BIGEarl
Well-known member
April 22, 2007: Mount Monroe, Mount Eisenhower, Mount Pierce, Mount Franklin
Trails: Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail, Crawford Path, Webster Cliff Trail, Monroe Loop, Eisenhower Loop
Distance – Elevation (est): 10.3 miles, 3,850 feet
New Hampshire (Brian) organized this hike, which was a traverse of the Southern Presidentials from Base Road to Crawford Notch, and posted it for others to join. Jennifer saw the post and suggested it would be a good hike considering the weather forecast. We decided to join the hike. The group included an interesting combination of young and not-so-young hikers, some just out for a hike and some out to bag a few peaks for their 4000 Footer Quest. New Hampshire was the organizer. Also along were Scoutmaster, Una_dogger, MichaelJ, Leaf, Jen, ScenicNH, MadRiver, Dougeh, RLC, Jen-San, and BIGEarl (me).
The plan was to meet at the trailhead parking for the Webster-Jackson trail in Crawford Notch at 8:00am. After consolidating people and their equipment into a few vehicles we traveled to Marshfield Station on Base Road, the place where the Mount Washington Cog Railway operates from. The Ammonoosuc Ravine trail also starts from this area. We would leave these cars here and hike back to the cars that were left in Crawford Notch passing over Monroe, Franklin, Eisenhower, and Pierce along the way.
We started out on the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail at approximately 9:00am. The weather conditions were perfect; clear sky, relatively warm temperature, and little or no wind. Very soon after our start we stopped to remove jackets and heavy shirts, some of us even zipped off the bottoms of their convertible pants and went with shorts (they were the lucky ones). Even though we were hiking on several feet of snow it was very warm. Also, most of us went with snowshoes. The warm temperatures softened the snow and it was impossible to stay on top making the snowshoes the only way to avoid postholing the trail (snow depths ranged to over six feet). The snowshoes were required all the way to the Lake of the Clouds Hut. The Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail follows the ravine and maintains a gentle grade for roughly half of its distance, all the way in to Gem Pool. From there it goes straight up the east face of the ravine, breaks out of the trees, and on to the hut gaining most of the elevation in this remaining slightly over a mile. The trail is littered with blowdowns from the recent storm. Downed trees and heavy-wet snow made for a very difficult climb to the hut. The past times I have been on this trail I hiked from the hut down and always wondered what climbing the trail would be like. Well, it’s work, very hard work. We managed to get spread out along the trail on the way to the hut. Some of us hike much slower than others. Occasionally the lead group would stop and wait to re-group. Above Gem Pool everybody simply pressed on to the hut. We re-grouped at the hut around noon and stopped there for lunch. The above-the-treeline conditions were amazing; clear sky, nearly no wind, warm. We sat in shorts and/or short sleeved shirts having lunch in the snow. To the north 1.5 miles was the summit of Mount Washington. To the southeast .5 miles was Mount Monroe, our first target for the day.
After roughly thirty minutes our lunch break ended, we packed our things including snowshoes, and headed off bare booting for Monroe and the peaks beyond. The Lake of the Clouds Hut is also the place where we changed from the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail to the Crawford Path – “THE OLDEST CONTINUOUSLY-USED MOUNTAIN TRAIL IN AMERICA”. The Crawford Path would be our route back to the vehicles in Crawford Notch, along with summit loop trails and a short piece of the Webster Cliff Trail to Pierce. A short distance from the hut the Monroe Loop Trail leaves the Crawford Path to the right and goes over the summit. All but two decided to hike over Monroe. The other two – MadRiver and New Hampshire continued to hike the Crawford Path around Monroe and planned to meet us at the south end of the Monroe Loop Trail where it rejoined. Climbing Monroe from the north means the elevation is gained in essentially a single push to the summit. The trail was fairly clear of snow and ice which meant easy hiking. The rocks and ledges were easy to climb and in a relatively short time we were at the summit. Even though it was a short hike to Monroe we became spread out again with those that had cameras lagging behind. The views, and pictures, were amazing! It was now roughly 2:00pm and we had some miles and peaks to cover so we didn’t stay for very long.
After leaving Monroe we passed over the area that many hikers believe to be Monroe’s summit when hiking from the south under poor visibility conditions. This false summit from the north, is much less confusing than from the south. Again, here we re-grouped for more pictures, and enjoyment of the views. Our next target was Mount Franklin. Since the elevation difference between Franklin and the col between it and Monroe doesn’t meet the minimum it does not count toward the 4000 Footers. In reality, it is just a high-elevation speed bump on the Presidentials (similar to Mount Clay – just north of Washington). We hit the summit of Franklin, loitered for a few minutes, and headed out to Eisenhower.
