Monroe Washington & Clay via Ammonoosuc Ravine

[giggy]

Had a a decent amount of interest in this hike all week. Chip, Jessbee and myself camped at cherry mountain road friday night (about 2 inches of snow on the ground). Of course, we had to have a blazing fire going while ate supper and drank beer. A while later Jessbee showed up and set her stuff up and we all talked (I had never met jessbee before) and just got to know one another a bit prior to the hike. Not long after we all got in the bags -- ChrisB showed up and then just said he would sleep in his car. 3:30am came quick and since it was jessbees's frist time doing winter type stuff - we had to go the xtra mile and melt snow for water - even tho we had plenty of water- - just for the laugh. so we ate, got coffee'd up and then headed to the ammo trailhead - where not long after woody and and his brother showed up.

so it was - , chip,jessbee,chrisb,woody and brother and myself started about 5:30am via headlamp from the ammo trailhead.

There had been some (not much tho) traffic in the prevoius week - trail was easy to follow to the the cog junction. and then there were a few good blowdowns to get over. not that big of deal, more of a pain in the butt type of thing for about 20 feet. Before we knew it, we were at the gem pool and it was starting to get light out. We waited for the rest of the crew and jessbee showed up and said that Woody's brother wasn't feeling all that great (sick), so they had to turn back - Too bad becuase inthe brief time I chatted with them, they both seemd like great guys. So now we were down to 4 and having been on this trail before a few times, I knew that after the gem pool it gets little steep with rocks and water and ice, etc.. so I decided to put crampons on at the gem pool -

nice trip up the ammo - the traffic from the prevoius week didn't seem to make it to far above the gem pool, so had to break trail from here to hut - not that bad at all really. (maybe the deepest was a foot in places, but not enough to even think about putting the snowshoes on IMO). The view get better and better into the ravine and ridge as you go higher and before we knew it, we were at the hut and the wind started cranking. So we took some shelter in front of the hut and geared up for the trek up monroe, plumes of snow were being blow of the summit - so out came the balaclavas, etc....

Chrisb decided to stay at lakes so chip,jessbee, and myself went to monore - got up it pretty quick - and the wind was going at about 40-50mph I would say, so got back down to lakes pretty quick.

I like to take advantage of these nice sunny days, so I asked the group if they didn't mind exploring a bit and not following cairns, but following the best route thru the snow and they all said -sounds great (we did only go where there was enough snowcover so no plants were stomped over - (there is lot of snow up there right now) so I zig zagged thru that area and chrisb decided he was going to head down the ammmo so we waved and went up some snowfeilds on the washington cone. (about 300 yards to the left of tuck ravine trail) - really nice snow - didn't touch a rock all the way to the summit. Jessbee and Chip really dug this. wind was blowing pretty good at summit and it was damn cold - not much time for eating and drinking - few pix were taken (I think) and then we started over to clay - wind died down a bit and then trail was completly unbroken to clay. pretty much follwed the gulfside to clay loop - some sections of deep powder - but not too bad and they are few and far between. backtracked to jewell trail (actually just went down from the col and hooked up with jewell here) for the trip down back to car - as you get lower on the jewell - tedious rock hopping and spruce traps and pretty slow going - easy to twist an ankle here, when trail gets into the trees it gets nice an packed for trip down (we passed some people coming up) - but now it was getting hot and we made decent time to car for a after hike beer. ate dinner at common man on the kanc.

It was jessbee's first time "winter" hiking -(I know its NOV - but above 4000ft - its winter) - and she did phenomenal not a bad trip for a first go!!

I think chip and jessbee are going post pix. (of course I don't have any!!)

There is one blowdown on the bridge right near the parking lot on jewell trail -be careful getting over this or you will end up in the river!!

all and all - fun day and we all had fun and a few good laughs. Nice hiking with you all.

 

[jessbee]

Thanks Giggy and Chip for an unbeatable experience. Your tips and experience helped me learn quite a bit yesterday. ChrisB, Woody and brother...hope you all made it down safe and sound.

