BIGEarl
Well-known member
December 5, 2009: Southern Presidentials
Trails: Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail, Crawford Path, Monroe Loop, Eisenhower Loop, Webster Cliff Trail, Mizpah Connector
Summits: Washington, Monroe, Eisenhower, Pierce
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue), Fitz, and me
Roughly a week ago we decided if the weather conditions were compatible we would hike the Southern Presidentials this weekend. We knew at this time of year the hiking conditions get much worse before they get better. The trails are pretty rough, there’s ice everywhere to watch for, and everybody is still bare booting their hikes. Eventually, there will be a great base with smooth snowshoe tracks established and we’ll have some terrific winter hiking. For now, it’s a little tough.
We delayed our plan by an hour thinking the expected conditions would allow a later start and we would still finish at the target time. After the usual stop at the Highland Center for a final check of conditions we dropped a vehicle at the wide spot on Route 302 and headed for Marshfield Station and the hike. At Marshfield Station there was one other vehicle in the lot – even though we were early, someone else was earlier. We grabbed our packs, switched on the headlights, and set off for our first target, Mount Washington.
The Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail is in pretty good shape considering the storm that came through a week ago. On the hike to Gem Pool we came upon three blowdowns that were all easy to pass. There were no blowdowns above Gem Pool to the treeline. The trail is fairly well packed and easy to bare boot. A short distance before Gem Pool we were able to switch off the headlights and hike with natural light. We continued past Gem Pool and started the steep climb still knowing it was only a matter of time before we would need to pull out some traction. A short distance below the first stream crossing on the ledges above Gem Pool we decided it was time and went with MicroSpikes. They worked great! We were able to complete the climb to the LOC Hut without crampons and had no real problems along the way. In a few weeks the area will be buried and become a huge snowfield, but for now there’s a lot of ice to work through. We reached the hut, made the turn, and headed for Washington via the Crawford Path. I was already thinking it would be nice to get that hour back - the slow climb from Gem Pool cost some extra time.
The climb from the Lakes of the Clouds to the summit of Mount Washington was uneventful. The conditions were very comfortable to start with no wind. As we gained elevation we climbed into the wind and found the ~24 mph that was reported at the Highland Center before our start. With added layers for the wind we continued the rest of the way to the summit. We had the place to ourselves with completely overcast conditions but the clouds were high and the visibility pretty good for distant views. We got our summit pictures and set off for our targets to the south. As we were leaving another solo hiker arrived.
The next target was Monroe. On the descent we met four other hikers making their way up. We completed the return hike to the LOC Hut with no surprises, continued to the Monroe Loop junction, and made the turn for the summit. We’re still on MicroSpikes and making fairly good progress on the day. The overcast was dropping, clouds/fog were building on the east side of the ridge, and a light snow was starting. But, along with leaving Washington we left the wind behind and were hiking in very comfortable conditions at the lower elevation. It’s interesting how much difference a thousand feet can make in the weather conditions. As we climbed we also stopped to enjoy the views. At one point we noticed another hiker approaching the LOC Hut on the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail. We made our way to the summit, got the summit pictures, and kept hiking. The views were starting to go away. On descending Washington we were able to see all of the Southern Presidentials and beyond to Carrigain, Franconia Ridge, and more. Now, the view to Eisenhower was getting limited.
We picked our way through the ice-covered rocks to Little Monroe and back to the Crawford Path. There it looked like we had some clear trail ahead and we removed the MicroSpikes. A short distance before reaching the Monroe Loop south junction with the Crawford Path there was a huge low-pitched bang. I looked at Sue and she simply said – thunder! I listened and could hear the sound of a jet. There were multiple military aircraft in the area as they commonly are and I assumed one of them just did the sound barrier. Thunder? Sound barrier? It didn’t matter – it didn’t happen again.
Roughly a half mile south we again came into icy conditions on the trail, I took a fall, and we decided to get the MicroSpikes back in the game. We worked our way to the Eisenhower Loop north junction. A short distance before reaching the junction I noticed a lone hiker descending Eisenhower and pointed him out to Sue. We were still a fair distance away from the loop junction. Evidently he noticed us and Sue heard him yell “Earl!”. She started to laugh and told me what she heard. I yelled “Fitz!”. He responded with “That’s Me!” We all met at the Edmands Path – Crawford Path junction. Fitz started up the Crawford Path from the Highland Center knowing we were coming south and hoped to join up with us on the hike. He wasn’t interested in a re-climb of Eisenhower and took the Crawford Path around to the south junction with the Eisenhower Loop as Sue and I made our visit to the summit.