Along the way to the Eisenhower Loop Trail we passed a trails junction with Edmands Path, a great trail that ascends from Mount Clinton Road to the west. This trail is one of the easiest climbs to the ridgeline (that doesn’t mean it’s easy). After this trails junction the Crawford Path continues past the east side of Eisenhower while the Eisenhower Loop passes over the summit. MadRiver and Jen-san decided to stay on the Crawford Path and meet the rest of us on the other side of the mountain. I feel the climb up the north side of Eisenhower is easier than the approach from the south. The trail is more direct and has better footing. It also seems to be less elevation gain coming from the north. Eisenhower is like a very large treeless ball. At the top is a large cairn that offers the only shelter from the wind on windy days. We didn’t need that protection today. Again, the visit was short. We snapped some pictures, had a quick snack, and headed out to meet MadRiver and Jen-san, and continue to Pierce. Before heading out we had the opportunity to meet Ed Hawkins and his hiking partner, Jeff. They were looking for a ride to Marshfield Station and Ed was offering cold beer as his currency to cover the fare. Here’s a surprise, he got a ride!
After re-grouping at the south junction of the Eisenhower Loop Trail and the Crawford path we headed off for Mount Pierce. The approach to Mount Pierce from the north involves a long, gradual climb. Along the way is a trails junction with the Crawford Path and the Webster Cliff Trail. Here we changed to the Webster Cliff Trail and followed it for the .1 - .2 miles to the summit of Mount Pierce. At the summit we again re-grouped. We enjoyed a brief break and then headed back to the Crawford Path and out to Crawford Notch. Before heading down the final few miles we pulled out the snowshoes. We were again below the treeline and the snow was up to six feet deep and very soft. Off we went on the final run back to the notch. As it was when we started the day, some traveled faster than others and we became spread out. Eventually, we all made it to the trailhead lot, packed our things away, said our goodbyes, and headed for home.
What a terrific day above the treeline in the Presidentials. It is extremely unusual to get these warm and calm conditions in this area. Jennifer and I were very fortunate to be able to join this hike and spend the day with such a pleasant group of hikers.
Next stop, Fabyans for Jennifer’s coffee and pizza.
There are lot's of great pictures posted from the day by many of the hikers with cameras.
BIGEarl's Pics
Trails: Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail, Crawford Path, Webster Cliff Trail, Monroe Loop, Eisenhower Loop
Distance – Elevation (est): 10.3 miles, 3,850 feet
New Hampshire (Brian) organized this hike, which was a traverse of the Southern Presidentials from Base Road to Crawford Notch, and posted it for others to join. Jennifer saw the post and suggested it would be a good hike considering the weather forecast. We decided to join the hike. The group included an interesting combination of young and not-so-young hikers, some just out for a hike and some out to bag a few peaks for their 4000 Footer Quest. New Hampshire was the organizer. Also along were Scoutmaster, Una_dogger, MichaelJ, Leaf, Jen, ScenicNH, MadRiver, Dougeh, RLC, Jen-San, and BIGEarl (me).
The plan was to meet at the trailhead parking for the Webster-Jackson trail in Crawford Notch at 8:00am. After consolidating people and their equipment into a few vehicles we traveled to Marshfield Station on Base Road, the place where the Mount Washington Cog Railway operates from. The Ammonoosuc Ravine trail also starts from this area. We would leave these cars here and hike back to the cars that were left in Crawford Notch passing over Monroe, Franklin, Eisenhower, and Pierce along the way.
We started out on the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail at approximately 9:00am. The weather conditions were perfect; clear sky, relatively warm temperature, and little or no wind. Very soon after our start we stopped to remove jackets and heavy shirts, some of us even zipped off the bottoms of their convertible pants and went with shorts (they were the lucky ones). Even though we were hiking on several feet of snow it was very warm. Also, most of us went with snowshoes. The warm temperatures softened the snow and it was impossible to stay on top making the snowshoes the only way to avoid postholing the trail (snow depths ranged to over six feet). The snowshoes were required all the way to the Lake of the Clouds Hut. The Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail follows the ravine and maintains a gentle grade for roughly half of its distance, all the way in to Gem Pool. From there it goes straight up the east face of the ravine, breaks out of the trees, and on to the hut gaining most of the elevation in this remaining slightly over a mile. The trail is littered with blowdowns from the recent storm. Downed trees and heavy-wet snow made for a very difficult climb to the hut. The past times I have been on this trail I hiked from the hut down and always wondered what climbing the trail would be like. Well, it’s work, very hard work. We managed to get spread out along the trail on the way to the hut. Some of us hike much slower than others. Occasionally the lead group would stop and wait to re-group. Above Gem Pool everybody simply pressed on to the hut. We re-grouped at the hut around noon and stopped there for lunch. The above-the-treeline conditions were amazing; clear sky, nearly no wind, warm. We sat in shorts and/or short sleeved shirts having lunch in the snow. To the north 1.5 miles was the summit of Mount Washington. To the southeast .5 miles was Mount Monroe, our first target for the day.
