Questions about hiking Jefferson and Adams

[TJsName]

There is a similar trail that I tried in the past to bypass Madison. I have done various permutations of Madison & Adams from Appalachia through the years, one of my favorite descent routes is the Howker Ridge Trail. From Madison hut, I once tried to take the trail that tries to keep a relatively even contour around the north side of Madison to avoid going up & over the summit, I recall that not saving much energy if not being harder than going over Madison's summit, as the summit trail has much better footing. I would not take that trail again.

Sounds like you're describing the Pine Link (north of Madison). The Parapet goes to the south of Madison (which as David pointed out is a rough trail). It doesn't seem like Adams has any generally loathed trails to avoid the summit. The upper portion of the Buttress is pretty rough, but if you're looping Adams and Jefferson from the Great Gulf, you should be expecting some roughness.

 

[peakbagger]

Adams used to have beast of a trail called the Adams Slide trail, I believe it was the steepest trail in the whites. It was closed down in 1970

 

[jrbren]

Sounds like you're describing the Pine Link (north of Madison). The Parapet goes to the south of Madison (which as David pointed out is a rough trail). It doesn't seem like Adams has any generally loathed trails to avoid the summit. The upper portion of the Buttress is pretty rough, but if you're looping Adams and Jefferson from the Great Gulf, you should be expecting some roughness.

Yes, I was referring to Pine Link. It looks so much the easier route from Madison hut to Howker Ridge on the map, doesn't it ?

https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs....com/images/madison/trailmap.jpg&action=click

 

[peakbagger]

I have used Pine Link in the past when the wind was far higher than expected. Its really the only safe way to get from Madison Springs Hut and the east side of the summit (or the reverse)without getting out of the trees. We had to bail down Watson Path. Watson Path does has some open stretches but its a bit less exposed the summit ridge.

 

[TJsName]

Yes, I was referring to Pine Link. It looks so much the easier route from Madison hut to Howker Ridge on the map, doesn't it ?

https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs....com/images/madison/trailmap.jpg&action=click

Contours can be deceiving. I made that mistake, which is how I got acquainted with the Cornice going north from Caps Ridge. It was later October and it started sleeting when we hit treeline. The plan was to do Adams and Madison. We made it a few hundred feet before accepting reality and turning around, thus saving this board from debating if we should have been fined.

 

[Raven]

Tough trails being discussed here.

The Link goes from kitty cat to lion. Most people experience the lower half mile, an easy, flat trail with good footing. The upper reaches look like a level from Dantes Inferno.

I don't mind the Pine Link though, although it is tricky to follow in spots and has been the source of more than a few lost hikers.

I use the Parapet when I'm repenting for something. Ouch. Cornice too.

 

[Scubahhh]

I don't think I've traveled the Parapet Trail; I'll have to check it out! Granite of New Hampshire and all that, ya know ;-)

 

[DayTrip]

The Link south of Castle Ravine and the Parapet trail on Madison are the two trails I never recommend to anyone. The Cornice (between Edmands Col and Caps) isn't nearly as bad, but it's still pretty tiring at the end of a long day.

Not really in that area but you can throw in Pine Link near Madison to that list too. I did SAT purely to do something different I hadn't done before and the section from shortly beyond the hut to Watson Path is extremely tedious. Felt like it took forever to do that half a mile.

I actually like the Link quite a bit. I did the section from Israel Ridge Trail across and up to the Castle Trail a few weeks ago and thought it was awesome. Goes through some very interesting terrain and I don't know that I've ever seen another person on it. I use it frequently to connect to various points. Definitely has some rough areas though.

 

[NHClimber]

I think it is not so much that these trails are actually challenging for experienced hikers, but instead that the bulk of the experiences that we have had have been in situations where we were not expecting these trails to be as challenging as they turned out to be, due primarily to the overall context of our hike on the particular occasion. For example, I hit Cornice after 10 miles or so with a heavy pack. I will go back to Cornice but will do things a bit differently.

 

[Bob Kittredge]

The Link south of Castle Ravine and the Parapet trail on Madison are the two trails I never recommend to anyone. The Cornice (between Edmands Col and Caps) isn't nearly as bad, but it's still pretty tiring at the end of a long day.

In 2009 Vegematic and I did the entire Link from Caps Ridge to Appalachia. A rough trail but it was a nice day and we both enjoyed it.

 

[TJsName]

I think it is not so much that these trails are actually challenging for experienced hikers, but instead that the bulk of the experiences that we have had have been in situations where we were not expecting these trails to be as challenging as they turned out to be, due primarily to the overall context of our hike on the particular occasion. For example, I hit Cornice after 10 miles or so with a heavy pack. I will go back to Cornice but will do things a bit differently.

I think that adds to it a lot. I have a friend who did it 'fresh', going up Caps Ridge and over to the Castle Ravine Trail where he met me coming up Castle Ravine. His first words when we met were 'Well I have a new least favorite trail!'.

 

[egilbe]

I hate to revive an old thread, but after bailing on bagging Jefferson yesterday due to tired legs hiking up Airline to bag Adams, is Caps Ridge trail a good trail to make a quick and relatively easy ascent of Jefferson? The rock hopping up the summit cone of Adams in the wind and fog wasn't that enjoyable. However, the views going up Airline and down Lowe's path to Gray knob were breathtaking.

 

[peakbagger]

Was up there this morning. Its a quick hike but not good in wet conditions. The first cap has several exposed ledges, its gets easier as you go up past these. These require minor scrambling. The trail isn't particularly well blazed and there has been much "threading" of the trail to avoid the trickiest parts which means in spots there are multiple choices at the tricky spots. Cant beat the views as you get them quick due to the high elevation starting point. Lots of folks use this route and the parking lot will fill up most weekends. The road it quite narrow so overflow parking is not great.

