Jazzbo
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2005
- Messages
- 1,199
- Reaction score
- 171
Trip: Monroe, Boott Spur, Isolation, Stairs via Crawford and Davis Path
Wanted to bag Isolation #47 on my 4K list. Doing it via Lake of The Clouds (LOC) hut would fulfill another dream of staying at the Lake of the Clouds hut. Not being a regular backpacker and no regular backpacking partners I decided to try it solo. I left car at Crawford Path TH and hiked to LOC from there to simplify getting back to the car. Driving from Waltham I got late start at 10:30. I reached the ridge below Pierce by 12:30 and continued to Eisenhower without stopping to tag Pierce. It’s been pretty dry. Gibbs Brook was low and trails were bone dry. I bypassed Eisenhower via the bypass trail. I found the bypass to be somewhat rocky with rough footing side hill trail, not the piece of cake the bypass around Monroe is.
I decided to bag Monroe from the south. Monroe has 2 summits. I suspected I could bypass the lower summit, but didn’t see how until I’d already gone over the lower summit and on way to upper summit where the cut-off trail cutting off the lower summit was obvious. This is learning the hard way with full pack. A friendly trio of hikers from Yarmouth Maine took my picture at Monroe summit. They were staying at LOC too. We shared supper together. I enjoyed the setting sun and being in no hurry to leave except to get to the hut for chow-time at 6:00. I checked in at 5:00 making the 7.6 mile climb with full pack in 6.5 hours. Not bad for old fart.
The weather was warm and hazy. Views of Washington and valleys were awesome. Hut crew was EXTREMELY jolly and put everyone in a good spirits. Dinner consisted of LOC salad, pasta, and spicy corn with chocolate cake with raspberry frosting for desert. Listened to a talk by one of the crew about atmospheric studies going on at the hut and watched the sun set. Lights went out at 9:30. I did too. Woke up after midnight to pee and enjoyed the moonshine over Washington.
Forecast was for showers and severe thunderstorms after midday, so I woke to get an early start and got going at 8:30 or so. While it might have been more direct to take the Camel Trail to Boott Spur, I took the Tuckerman connector to check out Tuckerman Ravine. Later in the day I wished I’d taken the shorter route. Bigelow Lawn was beautiful with its long lines of cairns. From Tuckermans, I went over Boott Spur and on to the junction with Glen Boulder Trail. The descent to Montalban Ridge via Davis Path went quickly. This section of the Davis Path is in good condition for such a steep trail. The tread way is rich in organic matter and shows little erosion action on account of the many water bars and light traffic. No blowdowns either, not even recently cut ones.
I joined up with Isolation Trail from Dry River and continued on to Isolation trail junction with Rocky Branch. It was here I met the only other hiking party I saw this day coming from Mt Isolation. I was hot and thirsty and starting to feel tired. I stopped for lunch before pushing on. I plodded to junction with spur trail to Isolation. I left pack and plodded to the summit. It was hazy so I took a few pictures and left already deciding to bypass Mt Davis and it’s great views.
The heat and humidity were taking a toll and heat exhaustion was a distinct possibility, but I needed to conserve my water and spot a water source to refill my bottles. I plodded along with my full pack. I spotted one damp area with halfway decent pool where I filled my half-liter bottle figuring the col north of Stairs would have better water.
Nathaniel Davis built this trail as a bridle path back in 1845 and fell into disuse in 1853 and was reopened by the AMC in 1910. I’d guess the bridle path fell into disuse on account of the lack of water along the way. Horses carrying the sorts of loads they carry need plenty of water. I saw many more moose tracks than boot tracks on this trail. I don’t know how the moose make out. The trail would be more hospitable to hikers if the existing wet spots were developed to provide better water.
I kept an eye out for possible campsites north of Stairs on account of the forecast for severe T-storms. I saw 3 marked campsites right off the trail, but wanted to get as close to Stairs as possible. None of the sites was close to a water source. Actually the one north of the col wasn’t too bad, but I thought I’d keep going. I whacked down slope to get to find decent water. It was barely usable; the sort of pool I swore I’d never take water from. I pulled out the Steripen, but the little light wouldn’t come on. I suspected it was batteries, but decided to go for the bromine tablets in the first aid kit. I needed wait a half hour to drink. I dragged my butt part way up Stairs where I spotted a clear area to set up the tent about 20 feet off trail.
