RMC Log Cabin Shelter on Lowes path closure

[B the Hiker]

RMC just made the following press release:

LOG CABIN CLOSURE
The Log Cabin Shelter maintained by the Randolph Mountain Club on Lowe’s Path shall be closed to overnight guests Monday- Wednesday nights through the end of September. This closure is in support of the trail work undertaken as part of the Lowe’s Path restoration project. We thank you for your understanding and apologize for any inconvenience.
-RMC Camps and Trails

 

[dave.m]

Just hiked up and down Lowes Sun/Mon and the crew was hard at work moving huge rocks on the slab just above the log cabin.

It's been many years since I've been on Lowe's. I got bored with the trail and the soggy boots and generally ascend to the camps via Amphibrach/Spur or one of the routes up King Ravine. I had forgotten how lovely the soft woods are on Lowes and how different it feels on the lower sections than the hard woods on Amphibrach.

 

[B the Hiker]

I find in general that Lowes is a lovely trail from start to finish. Once you get above the hut, the trail becomes epic almost immediately, and as you mentioned, down below it is quite pleasant.

When I was younger and living in Boston, each winter we would hike up early, reserve mattresses, go up and over Madison and Adams, and then the next day attempt to shoot the rest of the Presidential Ridge. You start so high up on the second day that it's wonderful--and even then the second day was brutally challenging.

Brian

 

[DayTrip]

Just hiked up and down Lowes Sun/Mon and the crew was hard at work moving huge rocks on the slab just above the log cabin.

It's been many years since I've been on Lowe's. I got bored with the trail and the soggy boots and generally ascend to the camps via Amphibrach/Spur or one of the routes up King Ravine. I had forgotten how lovely the soft woods are on Lowes and how different it feels on the lower sections than the hard woods on Amphibrach.

I haven't done Lowes Path in quite awhile but remember it as wet, muddy, meandering and generally annoying in the lower sections. As Brian mentioned though, once you near tree line and above it is a fine route.

In terms of the forest, there are a lot of really underappreciated trails in the lower elevations of the Northern Presi's trail network. The much maligned Link has many really enjoyable sections of forest. The Randolph Path is another one that passes through nice forest for much of its length. The Cliffway, a trail I did for the first time last Summer ,is amazing. You could link together a pretty long and meandering hike in this area and enjoy the forest, brooks and waterfalls and not see a whole lot of people, even on a weekend.

 

[bcskier]

As a kid, Lowe's started at Bowman since it had been relocated there from even earlier days due to the train stop that was possible. My grandfather's trips on Adams usually started or finished from that stop. He wrote about it in a self-published book Glencliff to Gorham, which actually gets a mention in the appendix of Forest & Crag. The switch back to Lowe's Store as the trailhead made sense when the railroad stopped running.

The switch happened just prior to Feb. of '71, which I remember because I led two friends up to the Log Cabin and then Gray Knob from the Bowman trailhead which had been discontinued but still had enough in the way of faded blazes and depressed treadway to follow it in the snow. Once we reached the junction with the active part of the trail it was broken out for the remainder of the way up. I got the situation explained to me at Gray Knob. My guidebook was out of date. Word of such things didn't travel as widely, or as quickly in those pre-social media days.

 

[Mountain Thunder]

As a kid, Lowe's started at Bowman since it had been relocated there from even earlier days due to the train stop that was possible. My grandfather's trips on Adams usually started or finished from that stop. He wrote about it in a self-published book Glencliff to Gorham, which actually gets a mention in the appendix of Forest & Crag. The switch back to Lowe's Store as the trailhead made sense when the railroad stopped running.

The switch happened just prior to Feb. of '71, which I remember because I led two friends up to the Log Cabin and then Gray Knob from the Bowman trailhead which had been discontinued but still had enough in the way of faded blazes and depressed treadway to follow it in the snow. Once we reached the junction with the active part of the trail it was broken out for the remainder of the way up. I got the situation explained to me at Gray Knob. My guidebook was out of date. Word of such things didn't travel as widely, or as quickly in those pre-social media days.

Are any copies of your Grandfather’s publication available? I love reading about trail history around the Whites.

 

[bcskier]

Are any copies of your Grandfather’s publication available? I love reading about trail history around the Whites.

Just some in the possession of the family. Have thought about scanning it though and making it available online. I'll give it some more thought and get back to the folks on this newgroup.

 

[Ear Drum]

...In terms of the forest, there are a lot of really underappreciated trails in the lower elevations of the Northern Presi's trail network. The much maligned Link has many really enjoyable sections of forest. The Randolph Path is another one that passes through nice forest for much of its length. The Cliffway, a trail I did for the first time last Summer ,is amazing. You could link together a pretty long and meandering hike in this area and enjoy the forest, brooks and waterfalls and not see a whole lot of people, even on a weekend.

Have only taken a look at The Link as I went by it on Caps Ridge, and I recall thinking, now *that* is an overgrown trail.

It can be easy to get away from the crowds - hike just about anything, aside from the main trails to the 48. All the 52WAV hikes I've done have been pretty empty, even on nice weekends. Or hike in bad weather!

 

[JoshandBaron]

In terms of the forest, there are a lot of really underappreciated trails in the lower elevations of the Northern Presi's trail network. The much maligned Link has many really enjoyable sections of forest. The Randolph Path is another one that passes through nice forest for much of its length. The Cliffway, a trail I did for the first time last Summer ,is amazing. You could link together a pretty long and meandering hike in this area and enjoy the forest, brooks and waterfalls and not see a whole lot of people, even on a weekend.

My favorite way to tackle that network is with a coin flip at every junction. Even with a full lot, most folks have their sights on the peaks and you get to enjoy the highest concentration of waterfalls in the whites in relative solitude.