 

[egilbe]

Thanks peakbagger. We drove up Jefferson Notch road after we got off the mountain. It was around noon and parking lot was full. That is the reason I try to get to any trailhead by 6:30am. We drove all the way to 302 on Jefferson Notch rd from Appalachia. The dirt part is smoother than the paved part.

Rock scrambles are kinda fun. We'll have to pick a good day so the wind doesn't blow us off the ridge.

 

[peakbagger]

Yup the Mt Clinton Road is in pretty abysmal condition. I wish they would rip out what is left of the pavement and run a grader over it. No need for a 6:30 AM start I was there at 8:15 AM and half the lot was empty. Luckily the trail isn't a trailhead for hut so not a lot of overnight parkers.

Just remember my standard rule, look at book time and then subtract it from 11 AM and that's a good start time. Most folks plan on lunch at the summit so just plan to be there before 11AM. I started close to 8:15 and was up top at 10:30 and down back at the car at 1:45PM and I am slow, especially down hill. Most hikers are 2 to 3 hours away so generally anytime before 9 AM unless there is special activity. If you are heading over from Lewiston, head to Norway then just cut over from Norway over to RT 5/35 in North Waterford then take RT 2 over to Randolph and take the north approach in off of Valley road. Jefferson Notch road is a bit longer but its currently in great condition (not always as good). You skip lot of tourist traffic except for the Oxford Stretch.

 

[TJsName]

For what it's worth, Caps Ridge trailhead filled up around 10:30 a couple Sundays ago (with a good forecast). I imagine getting there by 8 or 9 would guarantee a spot. There is some overflow parking, just watch out for mud!

 

[DayTrip]

For what it's worth, Caps Ridge trailhead filled up around 10:30 a couple Sundays ago (with a good forecast). I imagine getting there by 8 or 9 would guarantee a spot. There is some overflow parking, just watch out for mud!

I don't know that any time guarantees a spot any more with the huge increase in hiker volume. I get a very early start all the time and I've been shut down at several lots this year. A few backs back I arrived at Appalachia at 6 AM and it was road parking only. Never had a problem there before at that hour. Yesterday I did a loop starting at North Twin trail head and at 5:45 AM the lot was full, many spaces double parked and about 10 cars before and after the bridge. I got the one spot shortly before bridge because I have a small car. I was somewhere else recently that escapes memory and grabbed the last space in the lot at 6 AM.

 

[TJsName]

I don't know that any time guarantees a spot any more with the huge increase in hiker volume. I get a very early start all the time and I've been shut down at several lots this year. A few backs back I arrived at Appalachia at 6 AM and it was road parking only. Never had a problem there before at that hour. Yesterday I did a loop starting at North Twin trail head and at 5:45 AM the lot was full, many spaces double parked and about 10 cars before and after the bridge. I got the one spot shortly before bridge because I have a small car. I was somewhere else recently that escapes memory and grabbed the last space in the lot at 6 AM.

Certainly not offering any true guarantees, just adding a data point to help inform probabilities. Poor wording on my part - I appreciate the distinction! Appalachia has a lot of overnight use (so finding a spot on a Sunday morning can be really tough). Of course, the road parking add a ton of additional capacity. Caps is predominately day use IMO. The only people I've seen with overnight packs on it was the guy I was going camping with. To back that up, there were only 2 cars left in the lot when we got off trail around 7pm (albeit on a Sunday). I've probably done the trail a dozen times, mostly on weekends. The lot certainly gets way more use than it did 15 years ago. The impulse to get there early and get a spot might actually allow for a noon or 1pm start to take advantage of the early finishers. Interestingly, the trail feels more brushed in than it was when I first started hiking. Maybe it used to have a tall maintainer who passed away.

 

[peakbagger]

The huts definitely add a lot of confusion to the parking enigma. Hut folks tend to come later in the day as they only have couple of hour hike up to the hut to catch supper. Inevitably when they get to the lot the day hikers are still parked as they haven't come down from their day hike. The Hut folks end up parking in overflow. Then as the day hikers filter out of the woods they get in their cars and head out leaving spaces in the parking lot. Usually by 7 PM the parking spaces near the trailhead are quite open yet cars are parked on either side of the road for quite a distance. In the AM day hikers fill the convenient spots and some hut people head out in the mid morning after a leisurely breakfast and walk down. Any slots they free up in the parking lot are usually filled by day hikers who arrived late. When the afternoon crop of hut people arrive they inevitably end up parking in overflow.

The heavy brush growing in from either side in the trail down low is relatively recent. I noticed it Sunday morning and when I was coming down I could see the cause standing on top of the first cap. There are some unusual fir waves that are forming along the lip of the ravine and propagating over the ridgeline. They patterns are quite noticeable when looked at from above (sort of like grain marks in figured wood). They end up looking like random blowdown along the trail and where that blowdown occurs the sun gets in there and the berry bushes and firs fight for available space which is the trail corridor. When I first hiked the trail it was deep dark mossy woods with the Pothole rocks off on a side spur. Since then there have been more and more blowdowns on the top of the ridge which is actually opening up an obscured north view that wasn't there previously. Its actually an interesting lesson in forest dynamics. Random Group of Hikers from Meetup adopts this trail and they usually hit it a couple of times a year. I expect they may have a rather light touch advocated by WMNF compared to RMC. In a blowdown situation where long term formerly shaded woods are exposed to full light, the only long term option is cut trees not tips. Cant do much with the berry bushes except knock them back until the canopy reforms.

 

[TJsName]

I noticed the blow down patches that formed years ago, and the plants that grow in and crowd the tread are inevitable in the process (which has been neat to monitor over the years). The branches in the face was more what I was commenting on.