I have much more appreciation for all you folks who do the winter stuff. This is not a walk in the park!! You guys are all insane, I love it!! Heavy packs, ever-changing conditions, lots of hard work. But it all makes sense once you get up above the trees. I remember looking down at the brown landscape below us on the other mountains, thinking it is a totally different world up here. I am still having so many "first" experiences, and I am in awe at all of them. From worst to best:

1. Stepping through ice into calf-deep water (brrr) . Good thing we were close enough to the hut to run back, where I changed into dry sock and plastic bag so my foot was cozy for the rest of the hike. And, I learned to walk directly into the path of the person in front of me

2. Rummaging through a huge pack with all the extra layers, emergency gear and equipment just to get a snack or water. I need to figure out a better system for rigging things up for easy access.

3. Looking around at the drastically different landscape...rime ice covering buildings, rocks, plants. I've seen pictures, but seeing it up close was amazing. It reminded me of coralline structures and other biological patterns, I'll have to do some research here...

4. Walking up a barren snowfield in crampons and with (borrowed) ice axe...slow and steady...stick to the pattern. I only slipped when I thought about what I was doing. What a rush though!! And an ice axe is now #1 priority on my "need-to-buy" gear list.

5. Standing at the Washington summit in the whipping wind and the sun beating down, surrounded by ice and snow and no crowds of people unloading from the stupid Cog. Unbelievable. We worked hard for this one!

I can't wait for my next "winter" hike!! And Chip, please post your pictures. I only took a few, and I attached the best ones here.

 

[post'r boy]

the presidential range was glowin' white from rice mtn in the northfield mountains of vermont!!

 

[DougPaul]

1. Stepping through ice into calf-deep water (brrr) . Good thing we were close enough to the hut to run back, where I changed into dry sock and plastic bag so my foot was cozy for the rest of the hike. And, I learned to walk directly into the path of the person in front of me

Just part of the fun. I've done essentially the same wearing leather XC ski boots. A good high gaiter can be a big help.

Following in someone else's footsteps saves a lot of energy. Take turns breaking trail as necessary.

2. Rummaging through a huge pack with all the extra layers, emergency gear and equipment just to get a snack or water. I need to figure out a better system for rigging things up for easy access.

Try to carry some food and small items like gloves and a hat in your pockets. (If you recall my rants about wanting big pockets on my shells, this is why.) I carry an insulated (OR bottle parka) 500cc Nalgene on my belt and at least 1 liter (insulated Nalgene) in my pack. Keeping this stuff readily available is a big help. Staying fed and hydrated is even more important in winter than in warmer conditions.

3. Looking around at the drastically different landscape...rime ice covering buildings, rocks, plants. I've seen pictures, but seeing it up close was amazing. It reminded me of coralline structures and other biological patterns, I'll have to do some research here...

Winter can be very pretty...

4. Walking up a barren snowfield in crampons and with (borrowed) ice axe...slow and steady...stick to the pattern. I only slipped when I thought about what I was doing. What a rush though!! And an ice axe is now #1 priority on my "need-to-buy" gear list.

Read the section on low angle climbing in "Climbing Ice" by Chouinard.

5. Standing at the Washington summit in the whipping wind and the sun beating down, surrounded by ice and snow and no crowds of people unloading from the stupid Cog. Unbelievable. We worked hard for this one!

I can't wait for my next "winter" hike!!

There is a reason that some of us spend 9 months of the year waiting for the snow to return...

Doug

 

[Chip]

The link to my photo album is below. There are 50, so make sure you click through them all.
We saw the Atlantic from Monroe.
Looking at many of the pictures today I realized the curvature of the earth is apparent !
Thanks for the perfect day, guys. I had the rest of my burrito for breakfast.
I got home at about 10pm after waking up at 2am, thinking it was 3. Oh well.

http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2117610897

 

[sapblatt]

Awesome report! It is winter in the Whites at a lot of elevations below 4k too.
Washinton and the Ammo Ravine looked awesome from the Sandwich Dome area! Glad you all had a safe trip and a nice winter/fall experience.

 

[TMax]

Excellant report Giggy. Wish I was there! The weather looked great. Sounds like a long, tiring, wonderful day!

Fantastic pics Chip. Thanks for posting them.

Jessbee...welcome to the world of winter hiking...it can't be beat!

