FreightTrain
New member
We arrived at the cog station around 8:45am with temps in the mid twenties. There were 20 vehicles in the lot. We started up the Ammonoosuc Ravine trail behind a group of about 10 hikers. The trail was well packed and we decided to start out in bare boots. It seemed a little warm and there were no signs of any wind in the lower section of trail. In the steeper section of trail beyond gem pool we rose out of the lower clouds and fog. The view west towards Mt Washington was spectacular. The upper level clouds descended on us shortly afterward. We could now hear the wind blow through the short spruces. Most of us did the whole hike to the hut in bare boots. The hut provided a good wind break where dry shirts and crampons were put on. The wind was really starting to pick up as we started the short trip up to Monroe. I was glad that the large group of hikers was just ahead of us since visibility was about 30 feet and the trail was quickly getting blown in. As we approached the summit, the other group was heading back down. Our stay on the summit was short and sweet. Once back at the hut we traded the crampons for snow shoes and started our way back down the ammonoosuc. We passed 3 hikers resting just below the hut where we also stopped to remove our wind gear. We were back at gem pool in no time and in the parking lot ahead of schedule. Although we had talked about the possibility of tagging Washington also, there was no signs of the trail from the hut and the limited visibility would have made the journey difficult.
