Kurchian
Member
About 10 years ago my hiking partner and I began discussing a Presidential Traverse. We had bagged many of the mountains in and around Waterville Valley, where our families vacationed together but we never did get farther north to bag the big ones. We hadn’t hiked together since 1997 when we hiked Moosilauke. Since then, Michael had taken up golf and I’d been slowly trudging towards the 48 peaks.
We had both worked out at the gym in preparation for this climb. We aren’t young anymore and we both knew that some better cardio conditioning would be required.
We left suburban Boston at 6:30 AM on day one. We drove up to the Ammonoosuc Trail head and left our car. We then hopped the 10:15 AM AMC shuttle and headed north to Appalachia and the Valley Way trailhead, supposedly the easiest trail up to the Madison Hut.
It was near 90 degrees and humid when we began. We hit the trail about 11:00 AM. Along the way up Michael overheated and began having some trouble. He had stomachaches and a throbbing headache. It didn’t help any that we had both misjudged the water needs on such a hot day and ran out of water. We slowed down a great deal. Michael would take about 15 steps and have to rest. I think we both second-guessed ourselves. Did we begin something we weren’t ready for? We didn’t make the Madison Hut until after 4:00 PM. After some rest and change of clothes Michael recovered quickly. Michael was concerned that his conditioning had been insufficient, but upon reflection, I think he was suffering from some heat exhaustion brought on by lack of water and a second top layer that wasn’t needed on such a hot day.
After supper we bagged Mt. Madison. We thought the peak was the high point that was viewable from the hut. We soon learned it was higher than we thought, but it was a pleasurable climb.
The hut itself is the oldest in the AMC system, originally built in 1888 and since rebuilt after the fire of 1940. It houses two bunkrooms of 24 each. I had wondered which of the four levels of bunks would be best. I liked the bottom due to accessibility, but I had heard a story of a hiker leaving some GORP by her bed and feeling mice scampering all over her throughout the night as the mice devoured her snack. So, it was up to the top level for me. To hell with the difficulty of the 2:00 AM bathroom run!
The next day was also sunny. We started out on the Gulfside Trail about 8:15 AM towards Mt Adams. Just north of Adams we had wonderful views into King Ravine. The trail was rocky and the ascent steep. Like most of the Presidential peaks, the cones of the mountains are strewn with talus blocks and require considerable rock hopping and scrambling.
On our descent from Adams I sprained my ankle pretty badly. I stepped in a depression and turned it about 90 degrees. The pain was intense and it began swelling immediately. I wasn’t faced with many choices. I was over 5000’ feet high and no one was going to carry me out, so I swallowed some Advil and limped on. On the way to Mt. Jefferson, I considered going around it, but in the end, as my ankle loosened up and we decided to climb it.
When we reached the top we met a woman with a weather radio whose emergency beacon came on to warn us that there was dangerous weather nearby and that it was best to seek shelter. We attempted to descend as quickly as we could, but it was clear I couldn’t keep up any pace. Each step had become painful. I had to rest frequently to gather my wits and summon the courage to continue. Meanwhile, the storm clouds were visible and coming closer. We could hear the thunder rumblings and Michael was eager to reach the hut as we snaked across the Gulfside Trail towards Lakes of the Clouds Hut, our second night’s destination. I was thankful for my hiking partner’s patience. If I had been crawling I would have been going faster. I simply couldn’t put much weight on my left ankle.
As we traversed the Gulfside Trail the thunder was obviously getting closer. We wanted to reach the hut before the storm, but it was clear I couldn’t. Finally the lightening and thunder was too close to ignore. When we felt the first raindrops on the Westside Trail, just pass the Cog Railway tracks we hunkered down, threw our hiking sticks off the trail and sat there and got wet. It was somewhat demoralizing to be sitting out in on the west flank of Mt. Washington getting soaked, especially within sight (1.5 mi.) of the hut but it beats being struck by lightening. As we sat we could see the lightning bolts across the landscape in front of us. A bolt striking the top of Mt. Monroe was particularly impressive (and frightening). Thankfully, we were both well-prepared for such an occurence i terms of gear and clothing.
The visibility had been reduced to zero and when it seemed safe to continue we had to be guided by the cairns, as you couldn’t see the trail ahead.
I had told my hiking partner to go ahead and check in. It was apparent I wouldn’t arrive until 6:00 PM, when dinner was served. I hobbled down Crawford Path to the hut. When I saw my partner approaching me about a half mile from the hut with an offer to take my pack and some water, it was a Godsend. The best tasting water I’d ever had!
The night at Lakes was uneventful. It is a large hut with smallish rooms. I spent the evening of day 2 wondering how I was going to get down. I considered ascending to Mt. Washington and taking the railway down. In the end I decided to try and descend on foot. My ankle had turned to black and red and once again the trip down was very difficult. I started out very tentatively, taking tiny steps. The descent down the Ammonoosuc Trail is pretty steep for the first couple miles, but the waterfalls and the hikers ascending the trail made for an enjoyable morning.