 

[Artex]

Great report and pics!!! I'd officially kick myself for not joining you guys on Saturday, but after today's run I can barely lift my legs. You guys had some great views! Congrats and glad y'all had fun.

 

[jjmcgo]

Great trip report

and great pictures. You guys made good time early, key to a successful trip.
Who's that walking up Washington with no hat on?
Jessbee, you've got the bug now. You'll never forget that hike.

 

[giggy]

and great pictures. You guys made good time early, key to a successful trip.
Who's that walking up Washington with no hat on?
Jessbee, you've got the bug now. You'll never forget that hike.

hahaha - that was me - at that point we were sheltered from the wind and I was getting pretty hot - the hat came off from time to time. the entire day was hat on hat off depending on the wind really.

 

[Woody]

Giggy, Chip, Jessbee, and ChrisB,

Thanks for the trip report. The pictures in Chips album almost made me feel like I finished the hike. Al felt bad about being sick. He hated to waste a great day like that and not get the hike in. We ended up driving straight home and I was raking leaves by noon. Oh Well....

I'll catch up with you guys on another hike soon!

Woody

 

[Mike P.]

That is step directly in their footprint unless they post hole, then don't Sometimes you only have to step next to where they went in knee deep or more to be safe. Those conditions are coming later though....

 

[Chip]

Cairns

Hiking on Saturday I mentioned to Giggy and Jessbee that my parents had taken me up the Cog when I was a kid and then I thought the Cairns were where people had died.
Then I read this;
"However, hikers all too often mistake this easy access and the seemingly nice weather at the base with what they will discover above timberline. Consequently, the mountain has one of the highest casualty rates of any in the world. The trail up is marked by memorials to those who have fallen and a much too rapidly growing list of casualties is kept at the summit."
Are there memorials, or is this the same confusion I had as a child ?

 

[dr_wu002]

Hiking on Saturday I mentioned to Giggy and Jessbee that my parents had taken me up the Cog when I was a kid and then I thought the Cairns were where people had died.
Then I read this;
"However, hikers all too often mistake this easy access and the seemingly nice weather at the base with what they will discover above timberline. Consequently, the mountain has one of the highest casualty rates of any in the world. The trail up is marked by memorials to those who have fallen and a much too rapidly growing list of casualties is kept at the summit."
Are there memorials, or is this the same confusion I had as a child ?

Here is a list of the deaths on Mt. Washington...

http://www.mountwashington.com/deaths/index.html

-Dr. Wu

 

[MadRiver]

2. Rummaging through a huge pack with all the extra layers, emergency gear and equipment just to get a snack or water. I need to figure out a better system for rigging things up for easy access.

I clip a small ditty bag to my pack strap with a carabiner to hold my lunch and snacks. My water is in an OR water parka as DougPaul mentioned. One thing that I have learned in both summer and winter hikes is to eat on a regular basis and not wait until the next peak/rest spot/trail junction or what have you. When you think about food, stop and eat, do not wait.

 

[giggy]

Chip - there are memorials up there - a couple of crosses, etc.... had we came up the crawford path - think there is one there

- the cairns are simply trail markers

 

[Chip]

Here is a list of the deaths on Mt. Washington...

http://www.mountwashington.com/deaths/index.html

-Dr. Wu

a few things struck me when I read that list;
- the "Slideboard accidents". these were sled type vehicles guys used to race down the Cog tracks on, so I'm not surprised there were a few deaths.
- the 1967 Cog "train accident" deaths. I think my parents took us up in 1969.
- the plane crash deaths, I'm surprised those are listed.
- and that a friend in high-school claimed to have witnessed a Tucks death in about 1976, but the one listed here was in July, unless there was still skiing at that point in the year, which I guess is possible. According to my friend, the guy strapped himself into one of those cheap plastic tobaggans and took off down the snow field, unable to stop...

 

[jjmcgo]

Herbert Young

There is a memorial to Herbert Young 1.4 miles from the start of the Ammonoosuc Trail.. My recollection is he was a Dartmouth student on a 1928 outing when a storm hit. His group headed back down but they were overtaken by heavy snow and he tired and died.
Can't see it from the cog though.