It was a bad night. I was promptly attacked by clouds of black flies while erecting the tent. I applied lotion and put on zip-on legs and long sleeve shirt in a hurry. The tent (REI Roadster) bought at REI garage sale was stupid. It looked ok set up in the backyard, but was saggy, unstable, and complicated to set up. The site had no logs or rocks to sit on so everything had to be done standing, squatting, or sitting on a low mound on ground. The jet boil became unstable when it went to a rolling boil filled with tortellini. I like my MSR better. The dinner of tortellini and Alfredo sauce was disappointing. I added tablets to remove bromine taste and drank some, bearing in mind my next water source wouldn’t be until Resolution Shelter the next day. Sweaty, thirsty, and exhausted I crawled into the saggy tent and tried to sleep.
Managed to sleep some and woke early. It never rained or thundered. The moon came out. It seemed less humid. I ate some ready to eat food and packed quickly. In 20 minutes I was at Stairs where I made some butterscotch pudding and enjoyed some good early morning views. Stairs has lovely campsites. I wish I’d disregarded the weather forecast and stayed there. The trail down Stairs is steep and has erosion problems.
Made good time getting to Resolution Shelter. It took some hunting, but I managed to locate a tolerable pool to refill water bottles. The Steripen worked like a charm with new batteries. I think I killed the batteries on my hike to Owls head when I forgot to put the Steripen back in my pack and hiked for miles with Steripen on belt under my hip strap probably pushing start button repeatedly on the long hike out.
The hike down was uneventful and went blessedly fast. I refilled water bottles in the Saco and drank deep thanks to my Steripen. I walked down to Sub-Sig and took refreshing dip in the Saco. The hitchhike to my car took a while, but I got a ride by of all people, a LOC crewmember named Ben who was going up to the Cog to go to LOC for work! All in all it a great trip!
If you're willing to wade thru 160 photos....Pics are here.
Wanted to bag Isolation #47 on my 4K list. Doing it via Lake of The Clouds (LOC) hut would fulfill another dream of staying at the Lake of the Clouds hut. Not being a regular backpacker and no regular backpacking partners I decided to try it solo. I left car at Crawford Path TH and hiked to LOC from there to simplify getting back to the car. Driving from Waltham I got late start at 10:30. I reached the ridge below Pierce by 12:30 and continued to Eisenhower without stopping to tag Pierce. It’s been pretty dry. Gibbs Brook was low and trails were bone dry. I bypassed Eisenhower via the bypass trail. I found the bypass to be somewhat rocky with rough footing side hill trail, not the piece of cake the bypass around Monroe is.
I decided to bag Monroe from the south. Monroe has 2 summits. I suspected I could bypass the lower summit, but didn’t see how until I’d already gone over the lower summit and on way to upper summit where the cut-off trail cutting off the lower summit was obvious. This is learning the hard way with full pack. A friendly trio of hikers from Yarmouth Maine took my picture at Monroe summit. They were staying at LOC too. We shared supper together. I enjoyed the setting sun and being in no hurry to leave except to get to the hut for chow-time at 6:00. I checked in at 5:00 making the 7.6 mile climb with full pack in 6.5 hours. Not bad for old fart.
The weather was warm and hazy. Views of Washington and valleys were awesome. Hut crew was EXTREMELY jolly and put everyone in a good spirits. Dinner consisted of LOC salad, pasta, and spicy corn with chocolate cake with raspberry frosting for desert. Listened to a talk by one of the crew about atmospheric studies going on at the hut and watched the sun set. Lights went out at 9:30. I did too. Woke up after midnight to pee and enjoyed the moonshine over Washington.
