peakbagger
In Rembrance , July 2024
The one day presi traverse is a goal of many hikers but legitimately many are scared off by the elevation and mileage. I have always considered that to be too bad, as a walk from Madison Hut to Crawford Noth via the Valley Way, Gulfside, Westside and Crawford Paths without visiting the summits is still a worthy goal and one more obtainable by intermediate hikers. I knew of a few folks that didnt feel there were ready for a full Presi and at least some of the them possibly enjoyed the preverse pleasure in going out for hike while skipping the summits. Another personal interest is to actually hike the long term AT route which skipped all the summits, until at some point it was rerouted to go over the summit of washington. A general summary was it took us 13 hours with 10 minute breaks every hour. We had a steady pace but really the goal was to make it to Crawford while maximizing the experience of the walk.
We chose Friday due to some scheduling issues and with a car spot the night before, our group of six headed out at 5:30 AM for a leisurely stroll along the ridge. We timed the start to avoid headlamps and made it up to Madison after breakfast. There was some haze off in the distance and fog in the river valleys but it was clear and warm enough that most hiked in shorts and T shirts. We had a light breeze but it was just about perfect when hiking. I think some folks read my post of a few days ago as there were three tents just inside the woods from Appalachia (IMO they were way to close to RT 2,the parking lot and the trail as it would have been noisy but HYOH)
We encoutered many backpackers, a few trailrunners (many with minimal gear) and a few through hikers on our trip over to the westside trail. As usual I appreciated the trail building abilities of the Edmunds and crew as if there was a easy approach or descent to hike, the Gulfside followed it. We did get a few high clouds mid day but they didnt impact the westerly views but there was some cloud development downwind of the ridge.
As the summit came into sight we made the turn into Westside trail which was the long term route of the AT. Many folks dont know about this gem and those who havent been on it have missed some of the most impressive rock work and trailbuilding in the whites. Even more impressive is that it has been in place for so long that the rocks are all weathered and it looks as though the rock work could have been there for hundreds of years. The grade of the route is also impressive, It must have been laid out with transit and level as a slight but steady grade despite traversing through some very steep rocky terrain.
We didnt have a actual schedule but we made it to Lake of the Clouds at a reasonable hour. Many of the folks on the trip have done long hikes like the Bonds, but this was their first exposure to long lengths of above treeline. One of my goals of the day was to keep everyone hydrated and using electrolytes with plenty of stops and I think we were quite succesful as when we got to Lakes everyone was in good shape with no outward signs of lack of hydration. The water at Lakes was fine this time, unlike the last time I visited the hut so my prior experience must have been due to some special cause.
After short lunch break, we headed off via the Crawford path and enjoyed the route around Monroe which is a very well graded route. From there we enjoyed the stroll over Franklin and onwards to Mt Eisenhower. It has been many years since I bypassed Eisenhower but in keeping with the unofficial goal of the hike to skip summits we made the loop around the summit. At that point Pierce looked a lot closer than it actually is and after 9.5 hours of hiking the group started to slow down. The high clouds had lifted and the views in all directions got clearer. The other odd thing was we encoutered a sustained number of AT throughhikers in a greater concentration than all day in the area between Pierce and Einsenhower Given the time of day and location, I can speculate it was a plan to head up on the ridge and cowboy camp wherever they could but then again maybe they all had reservations at Lake of the Clouds. If they did they would have filled a quarter of the hut.
After a longer than wanted walk over to Pierce we headed down the Crawford Path. I had warned folks that the Crawford path feels a lot longer than it is at the end of a long hike and it seem to get longer the closer you get to the car. Eventually we made it to the parking lot at around 6:30 PM. Everyone was sore but no major injuries but I expect a few folks woke up with some sore spots today. I am not so sure I would have had much success signing up anyone for repeat trip next weekend. And after a few celebratory drinks in a sitting position, everyone looked a bit stiff standing up.
