TrekMan
Member
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2005
- Messages
- 47
- Reaction score
- 2
Sorry to post so far beyond the date of the hike - it had been posted in Yahoo! but that group died a natural death. This site seems much more active - accolades to the moderators!
Name of mountain(s): Madison, Adams, Monroe, (Franklin), Eisenhower, Pierce, Jackson
Name of trail(s): various – see trip report text
Member name and trail name: Jim Merchant - Trekman
Email address: [email protected]
Hike date(s): July 22-25
Weather and trail conditions: various – see trip report text
Total miles hiked: 21-23 or so
Trip report: My trip started out great – drove from CT to NH on Wednesday the 21st straight to Pinkham Notch where I was staying that night so I could hit the trail early in the a.m. I dropped off my gear and drove back to Crawford Notch where I would come out in 4 days. Back to Pinkham on the shuttle van … oops, forgot the hiking boots in the trunk. So, plans changed a bit.
Day-1 7/22 -- I did the shuttle bus boogie in the morning to get to Crawford and than back to Appalachia to ascend via Valley Way (original plan was to go up Great Gulf Tr to Osgood Ridge Tr). On the trail at 11:45, a great sunny day expected to be in the high 70s and humid – a bit of mud at the start but then a drier trail for the most part. I was warned that this trail was steep in places and it became steeper for maybe the last ½ to ¾ mile. Some views nearer the top to see Howker Ridge and glimpses of Mt Madison. It was 3:00 when I pulled into the Madison Springs Hut – Hotel for night #1. I dropped the pack and claimed my bunk, grabbed the camera and water bottle and set off to conquer my first 4K’er of the trip – Madison. Visibility was excellent, maybe 60 miles or so. Great view of Osgood Ridge (I must do that next time) and the Great Gulf. Round trip to the top and back from the hut was 45 minutes.
Day-2 7/23 –- Not so lucky today on the weather, it was foggy out and the peaks obscured in the clouds. Some breeze too. But I was off on Gulfside Trail at 8:15a and on my way – reached the summit of Mt Adams (5774’) at 9:15a and then struggled to follow Lowe’s Path back to Gulfside and Thunderstorm Junction. (By the way, thunderstorms were predicted for later in the afternoon). Back on track, it was what I would call a “one cairn day” for visibility. Clouds blowing across the ridge, some with large droplets so the rain jacket was on and off a couple of times. At around 11:30 I reached Edmands Col and met some hikers from Quebec. Three had just gone up Jefferson Loop to the summit and visibility was reported at near zero – so I chose to stick to the Gulfside Trail and leave the summit for another time. Rain was now fairly steady and some wind, jacket and pack cover was good protection. I passed the junction with the Jewell Trail which comes up the west side of Washington and soon met the junction with Westside Trail. I followed this to bypass Washington – a great trail seeming like I was walking on top of a stone wall most of the time. This soon joined up with the Crawford Path south of Mt Washington’s summit and at 2:40p I arrived at the Lakes of the Clouds Hut – Hotel for night #2 – a bit wet, but the hot chicken soup was great.
Day-3 7/24 – Before breakfast, about 6:30, views were clearing after a foggy rainy night. Just after breakfast it appeared to be in the clouds again, but I had a fairly easy day ahead so I was not rushing – got onto the trail up Mt Monroe at 9:00 and the air was clear. I reached the summit of Monroe at 9:22 and had some spectacular views into Tuckerman Ravine, Boott Spur, into the valley where the Mt Washington Hotel stands out like a diamond in field of green. It was strange to look south toward Mt Eisenhower – clouds blowing from the west (it was a wind pants and light gloves day) across the ridge. I was above the clouds for the time being and the cloud banks were spotty. I started down Monroe and caught up with Ellen & Brian, whom I had met on the first night at Madison Springs Hut, so we hiked together for a while. We passed over Mt Franklin at 5001’ – this is part of the trail and does not count as an official 4000-footer. We reached Eisenhower at 11:40a and we were now at the elevation of the clouds so visibility was maybe only 100-200 feet. Onward back to Crawford Path (each of the peaks is covered by using a loop trail off of the main trail) and headed toward Mt Pierce. Arrived at summit of Pierce at 1:23p and now I was under the clouds at 4310’ and visibility was once again very good. Off came the wind pants – shorts time again. Hiked on toward Mizpah Springs Hut via the Mizpah Cutoff (Crawford Path descends to the Notch here). Soon the trail got fairly steep and rock steps made it easily negotiated. At 2:00 I emerged from the wooded trail to see Mizpah Springs Hut – hotel for night #3 – a great afternoon to sit on the grass there and enjoy the sun.
