BIGEarl
Well-known member
May 6, 2007: Mount Jefferson, Mount Washington, and Mount Clay along the way
Trails: Jewell Trail, Gulfside Trail, Jefferson Loop, Mt. Clay Loop, Crawford Path, Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail
Three of us hiked this loop – Jennifer, Bob (rlc), and me. We met at 8:00am in the lower lot at Marshfield Station, which is the place from which the Mount Washington Cog Railway operates. Since we knew there would only be the three of us we quickly geared up and headed off for the connector trail that runs from Marshfield Station to the Jewell Trail. Remembering our experiences of a couple weeks earlier with long exposure above the treeline and bright sun, the last thing we did before taking our first step was to load up with sunblock. The forecast called for morning clouds on Washington turning to undercast by mid-day and then burning off early afternoon. Instead, we had clear conditions, and very light wind.
The trails were in good shape. We all started to bare boot the hike. There were some patches of snow and ice on the Jewell Trail but the footing was good. Very soon we were hiking on a completely covered trail but continued with no added traction. The ice conditions continued and became worse and at approximately 3,000 feet Jennifer decided to pull out her Stabilicers while RLC and I continued to bare boot the hike. As we gained elevation the snow became significantly deeper. Eventually, we were hiking in areas of spruce with the trail covered by “low-hanging” branches that we were constantly ducking under. Actually, the snow depth had us hiking much higher. The branches should be at their normal height once the snow melts. The Jewell Trail is in great shape with only a couple minor blowdowns that are easily passed. We stopped at a couple lookout places along the trail and admired the scenery under generally clear skies. While hiking the Jewell Trail we were passed by two pair of hikers, both evidently heading for Washington since we never saw either again.
Eventually, we broke above the treeline and the snow amount went down very quickly. We also started the rock-hopping that is a big part of hiking the Northern Presidentials. The Jewell Trail heads straight up the west side of Mount Clay and meets the Gulfside Trail. To save some time we cut the corner at this junction and saved some distance. From there we followed the Gulfside Trail to the Jefferson Loop Trail, and then the summit of Mount Jefferson. On the Gulfside Trail we came upon one solo hiker which was the last encounter for the day. Only five hikers on such a great weather day to be hiking above the treeline! After visiting the summit of Jefferson we returned to a place on the south side of the mountain and stopped for lunch. The air was calm and the sun was warm. What a great day to be out!
Once we finished our lunch break it was off for Mount Washington. Between Jefferson and Washington is Mount Clay. Either we pass over Mount Clay via the Clay Loop Trail or hike around via the Gulfside Trail. We decided to go over and when we came to the trails junction we headed up and over the mountain. We encountered some snow and ice on this climb that made things interesting in a few places. Eventually, we all made the summit with no real problems. For a mountain that is little more than a big speed bump between Jefferson and Washington, Mount Clay takes some effort to pass over. We enjoyed the views and set off for the final climb of the day, Mount Washington.
Before hiking up Mount Washington we needed to exit Mount Clay. The south side of Clay has some areas that require a little scrambling but we made it down with no problems and followed the Clay Loop Trail to its north junction with the Gulfside Trail.
We reached this trails junction and were faced with a little over one mile to reach the summit of Mount Washington. Off we went on this final climb for the day. The trail was generally ice covered but the footing was good and we were able to continue bare booting. Finally on the summit of Washington I was interested to check out some equipment that I noticed being installed on the observation deck last week. The equipment is three cylinders standing on end with stabilizing cables to each. Perhaps it is a weather experiment of some sort. We stayed long enough to enjoy a quick snack, take in the views, and take some pictures. Then, we repacked our things and headed for our exit, the Crawford Path.
We headed down from Washington on the Crawford Path and soon found ourselves at the edge of a very large snow field. Jennifer decided to enjoy some glissading and hit the field, sliding her way off the summit. RLC and I continued to hike our way out. Eventually, we met approximately one mile down the slope. We decided to cut the corner of the Crawford Path and Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail junction and simply continued across a large snowfield below the Lake of the Clouds Hut. We saved some distance and enjoyed the hike across this area to pick-up the final trail for the day. This became the final enjoyment for the hike.
The Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail is a mess. From the treeline all the way to Gem Pool the trail is littered with blowdowns. The trail is also completely post holed but those provided additional footing. It was the blowdowns that made this short trail section difficult. It seemed we spent as much time off trail getting around blowdowns as we spent actually on the trail. This is an amazing change from just two weeks earlier when a group of us hiked up the trail on snowshoes and experienced no real problems along the way. After reaching Gem Pool the blowdown problem generally ended. We continued for a short distance, decided snowshoes would be helpful and pulled them out, and continued our hike back to Marshfield Station.
After a long day made much longer by the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail we finally reached our waiting vehicles. We wasted no time to pack our things and head out for home.
We’ll sleep well tonight.
