It had been almost a year since I had hiked in the White Mountains, although I had toured the higher peaks in Maine and Vermont earlier in the summer. This is not to say that I have neglected the Adirondacks either; let’s just say I still managed to get a round. When Jay H posted that he was planning a big finish to his Northeast 111 list on Mt Moosilauke on August 28, I thought this would be a great opportunity for me to get back to NH as well as to help celebrate Jay’s accomplishments.
I had several other reasons for returning, among them, revisit some of the mountains I had enjoyed hiking the first time, go back to some mountains where I missed the views because of weather, check out other routes and trails which I had not taken before, and maybe, just maybe, for reconnaissance for winter peakbagging.
8/27. I got the 6:30 ferry and drove to Franconia Notch to hike the range. I had done the loop of Lafayette, Lincoln, Liberty, and Flume in a clockwise direction before, so this time I thought I would do it in the reverse direction. In addition, I would ascend the Flume Slide trail which sounded like the NH version of the Trap Dike in the White Mountain Trail Guide. Alas, it was only a hiking trail (max. 20-30 feet wide) with alternating ledges and washed out rock deposits going up the side of the mountain--steep and slippery in places, but not a slide at all. Standing on the summit of Flume, I saw a slide, but the trail does not go near it. Anyway, it was nice to take in the great views from Flume and Liberty and actually recognize many of the distant summits. For those who like walking above treeline, the only problem with a traverse of Lincoln and Lafayette is that it is too short. The summit of Lafayette was cold and windy, but it was nice to see Yvon and Annie there, all bundled up, their faces just showing. They were also taking a side trip before the Jay H finish.
8/28. We had a great day—couldn’t have been better--for the celebration on top of Moosilauke, and it was a great mountain for Jay to save for last. You can read and see all about it in the separate reports. One veteran hiker said it was the “most benign” day he could remember on Moosie, which is known for its cold, cloudy, and windy days. I had all three—big time—when I was previously there on 5/1/09.
8/29. I was moving on to Pinkham Notch for the night so I chose Mt Carrigain for a revisit, since it was also cloudy, windy, and cold the last time I was there (6/2/09)—I didn’t see anything. It is a good climb, about 3300 feet, in a total of 5 miles, but mostly flat for more than a mile of that. On the summit, there is a large elevated platform allowing great views in all directions.
8/30. I chose Pinkham because I wanted to explore the eastern ravines which I had not seen before, even though most people climb Mt Washington from that location. A friend had advised me to avoid Tuckerman Ravine. Although scenic, it was a tourist trap with hoards of hikers. So I decided to take the adjacent Huntington Ravine trail to Mt Washington, then loop around the northern Presidentials (Clay, Jefferson, Adams, and Madison), then take the Osgood/Madison Gulf/Old Jackson roads trails back to the start. I didn’t bother to read the trail guide for Huntington Ravine, but agreed with the warning which I saw afterward: “Caution: This is the most difficult regular hiking trail in the White Mountains”. And for once, they were not overstating it. It was a combination of challenging open rock inclines, steep ledges, and cliffs. I was much more comfortable on the Knife Edge on Katahdin. Once I got above the ravine, I encountered a fierce wind coming across Washington, the type which could blow one over if one were not ready for it. The loop over Jefferson, Adams, and Madison seemed pretty tame in comparsion, but is still a beautiful place to roam. Once on Madison, I headed back for the trailhead, a mere 7.5 miles away, but not all down hill. When I finally did the numbers, I was surprised to find that this hike was very similar (18.7 miles and 8200 feet ascent) to the famed Presidential Traverse (19.8 miles and 8500 feet)!
8/31. After a long hike the day before, even partly rejuvenated by the great food at the Lodge, I could not expect to be at 100% on day 5, yet I didn’t want to just drive home. I decided to climb Boott Spur, el. 5500 feet, then descend to Mt Isolation, el. 4003 feet—sounds pretty stupid, doesn’t it? The former is a promontory with great views, while the latter satisfied my peakbagging instincts in case I wanted to complete a second round (I was in the neighborhood, sort of). I sat on top of the Spur in the wind and scudding clouds, and although I could have turned back, I decided to go see little Isolation again. I was feeling much better after descending for over an hour and had no problem returning by the Glen Boulder trail back to the trailhead. Now, I was ready to jump in the car, get a burger in Gorham, and head back to the ferry and home in the Adirondacks.