After roughly thirty minutes our lunch break ended, we packed our things including snowshoes, and headed off bare booting for Monroe and the peaks beyond. The Lake of the Clouds Hut is also the place where we changed from the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail to the Crawford Path – “THE OLDEST CONTINUOUSLY-USED MOUNTAIN TRAIL IN AMERICA”. The Crawford Path would be our route back to the vehicles in Crawford Notch, along with summit loop trails and a short piece of the Webster Cliff Trail to Pierce. A short distance from the hut the Monroe Loop Trail leaves the Crawford Path to the right and goes over the summit. All but two decided to hike over Monroe. The other two – MadRiver and New Hampshire continued to hike the Crawford Path around Monroe and planned to meet us at the south end of the Monroe Loop Trail where it rejoined. Climbing Monroe from the north means the elevation is gained in essentially a single push to the summit. The trail was fairly clear of snow and ice which meant easy hiking. The rocks and ledges were easy to climb and in a relatively short time we were at the summit. Even though it was a short hike to Monroe we became spread out again with those that had cameras lagging behind. The views, and pictures, were amazing! It was now roughly 2:00pm and we had some miles and peaks to cover so we didn’t stay for very long.
After leaving Monroe we passed over the area that many hikers believe to be Monroe’s summit when hiking from the south under poor visibility conditions. This false summit from the north, is much less confusing than from the south. Again, here we re-grouped for more pictures, and enjoyment of the views. Our next target was Mount Franklin. Since the elevation difference between Franklin and the col between it and Monroe doesn’t meet the minimum it does not count toward the 4000 Footers. In reality, it is just a high-elevation speed bump on the Presidentials (similar to Mount Clay – just north of Washington). We hit the summit of Franklin, loitered for a few minutes, and headed out to Eisenhower.
Along the way to the Eisenhower Loop Trail we passed a trails junction with Edmands Path, a great trail that ascends from Mount Clinton Road to the west. This trail is one of the easiest climbs to the ridgeline (that doesn’t mean it’s easy). After this trails junction the Crawford Path continues past the east side of Eisenhower while the Eisenhower Loop passes over the summit. MadRiver and Jen-san decided to stay on the Crawford Path and meet the rest of us on the other side of the mountain. I feel the climb up the north side of Eisenhower is easier than the approach from the south. The trail is more direct and has better footing. It also seems to be less elevation gain coming from the north. Eisenhower is like a very large treeless ball. At the top is a large cairn that offers the only shelter from the wind on windy days. We didn’t need that protection today. Again, the visit was short. We snapped some pictures, had a quick snack, and headed out to meet MadRiver and Jen-san, and continue to Pierce. Before heading out we had the opportunity to meet Ed Hawkins and his hiking partner, Jeff. They were looking for a ride to Marshfield Station and Ed was offering cold beer as his currency to cover the fare. Here’s a surprise, he got a ride!
After re-grouping at the south junction of the Eisenhower Loop Trail and the Crawford path we headed off for Mount Pierce. The approach to Mount Pierce from the north involves a long, gradual climb. Along the way is a trails junction with the Crawford Path and the Webster Cliff Trail. Here we changed to the Webster Cliff Trail and followed it for the .1 - .2 miles to the summit of Mount Pierce. At the summit we again re-grouped. We enjoyed a brief break and then headed back to the Crawford Path and out to Crawford Notch. Before heading down the final few miles we pulled out the snowshoes. We were again below the treeline and the snow was up to six feet deep and very soft. Off we went on the final run back to the notch. As it was when we started the day, some traveled faster than others and we became spread out. Eventually, we all made it to the trailhead lot, packed our things away, said our goodbyes, and headed for home.
What a terrific day above the treeline in the Presidentials. It is extremely unusual to get these warm and calm conditions in this area. Jennifer and I were very fortunate to be able to join this hike and spend the day with such a pleasant group of hikers.
Next stop, Fabyans for Jennifer’s coffee and pizza.
There are lot's of great pictures posted from the day by many of the hikers with cameras.
BIGEarl's Pics
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