I posted a large slideshow from this hike.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Trails: Jewell Trail, Gulfside Trail, Jefferson Loop, Mt. Clay Loop, Crawford Path, Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail
Three of us hiked this loop – Jennifer, Bob (rlc), and me. We met at 8:00am in the lower lot at Marshfield Station, which is the place from which the Mount Washington Cog Railway operates. Since we knew there would only be the three of us we quickly geared up and headed off for the connector trail that runs from Marshfield Station to the Jewell Trail. Remembering our experiences of a couple weeks earlier with long exposure above the treeline and bright sun, the last thing we did before taking our first step was to load up with sunblock. The forecast called for morning clouds on Washington turning to undercast by mid-day and then burning off early afternoon. Instead, we had clear conditions, and very light wind.
The trails were in good shape. We all started to bare boot the hike. There were some patches of snow and ice on the Jewell Trail but the footing was good. Very soon we were hiking on a completely covered trail but continued with no added traction. The ice conditions continued and became worse and at approximately 3,000 feet Jennifer decided to pull out her Stabilicers while RLC and I continued to bare boot the hike. As we gained elevation the snow became significantly deeper. Eventually, we were hiking in areas of spruce with the trail covered by “low-hanging” branches that we were constantly ducking under. Actually, the snow depth had us hiking much higher. The branches should be at their normal height once the snow melts. The Jewell Trail is in great shape with only a couple minor blowdowns that are easily passed. We stopped at a couple lookout places along the trail and admired the scenery under generally clear skies. While hiking the Jewell Trail we were passed by two pair of hikers, both evidently heading for Washington since we never saw either again.
Eventually, we broke above the treeline and the snow amount went down very quickly. We also started the rock-hopping that is a big part of hiking the Northern Presidentials. The Jewell Trail heads straight up the west side of Mount Clay and meets the Gulfside Trail. To save some time we cut the corner at this junction and saved some distance. From there we followed the Gulfside Trail to the Jefferson Loop Trail, and then the summit of Mount Jefferson. On the Gulfside Trail we came upon one solo hiker which was the last encounter for the day. Only five hikers on such a great weather day to be hiking above the treeline! After visiting the summit of Jefferson we returned to a place on the south side of the mountain and stopped for lunch. The air was calm and the sun was warm. What a great day to be out!
Once we finished our lunch break it was off for Mount Washington. Between Jefferson and Washington is Mount Clay. Either we pass over Mount Clay via the Clay Loop Trail or hike around via the Gulfside Trail. We decided to go over and when we came to the trails junction we headed up and over the mountain. We encountered some snow and ice on this climb that made things interesting in a few places. Eventually, we all made the summit with no real problems. For a mountain that is little more than a big speed bump between Jefferson and Washington, Mount Clay takes some effort to pass over. We enjoyed the views and set off for the final climb of the day, Mount Washington.
Before hiking up Mount Washington we needed to exit Mount Clay. The south side of Clay has some areas that require a little scrambling but we made it down with no problems and followed the Clay Loop Trail to its north junction with the Gulfside Trail.
We reached this trails junction and were faced with a little over one mile to reach the summit of Mount Washington. Off we went on this final climb for the day. The trail was generally ice covered but the footing was good and we were able to continue bare booting. Finally on the summit of Washington I was interested to check out some equipment that I noticed being installed on the observation deck last week. The equipment is three cylinders standing on end with stabilizing cables to each. Perhaps it is a weather experiment of some sort. We stayed long enough to enjoy a quick snack, take in the views, and take some pictures. Then, we repacked our things and headed for our exit, the Crawford Path.
We headed down from Washington on the Crawford Path and soon found ourselves at the edge of a very large snow field. Jennifer decided to enjoy some glissading and hit the field, sliding her way off the summit. RLC and I continued to hike our way out. Eventually, we met approximately one mile down the slope. We decided to cut the corner of the Crawford Path and Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail junction and simply continued across a large snowfield below the Lake of the Clouds Hut. We saved some distance and enjoyed the hike across this area to pick-up the final trail for the day. This became the final enjoyment for the hike.
The Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail is a mess. From the treeline all the way to Gem Pool the trail is littered with blowdowns. The trail is also completely post holed but those provided additional footing. It was the blowdowns that made this short trail section difficult. It seemed we spent as much time off trail getting around blowdowns as we spent actually on the trail. This is an amazing change from just two weeks earlier when a group of us hiked up the trail on snowshoes and experienced no real problems along the way. After reaching Gem Pool the blowdown problem generally ended. We continued for a short distance, decided snowshoes would be helpful and pulled them out, and continued our hike back to Marshfield Station.
After a long day made much longer by the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail we finally reached our waiting vehicles. We wasted no time to pack our things and head out for home.
We’ll sleep well tonight.
I posted a large slideshow from this hike.
BIGEarl's Pictures
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