grouseking
Well-known member
Yet another great hike on Saturday...Mts Pierce and Jackson...which was my 23rd 4k. At the beginning of the week I didn't think I would hike thanks to my hurt foot, but the pain rapidly went away Monday night and Tuesday so I thought maybe I'd try something. After many different options like the Percy Peaks, or Nancy and Norcross Pond, I decided on Pierce and Jackson because I figured a good part of that hike would be relatively easy on my feet. The whole hike was really great, despite the hazy views. I was actually in a silly mood throughout the day, which shows up on the pics. But I was extremely happy to be out.
We started up the Crawford Path very late (11:40am), especially since there was a chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. We were really pushing our luck with the weather, but I was going with my "it never rains until I finish the hike" mantra, unless I hike with my friend Matt, when the weather almost always stinks. The trail was nice and easy on my feet, but I was a little winded anyways since I haven't been out in a few weeks, and a bagel was my only food so far. Also, the humidity was creeping up which made the sweat come pouring off my body (it was gross). The conditions wern't even "THAT" humid, but more humid than the last 3 weeks so it was tough to acclimate. Nevertheless, we made good time up the trail to the Mizpah Cutoff junction. Then I came across a friend who I had not seen in over 6 years...since I graduated high school actually. Come to find out she works at Mizpah Hut and will be headin off to Lakes of the Clouds Monday. I will definitely head up and visit her and maybe tag Monroe while I'm there. She was a good friend, our interaction was too brief, and it would be great to see her again.
But off we went, ignoring the dozens of gray jays practically swarming at our heads. I was getting tired a little more, but just like that we came across the Alpine Zone sign, so that lifted spirits in a hurry.
I took a trip up Pierce back in March and was greeted by a blizzard with 0 degree temperatures on the summit. In fact, there was a ton of snow. I tried to take some duplicate shots from both trips and here are a few different perspectives.
Pierce 1 March Pierce 1 August
Pierce 2 March Pierce 2 August
Pierce 3 March Pierce Pic 3 August
Pierce 4 March Pierce 4 August
Pierce 5 March Pierce 5 August
Just to give you an idea of the different seasons. Most of those pics might not match up perfectly, but I think some are right in the same general area. I used my memory to the best of my abilities. Anyways the summit views of Pierce were actually underwhelming to me. Maybe it was because of the haze, or maybe I like blizzards more! So we didn't hang out on Pierce too long. I was concerned because I saw some building cumulus and wanted to at least make it to Mizpah so I could make a decision on whether to head down or not. So off we went...
The Webster Cliff trail...is fantastic! It was well maintained which made it very easy on my feet!! This made me overjoyed and I was able to soak in the atmosphere even more. There is a fairly steep descent down to Mizpah Hut, but there are brand new ladders and puncheons along the way which made for a painless walk...although I did slip once on a damp piece of wood. We made it to the hut in good time and saw that the sun was back out and it almost looked like a beautiful afternoon was shaping up. But we knew better...a front was coming and even if we missed the thunder there was rain on our doorstep. We stayed long enough to fill up water, chat with the croo and take a real break since we hadn't really had one yet.
We continued on the Webster Cliff/AT highway and made good time, but slowed down when we walked thru the high elevation bogs....simply wonderful. I will be back here next June and July when there are flowers. The climb up Jackson was actually quite steep, and normally I would love the scramble up it, but I was worried about my foot, so I took it very carefully. Thankfully it wasn't too difficult and we made it up with no problems. Views from the top were MUCH better than Pierce IMO, and there were still a few people hanging out on top, at the late hour of 4:15 pm. Skies were darkening but you could still see quite far.
Normally, I would never feed a gray jay. In fact, I even created a thread on why I don't do it! But yesterday I was in a light hearted mood I guess, and I have to say that I did not practice what I preach
. They were everywhere, basically jumping on my lap, so I said that the heck? I even got a video of one landing on me, which was interesting to say the least.
After the fun with the overactive birds, we descended down the Jackson Branch trail. This trail had it all. It looked like a virgin spruce forest (they were big anyways) but the trail was very rough on my feet. Rocks were jagged, wet, mossy and slippery. So I had a difficult time enjoying the beauty. The 1.2 miles to the junction with Webster Jackson trail took over an hour and I was pretty pooped at this point. To keep myself sane, I started singing out loud (yes it kept me sane), but I feel bad for Brian. He probably hopes he'll never have to hear The Beatles "Bungalo Bill" ever again!