Outside of the ankle injury and the thunderstorm, we were blessed with three great days. The croo at the hut told us that the visibility was 80 miles. When you have three straight days of seemingly limitless 360-degree views from the highest spots in New England you have experienced something that you’ll never forget. Thanks to my hiking partner for his good-natured companionship.
We had both worked out at the gym in preparation for this climb. We aren’t young anymore and we both knew that some better cardio conditioning would be required.
We left suburban Boston at 6:30 AM on day one. We drove up to the Ammonoosuc Trail head and left our car. We then hopped the 10:15 AM AMC shuttle and headed north to Appalachia and the Valley Way trailhead, supposedly the easiest trail up to the Madison Hut.
It was near 90 degrees and humid when we began. We hit the trail about 11:00 AM. Along the way up Michael overheated and began having some trouble. He had stomachaches and a throbbing headache. It didn’t help any that we had both misjudged the water needs on such a hot day and ran out of water. We slowed down a great deal. Michael would take about 15 steps and have to rest. I think we both second-guessed ourselves. Did we begin something we weren’t ready for? We didn’t make the Madison Hut until after 4:00 PM. After some rest and change of clothes Michael recovered quickly. Michael was concerned that his conditioning had been insufficient, but upon reflection, I think he was suffering from some heat exhaustion brought on by lack of water and a second top layer that wasn’t needed on such a hot day.
After supper we bagged Mt. Madison. We thought the peak was the high point that was viewable from the hut. We soon learned it was higher than we thought, but it was a pleasurable climb.
The hut itself is the oldest in the AMC system, originally built in 1888 and since rebuilt after the fire of 1940. It houses two bunkrooms of 24 each. I had wondered which of the four levels of bunks would be best. I liked the bottom due to accessibility, but I had heard a story of a hiker leaving some GORP by her bed and feeling mice scampering all over her throughout the night as the mice devoured her snack. So, it was up to the top level for me. To hell with the difficulty of the 2:00 AM bathroom run!
The next day was also sunny. We started out on the Gulfside Trail about 8:15 AM towards Mt Adams. Just north of Adams we had wonderful views into King Ravine. The trail was rocky and the ascent steep. Like most of the Presidential peaks, the cones of the mountains are strewn with talus blocks and require considerable rock hopping and scrambling.
On our descent from Adams I sprained my ankle pretty badly. I stepped in a depression and turned it about 90 degrees. The pain was intense and it began swelling immediately. I wasn’t faced with many choices. I was over 5000’ feet high and no one was going to carry me out, so I swallowed some Advil and limped on. On the way to Mt. Jefferson, I considered going around it, but in the end, as my ankle loosened up and we decided to climb it.
When we reached the top we met a woman with a weather radio whose emergency beacon came on to warn us that there was dangerous weather nearby and that it was best to seek shelter. We attempted to descend as quickly as we could, but it was clear I couldn’t keep up any pace. Each step had become painful. I had to rest frequently to gather my wits and summon the courage to continue. Meanwhile, the storm clouds were visible and coming closer. We could hear the thunder rumblings and Michael was eager to reach the hut as we snaked across the Gulfside Trail towards Lakes of the Clouds Hut, our second night’s destination. I was thankful for my hiking partner’s patience. If I had been crawling I would have been going faster. I simply couldn’t put much weight on my left ankle.
As we traversed the Gulfside Trail the thunder was obviously getting closer. We wanted to reach the hut before the storm, but it was clear I couldn’t. Finally the lightening and thunder was too close to ignore. When we felt the first raindrops on the Westside Trail, just pass the Cog Railway tracks we hunkered down, threw our hiking sticks off the trail and sat there and got wet. It was somewhat demoralizing to be sitting out in on the west flank of Mt. Washington getting soaked, especially within sight (1.5 mi.) of the hut but it beats being struck by lightening. As we sat we could see the lightning bolts across the landscape in front of us. A bolt striking the top of Mt. Monroe was particularly impressive (and frightening). Thankfully, we were both well-prepared for such an occurence i terms of gear and clothing.
The visibility had been reduced to zero and when it seemed safe to continue we had to be guided by the cairns, as you couldn’t see the trail ahead.
I had told my hiking partner to go ahead and check in. It was apparent I wouldn’t arrive until 6:00 PM, when dinner was served. I hobbled down Crawford Path to the hut. When I saw my partner approaching me about a half mile from the hut with an offer to take my pack and some water, it was a Godsend. The best tasting water I’d ever had!
The night at Lakes was uneventful. It is a large hut with smallish rooms. I spent the evening of day 2 wondering how I was going to get down. I considered ascending to Mt. Washington and taking the railway down. In the end I decided to try and descend on foot. My ankle had turned to black and red and once again the trip down was very difficult. I started out very tentatively, taking tiny steps. The descent down the Ammonoosuc Trail is pretty steep for the first couple miles, but the waterfalls and the hikers ascending the trail made for an enjoyable morning.
Outside of the ankle injury and the thunderstorm, we were blessed with three great days. The croo at the hut told us that the visibility was 80 miles. When you have three straight days of seemingly limitless 360-degree views from the highest spots in New England you have experienced something that you’ll never forget. Thanks to my hiking partner for his good-natured companionship.
