NeoAkela
Active member
Northern Presidential Loop – 06/28/2008
After a fairly dismal two weeks, Wednesday looked like the only prospect for a long hike in decent weather. So, after discovering that a car spot from Jefferson Notch was not going to be in the cards, I decided to do a large loop over the northern Presis from Appalachia and back.
Not to make it too easy, I had the bright idea to check out Emerald Bluff along the way. Oh, and also the Castelated Ridge, where I hoped to get in some good photos. And, since I wasn’t in my right mind, I toyed with the idea of descending via King Ravine and tour the Subway on the way down. Lots of cool little corners on the northern side that I keep hoping to explore.
Started out at Appalachia at 7 AM. The parking lot was about half full, and the dew and the previous day’s rain was still heavy on the trees. Took the Short Line up a few miles and switched over to the Randolph Path. Both trails were very well maintained, and the wet leaves and moss made for a magical, if not slippery, landscape.
Headed on past the Log Cabin and really enjoyed the easy grade of the Randolph Path on the way up. Didn’t see a soul until I reached the Perch, where I met a few folks packing up their tents from the previous night. Nice views of the Castles from the edge of the path.
From there I headed over to Emerald Bluff, where it was time for a break and a small snack. Had a great view of the Castelated Ridge and Castle Ravine, and lots and lots of hungry black flies.
It was at this point, already a little bit behind on time, that I saw my topo map didn’t do the ravine justice! Straight down and straight up, and then another mile and a half to the top of Jefferson! Too late to turn back, so I pushed on.
The Emerald Trail was a horrible plunge down a slippery vertical slope – I spent as much time holding on to trees as I did stepping with my feet. The moss, wet leaves, and last night’s rain didn’t help! But, after a slow stumbling ordeal, I made it to the bottom of the ravine.
The trip up the Link to the first Castle on the ridge was not as bad as I expected; while steep, the trail slopes at an angle so there is a little relief. Once on the Castle Trail, things got much more fun – I always prefer the experience above treeline compared to locked in the woods!
Got to Jefferson’s summit about 1PM – much later that I had originally hoped, so I planned on going as far as I could until 4, then take the nearest trail back down to the bottom. Met some nice folks coming up the Caps Ridge and stopped for a break. The wind had picked up, but the temperatures were decent, so no sweaters or windbreakers needed to be brought out. And, the black flies were blown away!
The trail down to Edmand’s Col was typical Presidential stuff – non-forgiving sharp rocks and boulders, some of which move when you step on them. Simple mileage estimates always have to be adjusted in the Presidentials due to the huge amount of rock-scrambling! These peaks are really tough, even on a decent day like today! The base of the col gave some relief as the trail flattened out a bit.
Found a big patch of snow and made a snowball for the heck of it. Met several more hikers here and there on the way to Mount Adams and everyone seemed to be enjoying the lack of bugs and the warm weather and cool breeze.
The top of Adams was fairly windy so I stayed only for a few shots and then headed down towards Madison Hut.
Got to the overlook above the hut at almost 4 PM and was tempted to make a charge for Madison, but my calves had had enough of rock scrambling for the day! That will give me an excuse to try Madison from the horrible Madison Gulf Trail sometime later.
One look down the gateway into King Ravine quickly ended any thoughts of descending that route as well!
Took the scenic Durand Ridge down the Airline back to Appalachia with great views all the way across the ridge – hit the parking lot at about 6:30. I probably could have made Madison if I had gone for it, but there is always another day, and I really didn’t feel like chancing the last few miles with the headlamp on.
Sore but well worth it! A great 16 mile loop, though not one I would do again the same way, mostly due to the traverse of Castle Ravine.
After a fairly dismal two weeks, Wednesday looked like the only prospect for a long hike in decent weather. So, after discovering that a car spot from Jefferson Notch was not going to be in the cards, I decided to do a large loop over the northern Presis from Appalachia and back.
Not to make it too easy, I had the bright idea to check out Emerald Bluff along the way. Oh, and also the Castelated Ridge, where I hoped to get in some good photos. And, since I wasn’t in my right mind, I toyed with the idea of descending via King Ravine and tour the Subway on the way down. Lots of cool little corners on the northern side that I keep hoping to explore.
Started out at Appalachia at 7 AM. The parking lot was about half full, and the dew and the previous day’s rain was still heavy on the trees. Took the Short Line up a few miles and switched over to the Randolph Path. Both trails were very well maintained, and the wet leaves and moss made for a magical, if not slippery, landscape.
Headed on past the Log Cabin and really enjoyed the easy grade of the Randolph Path on the way up. Didn’t see a soul until I reached the Perch, where I met a few folks packing up their tents from the previous night. Nice views of the Castles from the edge of the path.
From there I headed over to Emerald Bluff, where it was time for a break and a small snack. Had a great view of the Castelated Ridge and Castle Ravine, and lots and lots of hungry black flies.
It was at this point, already a little bit behind on time, that I saw my topo map didn’t do the ravine justice! Straight down and straight up, and then another mile and a half to the top of Jefferson! Too late to turn back, so I pushed on.
The Emerald Trail was a horrible plunge down a slippery vertical slope – I spent as much time holding on to trees as I did stepping with my feet. The moss, wet leaves, and last night’s rain didn’t help! But, after a slow stumbling ordeal, I made it to the bottom of the ravine.
The trip up the Link to the first Castle on the ridge was not as bad as I expected; while steep, the trail slopes at an angle so there is a little relief. Once on the Castle Trail, things got much more fun – I always prefer the experience above treeline compared to locked in the woods!
Got to Jefferson’s summit about 1PM – much later that I had originally hoped, so I planned on going as far as I could until 4, then take the nearest trail back down to the bottom. Met some nice folks coming up the Caps Ridge and stopped for a break. The wind had picked up, but the temperatures were decent, so no sweaters or windbreakers needed to be brought out. And, the black flies were blown away!
The trail down to Edmand’s Col was typical Presidential stuff – non-forgiving sharp rocks and boulders, some of which move when you step on them. Simple mileage estimates always have to be adjusted in the Presidentials due to the huge amount of rock-scrambling! These peaks are really tough, even on a decent day like today! The base of the col gave some relief as the trail flattened out a bit.
Found a big patch of snow and made a snowball for the heck of it. Met several more hikers here and there on the way to Mount Adams and everyone seemed to be enjoying the lack of bugs and the warm weather and cool breeze.
The top of Adams was fairly windy so I stayed only for a few shots and then headed down towards Madison Hut.
Got to the overlook above the hut at almost 4 PM and was tempted to make a charge for Madison, but my calves had had enough of rock scrambling for the day! That will give me an excuse to try Madison from the horrible Madison Gulf Trail sometime later.
One look down the gateway into King Ravine quickly ended any thoughts of descending that route as well!
Took the scenic Durand Ridge down the Airline back to Appalachia with great views all the way across the ridge – hit the parking lot at about 6:30. I probably could have made Madison if I had gone for it, but there is always another day, and I really didn’t feel like chancing the last few miles with the headlamp on.
Sore but well worth it! A great 16 mile loop, though not one I would do again the same way, mostly due to the traverse of Castle Ravine.