We stopped at Bugle Cliff for a nice 20 min break to break up the hiking even more and just relaxed. We could see our car down below...the only one left in the lot along Saco Lake. People must have been scared of the thunder...I know I was. But we faired just fine and it didn't actually rain until the short roadwalk back to the car. And that was just a light sprinkle. The hike overall was fantastic and I added another 4k to my resume. I was definitely acting a little more loopy than normal...hopefully I didn't annoy too many people. Here are the pictures . WARNING.....lots of sweaty self portraits of me
grouseking
We started up the Crawford Path very late (11:40am), especially since there was a chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. We were really pushing our luck with the weather, but I was going with my "it never rains until I finish the hike" mantra, unless I hike with my friend Matt, when the weather almost always stinks. The trail was nice and easy on my feet, but I was a little winded anyways since I haven't been out in a few weeks, and a bagel was my only food so far. Also, the humidity was creeping up which made the sweat come pouring off my body (it was gross). The conditions wern't even "THAT" humid, but more humid than the last 3 weeks so it was tough to acclimate. Nevertheless, we made good time up the trail to the Mizpah Cutoff junction. Then I came across a friend who I had not seen in over 6 years...since I graduated high school actually. Come to find out she works at Mizpah Hut and will be headin off to Lakes of the Clouds Monday. I will definitely head up and visit her and maybe tag Monroe while I'm there. She was a good friend, our interaction was too brief, and it would be great to see her again.
But off we went, ignoring the dozens of gray jays practically swarming at our heads. I was getting tired a little more, but just like that we came across the Alpine Zone sign, so that lifted spirits in a hurry.
I took a trip up Pierce back in March and was greeted by a blizzard with 0 degree temperatures on the summit. In fact, there was a ton of snow. I tried to take some duplicate shots from both trips and here are a few different perspectives.
Pierce 1 March Pierce 1 August
Pierce 2 March Pierce 2 August
Pierce 3 March Pierce Pic 3 August
Pierce 4 March Pierce 4 August
Pierce 5 March Pierce 5 August
Just to give you an idea of the different seasons. Most of those pics might not match up perfectly, but I think some are right in the same general area. I used my memory to the best of my abilities. Anyways the summit views of Pierce were actually underwhelming to me. Maybe it was because of the haze, or maybe I like blizzards more! So we didn't hang out on Pierce too long. I was concerned because I saw some building cumulus and wanted to at least make it to Mizpah so I could make a decision on whether to head down or not. So off we went...
The Webster Cliff trail...is fantastic! It was well maintained which made it very easy on my feet!! This made me overjoyed and I was able to soak in the atmosphere even more. There is a fairly steep descent down to Mizpah Hut, but there are brand new ladders and puncheons along the way which made for a painless walk...although I did slip once on a damp piece of wood. We made it to the hut in good time and saw that the sun was back out and it almost looked like a beautiful afternoon was shaping up. But we knew better...a front was coming and even if we missed the thunder there was rain on our doorstep. We stayed long enough to fill up water, chat with the croo and take a real break since we hadn't really had one yet.
We continued on the Webster Cliff/AT highway and made good time, but slowed down when we walked thru the high elevation bogs....simply wonderful. I will be back here next June and July when there are flowers. The climb up Jackson was actually quite steep, and normally I would love the scramble up it, but I was worried about my foot, so I took it very carefully. Thankfully it wasn't too difficult and we made it up with no problems. Views from the top were MUCH better than Pierce IMO, and there were still a few people hanging out on top, at the late hour of 4:15 pm. Skies were darkening but you could still see quite far.
Normally, I would never feed a gray jay. In fact, I even created a thread on why I don't do it! But yesterday I was in a light hearted mood I guess, and I have to say that I did not practice what I preach
. They were everywhere, basically jumping on my lap, so I said that the heck? I even got a video of one landing on me, which was interesting to say the least. After the fun with the overactive birds, we descended down the Jackson Branch trail. This trail had it all. It looked like a virgin spruce forest (they were big anyways) but the trail was very rough on my feet. Rocks were jagged, wet, mossy and slippery. So I had a difficult time enjoying the beauty. The 1.2 miles to the junction with Webster Jackson trail took over an hour and I was pretty pooped at this point. To keep myself sane, I started singing out loud (yes it kept me sane), but I feel bad for Brian. He probably hopes he'll never have to hear The Beatles "Bungalo Bill" ever again!
We stopped at Bugle Cliff for a nice 20 min break to break up the hiking even more and just relaxed. We could see our car down below...the only one left in the lot along Saco Lake. People must have been scared of the thunder...I know I was. But we faired just fine and it didn't actually rain until the short roadwalk back to the car. And that was just a light sprinkle. The hike overall was fantastic and I added another 4k to my resume. I was definitely acting a little more loopy than normal...hopefully I didn't annoy too many people. Here are the pictures . WARNING.....lots of sweaty self portraits of me
grouseking
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