Day-4 7/25 – A rendition of “Leavin’ on a Jet Plane” got us up at 6:30 and a hearty breakfast was all I needed to start out on Webster Cliff Trail at 7:55a. It was a shorts and tee-shirt day – clear and warm. This trail was relatively wet and flat headed toward Jackson, some places had great views of the ridge back up to Washington and even spotting the Mizpah Hut nestled in the woods on the side of the mountain. The Jackson summit at 4052’ could be seen ahead – got there at 9:02. Views from here were also spectacular. I could see Mount Washington, the Hotel, Mt Willey cliff along with Mts Field and Tom, and of course about 6 to 7 layers of horizon hues. I headed out for Crawford Notch on the Jackson Branch of the Webster-Jackson Trail. This was quite steep off the summit, some large slabs, and I think it would be treacherous of it were wet. But the vertical feet clicked off the altimeter and I reached Rte 302 in Crawford Notch at 10:45 in sight of the AMC’s Highland Center where I would be staying for some R&R. My car was parked nearby and I got some final pictures of my hiking conquest. Oh, did I mention, this trip was a celebration of my 55th year of life, started July 27, 1949.
All in all, I said to myself, “After a couple days rest, I would do this all over again.” If you would like to know any more details of my trip, please send me an e-mail and I will be happy to respond – “TrekMan”
Name of mountain(s): Madison, Adams, Monroe, (Franklin), Eisenhower, Pierce, Jackson
Name of trail(s): various – see trip report text
Member name and trail name: Jim Merchant - Trekman
Email address: [email protected]
Hike date(s): July 22-25
Weather and trail conditions: various – see trip report text
Total miles hiked: 21-23 or so
Trip report: My trip started out great – drove from CT to NH on Wednesday the 21st straight to Pinkham Notch where I was staying that night so I could hit the trail early in the a.m. I dropped off my gear and drove back to Crawford Notch where I would come out in 4 days. Back to Pinkham on the shuttle van … oops, forgot the hiking boots in the trunk. So, plans changed a bit.
Day-1 7/22 -- I did the shuttle bus boogie in the morning to get to Crawford and than back to Appalachia to ascend via Valley Way (original plan was to go up Great Gulf Tr to Osgood Ridge Tr). On the trail at 11:45, a great sunny day expected to be in the high 70s and humid – a bit of mud at the start but then a drier trail for the most part. I was warned that this trail was steep in places and it became steeper for maybe the last ½ to ¾ mile. Some views nearer the top to see Howker Ridge and glimpses of Mt Madison. It was 3:00 when I pulled into the Madison Springs Hut – Hotel for night #1. I dropped the pack and claimed my bunk, grabbed the camera and water bottle and set off to conquer my first 4K’er of the trip – Madison. Visibility was excellent, maybe 60 miles or so. Great view of Osgood Ridge (I must do that next time) and the Great Gulf. Round trip to the top and back from the hut was 45 minutes.