Forecast was for showers and severe thunderstorms after midday, so I woke to get an early start and got going at 8:30 or so. While it might have been more direct to take the Camel Trail to Boott Spur, I took the Tuckerman connector to check out Tuckerman Ravine. Later in the day I wished I’d taken the shorter route. Bigelow Lawn was beautiful with its long lines of cairns. From Tuckermans, I went over Boott Spur and on to the junction with Glen Boulder Trail. The descent to Montalban Ridge via Davis Path went quickly. This section of the Davis Path is in good condition for such a steep trail. The tread way is rich in organic matter and shows little erosion action on account of the many water bars and light traffic. No blowdowns either, not even recently cut ones.
I joined up with Isolation Trail from Dry River and continued on to Isolation trail junction with Rocky Branch. It was here I met the only other hiking party I saw this day coming from Mt Isolation. I was hot and thirsty and starting to feel tired. I stopped for lunch before pushing on. I plodded to junction with spur trail to Isolation. I left pack and plodded to the summit. It was hazy so I took a few pictures and left already deciding to bypass Mt Davis and it’s great views.
The heat and humidity were taking a toll and heat exhaustion was a distinct possibility, but I needed to conserve my water and spot a water source to refill my bottles. I plodded along with my full pack. I spotted one damp area with halfway decent pool where I filled my half-liter bottle figuring the col north of Stairs would have better water.
Nathaniel Davis built this trail as a bridle path back in 1845 and fell into disuse in 1853 and was reopened by the AMC in 1910. I’d guess the bridle path fell into disuse on account of the lack of water along the way. Horses carrying the sorts of loads they carry need plenty of water. I saw many more moose tracks than boot tracks on this trail. I don’t know how the moose make out. The trail would be more hospitable to hikers if the existing wet spots were developed to provide better water.
I kept an eye out for possible campsites north of Stairs on account of the forecast for severe T-storms. I saw 3 marked campsites right off the trail, but wanted to get as close to Stairs as possible. None of the sites was close to a water source. Actually the one north of the col wasn’t too bad, but I thought I’d keep going. I whacked down slope to get to find decent water. It was barely usable; the sort of pool I swore I’d never take water from. I pulled out the Steripen, but the little light wouldn’t come on. I suspected it was batteries, but decided to go for the bromine tablets in the first aid kit. I needed wait a half hour to drink. I dragged my butt part way up Stairs where I spotted a clear area to set up the tent about 20 feet off trail.
It was a bad night. I was promptly attacked by clouds of black flies while erecting the tent. I applied lotion and put on zip-on legs and long sleeve shirt in a hurry. The tent (REI Roadster) bought at REI garage sale was stupid. It looked ok set up in the backyard, but was saggy, unstable, and complicated to set up. The site had no logs or rocks to sit on so everything had to be done standing, squatting, or sitting on a low mound on ground. The jet boil became unstable when it went to a rolling boil filled with tortellini. I like my MSR better. The dinner of tortellini and Alfredo sauce was disappointing. I added tablets to remove bromine taste and drank some, bearing in mind my next water source wouldn’t be until Resolution Shelter the next day. Sweaty, thirsty, and exhausted I crawled into the saggy tent and tried to sleep.
Managed to sleep some and woke early. It never rained or thundered. The moon came out. It seemed less humid. I ate some ready to eat food and packed quickly. In 20 minutes I was at Stairs where I made some butterscotch pudding and enjoyed some good early morning views. Stairs has lovely campsites. I wish I’d disregarded the weather forecast and stayed there. The trail down Stairs is steep and has erosion problems.
Made good time getting to Resolution Shelter. It took some hunting, but I managed to locate a tolerable pool to refill water bottles. The Steripen worked like a charm with new batteries. I think I killed the batteries on my hike to Owls head when I forgot to put the Steripen back in my pack and hiked for miles with Steripen on belt under my hip strap probably pushing start button repeatedly on the long hike out.
The hike down was uneventful and went blessedly fast. I refilled water bottles in the Saco and drank deep thanks to my Steripen. I walked down to Sub-Sig and took refreshing dip in the Saco. The hitchhike to my car took a while, but I got a ride by of all people, a LOC crewmember named Ben who was going up to the Cog to go to LOC for work! All in all it a great trip!
If you're willing to wade thru 160 photos....Pics are here.
