Presidential Traverse?

[jfb]

I wonder if folks went down Eisenhower when Pierce was still called Clinton...

I think they went down Mt. Pleasant instead.

 

[Double Bow]

I think they went down Mt. Pleasant instead.

I guess before Eisenhower was renamed, they bagged Monroe and hightailed down the Ammo...

 

[RoySwkr]

I think the traditional Presidential Traverse runs from Appalachia to Crawford Notch because that follows the Gulfside & Crawford Path which are good walking.

Hmmm... I guess I'm still missing it. The ridge does not descend to a point between these two watersheds, rather the elevation stays consistantly high until it descends down to the Saco River after going over Webster.

A watershed divide does not necessarily follow the highest terrain, however "highest" is defined, it just divides which way the water flows. If you wanted to stay on the highest ridge, from Washington you would go to Boott Spur instead of Monroe and thus down Montalban Ridge.

For those people who think you should stay on the ridge to Mt Webster, shouldn't you also stay on the ridge at the other end, and climb Madison via Osgood or Howker Ridge rather than Valley Way or Watson Path?

 

[el-bagr]

For those people who think you should stay on the ridge to Mt Webster, shouldn't you also stay on the ridge at the other end, and climb Madison via Osgood or Howker Ridge rather than Valley Way or Watson Path?

Yes.

But then again, I don't give much concern to rules over fun or exploration. That's why I'm interested in doing the Roy Presi Traverse -- but eyeballing the map, it looks like I'd have to go up by bushwhacking through cut woods from Bowman between the Israel Ridge Trail and Lowe's Path -- on the divide between Moose River and Israel River drainages -- and come out on the Crawford Path, which conveniently ends near the divide between Crawford Brook (which belongs to the Ammo/Connecticut) and Saco River drainages.