Most scenic northern presi loop hike?

[HuiYeng]

Hi, I'm planning to do a solo loop hike to Mt Madison, Adams, Jefferson and Washington. My goal is to soak up as much views as humanly possible in a day hike.

My preliminary plan is:

Hike up Great Gulf TR, to Madison Gulf TR, up Nelson crag TR, to Alpine Garden TR, an via Lion Head TR up Mt Washington.

From Washington, descend on Great Gulf TR to pick up Sphinx TR, and via Gulfside TR to Mt Jefferson.

From Jefferson, descend on 6 Husbands TR to Buttress TR to... I may skip Adams and go directly to Madison, depend on how I feel at the time.

From Madison, I'll take Daniel Wester Scout TR back to the parking lot.

The total is about 21 mi. Not sure about the elevation gained thou. In the worst case scenario I will skip all summits except Washington, and just do the trails. I am motivated to do this because every year when I did the Presi traverse, I looked into the Great Gulf Wilderness with great awe. I want to be in it (and get out alive).

Is this a sane plan? Or any other suggestions are welcome. Please.

Thank you!

 

[Kevin Rooney]

Are you thinking of doing it as day hike? Those are certainly beautiful trails, but they're among the most challenging in the Whites.

Is it sane? I have no idea! How many day(s) are you planning? Personally, I can't imagine ANYONE climbing Jefferson and then descending 6 Husbands only to reclimb via the Buttress, especially with Gulfside sitting right there in order to get to Adams, but what do I know? It's not my cup of tea, and I personally know one or two people who could do what you've outlined in a day (and live to tell about it), so ... let us know how you make out. It's certainly an ambitious plan, whether it's one, two or three days.

Is the route you've planned the most scenic? - scenery is often in the eye of the beholder. Personally, the most scenic times are when I'm above treeline. Many of the trails you list are exceptionally challenging/demanding, and you will be spending some time/energy looking for the next handhold, so to that extent you may have less time to view the scenery.

 

[jfb]

I wouldn't be able to do that hike as a dayhike, but maybe you can. The one sane thing I do like about your plan is that you can use the Great Gulf trail to return to your starting point if you decide to cut the hike short.

If I were you, I'd just follow the Nelson Crag trail to the summit of Washington, follow the Gulfside to Madison Hut and Osgood over Madison and back to the GG trail.

Another option would be to follow the Osgood trail up over Madison, then down Buttress to the GG trail, follow uphill to Spaulding Lake then turn back and follow the GG trail back to the car. This option gives you some of the best views in the GG without all the ups and downs.

 

[dug]

Sounds like an awful lot of vertical gain in a day. Too much for me anyway. If you want to tour the GG that badly (and with good reason, it's beautiful), I'd go in via GG, and either follow all the way to the ridge...or...go up Wamsutta which hits treeline near the auto road. You can then go over Washington, follow the ridgeline as far as Madison if you want, and still come back down into GG. There are about 3-4 different trails that will lead you back into the GG, so you can really go as far as you'd like before heading back.

I'm personally not a fan of summitting or hitting a ridge, going back down a 1000', and summitting again. Once I get down, that beer in the cooler really starts to call me.

 

[sapblatt]

My first thought seeing you posted at 1Am was that you had a few too many - but after looking at your hiking log I see you have done a lot of long traverses and some pretty huge mountains. I think this may be a sane hike for you - it would be suicide for me. I hear dug - after descending the beer starts calling to me too! (sometimes while ascending too... )
I am considering going from Crag Camp down the Buttress and back up Six Husbands and back over to Crag this fall...but that is not as much rise and gain as what you are looking at.
good luck and be safe!!

 

[David Metsky]

I'm sure she's planning it as a dayhike.

By the time you get to Wasington I can't imaging you'll want to drop down into the Great Gulf and then back up once, let alone twice. It's just not going to appeal to you by that point. Those are some of the hardest trails in the Whites and you'll be a zombie by the time you reach the bottom. If you are looking for scenic, stay up on the ridges.

I'd modify the trip by just taking Great Gulf all the way to the summit of Washington. I think it's more scenic (and more direct), and you'll have a full trip through the Great Gulf. You could modify things by going up Wamsutta or Chandler Brook, then cutting over Alpine Garden, but the Great Gulf headwall is worth it.

Once on the ridges you can play a little by using the Randolph Path, Perch Path, and Israel Ridge trails to do some smaller loops around Adams on your way over. But even for the most seasoned hiker, going down into the Great Gulf and back up twice would be IMO too much.

-dave-

 

[giggy]

It will be scenic if weather is good however you slice this.

From what little I know fo you, this could be done as a dayhike. but - I might re-think the coming down 6 husbands. can it be done - yea sure, but I have never heard a person talk good things about coming down that. Its a steep trail, and has good footing going up, but I personally wouldn't want to come down it.