For those who run the ridge or make an annual presi traverse, this may not look a like a big accomplishment but for the folks who joined me, this hike was something they always wanted to do but didnt think they were capable of. They never would have signed up for a full Presi Traverse, but using my approach they all stretched their hiking capabilities and learned that they can hike a longer day and cover more miles by setting a slower pace in the AM. I expect the youngest but potentilly least experienced member of the group is already planning a full presi next year. The only thing that possibly could have improved the day for me was a slightly cookler drier day but for late August I had great conditions.
We chose Friday due to some scheduling issues and with a car spot the night before, our group of six headed out at 5:30 AM for a leisurely stroll along the ridge. We timed the start to avoid headlamps and made it up to Madison after breakfast. There was some haze off in the distance and fog in the river valleys but it was clear and warm enough that most hiked in shorts and T shirts. We had a light breeze but it was just about perfect when hiking. I think some folks read my post of a few days ago as there were three tents just inside the woods from Appalachia (IMO they were way to close to RT 2,the parking lot and the trail as it would have been noisy but HYOH)
We encoutered many backpackers, a few trailrunners (many with minimal gear) and a few through hikers on our trip over to the westside trail. As usual I appreciated the trail building abilities of the Edmunds and crew as if there was a easy approach or descent to hike, the Gulfside followed it. We did get a few high clouds mid day but they didnt impact the westerly views but there was some cloud development downwind of the ridge.
As the summit came into sight we made the turn into Westside trail which was the long term route of the AT. Many folks dont know about this gem and those who havent been on it have missed some of the most impressive rock work and trailbuilding in the whites. Even more impressive is that it has been in place for so long that the rocks are all weathered and it looks as though the rock work could have been there for hundreds of years. The grade of the route is also impressive, It must have been laid out with transit and level as a slight but steady grade despite traversing through some very steep rocky terrain.
We didnt have a actual schedule but we made it to Lake of the Clouds at a reasonable hour. Many of the folks on the trip have done long hikes like the Bonds, but this was their first exposure to long lengths of above treeline. One of my goals of the day was to keep everyone hydrated and using electrolytes with plenty of stops and I think we were quite succesful as when we got to Lakes everyone was in good shape with no outward signs of lack of hydration. The water at Lakes was fine this time, unlike the last time I visited the hut so my prior experience must have been due to some special cause.
After short lunch break, we headed off via the Crawford path and enjoyed the route around Monroe which is a very well graded route. From there we enjoyed the stroll over Franklin and onwards to Mt Eisenhower. It has been many years since I bypassed Eisenhower but in keeping with the unofficial goal of the hike to skip summits we made the loop around the summit. At that point Pierce looked a lot closer than it actually is and after 9.5 hours of hiking the group started to slow down. The high clouds had lifted and the views in all directions got clearer. The other odd thing was we encoutered a sustained number of AT throughhikers in a greater concentration than all day in the area between Pierce and Einsenhower Given the time of day and location, I can speculate it was a plan to head up on the ridge and cowboy camp wherever they could but then again maybe they all had reservations at Lake of the Clouds. If they did they would have filled a quarter of the hut.
After a longer than wanted walk over to Pierce we headed down the Crawford Path. I had warned folks that the Crawford path feels a lot longer than it is at the end of a long hike and it seem to get longer the closer you get to the car. Eventually we made it to the parking lot at around 6:30 PM. Everyone was sore but no major injuries but I expect a few folks woke up with some sore spots today. I am not so sure I would have had much success signing up anyone for repeat trip next weekend. And after a few celebratory drinks in a sitting position, everyone looked a bit stiff standing up.
For those who run the ridge or make an annual presi traverse, this may not look a like a big accomplishment but for the folks who joined me, this hike was something they always wanted to do but didnt think they were capable of. They never would have signed up for a full Presi Traverse, but using my approach they all stretched their hiking capabilities and learned that they can hike a longer day and cover more miles by setting a slower pace in the AM. I expect the youngest but potentilly least experienced member of the group is already planning a full presi next year. The only thing that possibly could have improved the day for me was a slightly cookler drier day but for late August I had great conditions.