I had several other reasons for returning, among them, revisit some of the mountains I had enjoyed hiking the first time, go back to some mountains where I missed the views because of weather, check out other routes and trails which I had not taken before, and maybe, just maybe, for reconnaissance for winter peakbagging.
8/27. I got the 6:30 ferry and drove to Franconia Notch to hike the range. I had done the loop of Lafayette, Lincoln, Liberty, and Flume in a clockwise direction before, so this time I thought I would do it in the reverse direction. In addition, I would ascend the Flume Slide trail which sounded like the NH version of the Trap Dike in the White Mountain Trail Guide. Alas, it was only a hiking trail (max. 20-30 feet wide) with alternating ledges and washed out rock deposits going up the side of the mountain--steep and slippery in places, but not a slide at all. Standing on the summit of Flume, I saw a slide, but the trail does not go near it. Anyway, it was nice to take in the great views from Flume and Liberty and actually recognize many of the distant summits. For those who like walking above treeline, the only problem with a traverse of Lincoln and Lafayette is that it is too short. The summit of Lafayette was cold and windy, but it was nice to see Yvon and Annie there, all bundled up, their faces just showing. They were also taking a side trip before the Jay H finish.
8/28. We had a great day—couldn’t have been better--for the celebration on top of Moosilauke, and it was a great mountain for Jay to save for last. You can read and see all about it in the separate reports. One veteran hiker said it was the “most benign” day he could remember on Moosie, which is known for its cold, cloudy, and windy days. I had all three—big time—when I was previously there on 5/1/09.
8/29. I was moving on to Pinkham Notch for the night so I chose Mt Carrigain for a revisit, since it was also cloudy, windy, and cold the last time I was there (6/2/09)—I didn’t see anything. It is a good climb, about 3300 feet, in a total of 5 miles, but mostly flat for more than a mile of that. On the summit, there is a large elevated platform allowing great views in all directions.
8/30. I chose Pinkham because I wanted to explore the eastern ravines which I had not seen before, even though most people climb Mt Washington from that location. A friend had advised me to avoid Tuckerman Ravine. Although scenic, it was a tourist trap with hoards of hikers. So I decided to take the adjacent Huntington Ravine trail to Mt Washington, then loop around the northern Presidentials (Clay, Jefferson, Adams, and Madison), then take the Osgood/Madison Gulf/Old Jackson roads trails back to the start. I didn’t bother to read the trail guide for Huntington Ravine, but agreed with the warning which I saw afterward: “Caution: This is the most difficult regular hiking trail in the White Mountains”. And for once, they were not overstating it. It was a combination of challenging open rock inclines, steep ledges, and cliffs. I was much more comfortable on the Knife Edge on Katahdin. Once I got above the ravine, I encountered a fierce wind coming across Washington, the type which could blow one over if one were not ready for it. The loop over Jefferson, Adams, and Madison seemed pretty tame in comparsion, but is still a beautiful place to roam. Once on Madison, I headed back for the trailhead, a mere 7.5 miles away, but not all down hill. When I finally did the numbers, I was surprised to find that this hike was very similar (18.7 miles and 8200 feet ascent) to the famed Presidential Traverse (19.8 miles and 8500 feet)!
8/31. After a long hike the day before, even partly rejuvenated by the great food at the Lodge, I could not expect to be at 100% on day 5, yet I didn’t want to just drive home. I decided to climb Boott Spur, el. 5500 feet, then descend to Mt Isolation, el. 4003 feet—sounds pretty stupid, doesn’t it? The former is a promontory with great views, while the latter satisfied my peakbagging instincts in case I wanted to complete a second round (I was in the neighborhood, sort of). I sat on top of the Spur in the wind and scudding clouds, and although I could have turned back, I decided to go see little Isolation again. I was feeling much better after descending for over an hour and had no problem returning by the Glen Boulder trail back to the trailhead. Now, I was ready to jump in the car, get a burger in Gorham, and head back to the ferry and home in the Adirondacks.