Not sure of the ele on this - but wash from the GG trailhead is 5000k - then your dipping down back into the GG 2 more times, so that will be probably another 1000 each time. (estimating here) - thats a heck of alot of rock hoping. the GG trail is all loose steep scree on the headwall and will take extra time coming down that - and the 6 husbands will be slow too coming down most likely. IMO - this would be much harder than a pressie traverse. Not sure if you have been in the great gulf before, but it is a bit rougher than other areas in the prezzies.

personally, I would do this as a 2 day'er camping in the great gulf. to enjoy it more What good are the views if your rushing and rock hopping all day. Its pretty dry now, but the rivers in the GG can get high.

But - go for it. sure it could be done but I am with kevin, dave and dug, etc - while I am for some nice longs hikes, dropping down and climbing the GG 3 times in a day - seems like torture - not fun - but thats just my personal tastes -

I think NH MTN Hiker did something similar to this last year oro something.

 

[jrbren]

Sounds like ultra marathon training. Hard to imagine soaking in any views with that itinerary. That is not just 21 miles, there is huge vertical gain change as already mentioned plus I find the presi above treeline boulder hopping very tiring on the lower legs compared to similar distance on a trail with good footing. That itinerary is much harder then any day in a typical Rainier climb itinerary, IMHO. Even if the weather is good. Skipping one of the peaks sometimes does not buy you anything. For example I have done a howker ridge descent after climbing Adams. You can either go over Madison or "skip" it by taking a by pass trail. I found the bypass trail harder because it was more bouldery and side walking a hill is again tough on the lower legs.

 

[jn316]

yup, sometimes you need to choose between "most scenic" and "most strenuous"...Having done a couple of days like the one anticipated in the first thread (back in the '80s it seemed like a good idea to get around 20k in a day by yo-yo routes in the great gulf), I think the advice offered by many here is good: once you get on the ridge, stay there and maybe just go a little side to side for other perspectives:
great gulf trail to the top of the headwall will give you a feel for the gulf and a good quad time on the headwall. Then you can actually lift your spirits by avoiding the summit of washington, and heading north on the gulfside.
A very nice side trip is to go down the 6 husbands to the edmunds col cut-off and take it to the col...it's one of the most scenic trails, and the only one to curve around a cirque on a contour...
then down the randolph path and back up israel ridge to adams, then down the airline over its salient part and the airline cutoff to mad hut, then the osgood up over the summit of madison and down to your starting place.

 

[HuiYeng]

Thanks for all the advices. I'll look at my map again tonight and redraw my plan.

I don't mind missing out all summits, and would prefer not hiking on the ridge. I guess I will need your help to locate my water source along the routes.

I will post my 2nd draft tonight. Looking forward to more advices and feedbacks. Thanks again!

 

[Roxi]

I'm curious why you want to summit Washington, but not Madison, Adams, or Jefferson? I've been on Washington twice and didn't really enjoy the summit, whereas I liked the views from the summits of Madison, Adams, and Jefferson tremendously. Is it a need for a facility break and to replenish food/water? For that I'd go there.

Roxi

 

[David Metsky]

There are several good water sources up high. There are springs on Gulfside by Clay and one in Edmands Col on the Cut-Off. The Perch has a great water source as well, plus there's water at Madison Hut and the summit of Washington. Water shouldn't be a limiting factor.

Frankly, avoiding the summits (except for Washington) doesn't save you much. The climbs are relatively short once you are on the ridge.

If you must go back down into the Great Gulf I'd avoid descending Six Husbands. The other trails (Great Gulf Headwall, Sphinx, even Mad Gulf) can all be hiked down without excessive difficulty, although they are all hard.

-dave-

 

[HuiYeng]

With the same goal in mind, and combined most of your feedbacks, here is my new plan:

Take Great Gulf Tr, Osgood Tr to Mt Madison
From Madison, descend to Star Lake and take Buttress TR to 6 Husbands and up to Jefferson.
From Jefferson take Gulfside to Sphinx Tr descend to Great Gulf Tr.
On Great Gulf Tr, take a detour to Spaulding Lake and then turn around descend all the way via Great Gulf Tr back to the parking lot.

Hi Dave, is the spring at Edmands Col cut-off easy to find?

Hi Roxi, ya I was mainly thinking about refill my water bottles.

I appreciate and welcome all feedbacks! Thanks in advance.

 

[Kevin Rooney]

Hey, why not! Nothing I'd be remotely interested in doing, particularly since my knee replacement budget is underfunded.

You can also get water at the hut, or from Star Lake or from any of the streams you'll encounter as your drop 1000' in elevation.

As for water at Edmands Col - from your itinerary it doesn't appear you'll be there. That Col is between Jefferson and Adams, on the Gulfside trail.

 

[David Metsky]

More reasonable, with the key word being "more". That's still a big day but it it's adventure you're looking for, you've come to the right place.

To hit the spring you'd have to take the Edmands Cut-Off on your way up Jefferson, go over to Edmands Col, then up Jefferson via Gulfside and the Jefferson Loop. The spring is only 100 feet from the end of the Cut-Off at Edmands Col, right on the trail. You can't miss it.

Still a very big day, but you know what you're getting yourself into. But why aren't you going to hit Adams?

-dave-