dashed across the road. I had my camera handy and stopped. He seemed to be in hurry to get someplace so I whistled, like I was calling my dog, and he stopped long enough for a couple of photos. What a great day. We had perfect presis weather, very few people on the trails, hiking with good friends and all on company time.
I hope you enjoy the photos.
http://outdoors.webshots.com/slideshow/577999730unmiqY
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