Day-2 7/23 –- Not so lucky today on the weather, it was foggy out and the peaks obscured in the clouds. Some breeze too. But I was off on Gulfside Trail at 8:15a and on my way – reached the summit of Mt Adams (5774’) at 9:15a and then struggled to follow Lowe’s Path back to Gulfside and Thunderstorm Junction. (By the way, thunderstorms were predicted for later in the afternoon). Back on track, it was what I would call a “one cairn day” for visibility. Clouds blowing across the ridge, some with large droplets so the rain jacket was on and off a couple of times. At around 11:30 I reached Edmands Col and met some hikers from Quebec. Three had just gone up Jefferson Loop to the summit and visibility was reported at near zero – so I chose to stick to the Gulfside Trail and leave the summit for another time. Rain was now fairly steady and some wind, jacket and pack cover was good protection. I passed the junction with the Jewell Trail which comes up the west side of Washington and soon met the junction with Westside Trail. I followed this to bypass Washington – a great trail seeming like I was walking on top of a stone wall most of the time. This soon joined up with the Crawford Path south of Mt Washington’s summit and at 2:40p I arrived at the Lakes of the Clouds Hut – Hotel for night #2 – a bit wet, but the hot chicken soup was great.
Day-3 7/24 – Before breakfast, about 6:30, views were clearing after a foggy rainy night. Just after breakfast it appeared to be in the clouds again, but I had a fairly easy day ahead so I was not rushing – got onto the trail up Mt Monroe at 9:00 and the air was clear. I reached the summit of Monroe at 9:22 and had some spectacular views into Tuckerman Ravine, Boott Spur, into the valley where the Mt Washington Hotel stands out like a diamond in field of green. It was strange to look south toward Mt Eisenhower – clouds blowing from the west (it was a wind pants and light gloves day) across the ridge. I was above the clouds for the time being and the cloud banks were spotty. I started down Monroe and caught up with Ellen & Brian, whom I had met on the first night at Madison Springs Hut, so we hiked together for a while. We passed over Mt Franklin at 5001’ – this is part of the trail and does not count as an official 4000-footer. We reached Eisenhower at 11:40a and we were now at the elevation of the clouds so visibility was maybe only 100-200 feet. Onward back to Crawford Path (each of the peaks is covered by using a loop trail off of the main trail) and headed toward Mt Pierce. Arrived at summit of Pierce at 1:23p and now I was under the clouds at 4310’ and visibility was once again very good. Off came the wind pants – shorts time again. Hiked on toward Mizpah Springs Hut via the Mizpah Cutoff (Crawford Path descends to the Notch here). Soon the trail got fairly steep and rock steps made it easily negotiated. At 2:00 I emerged from the wooded trail to see Mizpah Springs Hut – hotel for night #3 – a great afternoon to sit on the grass there and enjoy the sun.
Day-4 7/25 – A rendition of “Leavin’ on a Jet Plane” got us up at 6:30 and a hearty breakfast was all I needed to start out on Webster Cliff Trail at 7:55a. It was a shorts and tee-shirt day – clear and warm. This trail was relatively wet and flat headed toward Jackson, some places had great views of the ridge back up to Washington and even spotting the Mizpah Hut nestled in the woods on the side of the mountain. The Jackson summit at 4052’ could be seen ahead – got there at 9:02. Views from here were also spectacular. I could see Mount Washington, the Hotel, Mt Willey cliff along with Mts Field and Tom, and of course about 6 to 7 layers of horizon hues. I headed out for Crawford Notch on the Jackson Branch of the Webster-Jackson Trail. This was quite steep off the summit, some large slabs, and I think it would be treacherous of it were wet. But the vertical feet clicked off the altimeter and I reached Rte 302 in Crawford Notch at 10:45 in sight of the AMC’s Highland Center where I would be staying for some R&R. My car was parked nearby and I got some final pictures of my hiking conquest. Oh, did I mention, this trip was a celebration of my 55th year of life, started July 27, 1949.
All in all, I said to myself, “After a couple days rest, I would do this all over again.” If you would like to know any more details of my trip, please send me an e-mail and I will be happy to respond – “TrekMan”