By the time we reached the summit there were no distance views, the clouds and falling snow had taken over. We still had plenty of short range visibility and the day had become pretty nice with the light snow and calm conditions. Sue and I took care of the summit formalities and set off to again find Fitz.
With the three of us together we continued our hike south to the next target – Mount Pierce. South of Eisenhower are areas where the trail passes through sections of thick scrub. In these areas the snow is significantly deeper and the trail is significantly rougher. I believe people with snowshoes had passed through but the evidence can’t be seen. Our progress became much slower through this section. We reached the Crawford Path – Webster Cliff Trail junction and headed for the summit of Pierce. After the usual pictures we were off for the Mizpah Hut, our next milestone. The trail from Pierce to Mizpah is rough and loaded with fairly deep snow. The ladders above Mizpah aren’t quite buried but it won’t be long. We slowly made our way to the hut. There, I checked our progress. I knew the hike from Pierce was slow. We had a decision to make. The snow was falling at a good rate and I assumed the road conditions were getting difficult. If we continued to Jackson, the best we could hope for (based on the trail conditions since Eisenhower) was a 10:00 – 10:30pm finish in Crawford Notch. Jackson can be a tough peak if you save it for last. This isn’t the first time we have bailed prior to hiking Jackson (third time this year – once on a Presi Traverse, once with the Willey Range, and this hike). We decided to call it a hike, take the Mizpah Cutoff back to the Crawford Path, and hike the Crawford Path to Crawford Notch. We’ll get Jackson when we hike something else in the area.
The exit was a little longer than usual. Lots of snow, and lots of blowdowns. I lost count of the blowdowns but know it’s going to take a major effort to re-open the Crawford Path. There are all sizes with some partially blocking the trail and others requiring an off-trail bypass to get through. Eventually, we made it to the trailhead. Looking to the left we could see the highway was closed – no traffic was passing through Crawford Notch in either direction. By the time we cleared the vehicles of snow and got ready to leave the road was re-opened, the traffic jam cleared, and we were able to exit the parking area.
A quick stop at the Highland Center, run back to Marshfield Station to collect my truck, and we were on the road south. The trip south was painfully slow – roughly an hour and a half longer than usual. We didn’t try to force anything and managed to complete the day in one piece.
I’ll be glad when winter finally arrives.
Pictures will follow.
I’ve posted some pictured from the day.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Straight to the slideshow
Trails: Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail, Crawford Path, Monroe Loop, Eisenhower Loop, Webster Cliff Trail, Mizpah Connector
Summits: Washington, Monroe, Eisenhower, Pierce
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue), Fitz, and me
Roughly a week ago we decided if the weather conditions were compatible we would hike the Southern Presidentials this weekend. We knew at this time of year the hiking conditions get much worse before they get better. The trails are pretty rough, there’s ice everywhere to watch for, and everybody is still bare booting their hikes. Eventually, there will be a great base with smooth snowshoe tracks established and we’ll have some terrific winter hiking. For now, it’s a little tough.
We delayed our plan by an hour thinking the expected conditions would allow a later start and we would still finish at the target time. After the usual stop at the Highland Center for a final check of conditions we dropped a vehicle at the wide spot on Route 302 and headed for Marshfield Station and the hike. At Marshfield Station there was one other vehicle in the lot – even though we were early, someone else was earlier. We grabbed our packs, switched on the headlights, and set off for our first target, Mount Washington.
The Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail is in pretty good shape considering the storm that came through a week ago. On the hike to Gem Pool we came upon three blowdowns that were all easy to pass. There were no blowdowns above Gem Pool to the treeline. The trail is fairly well packed and easy to bare boot. A short distance before Gem Pool we were able to switch off the headlights and hike with natural light. We continued past Gem Pool and started the steep climb still knowing it was only a matter of time before we would need to pull out some traction. A short distance below the first stream crossing on the ledges above Gem Pool we decided it was time and went with MicroSpikes. They worked great! We were able to complete the climb to the LOC Hut without crampons and had no real problems along the way. In a few weeks the area will be buried and become a huge snowfield, but for now there’s a lot of ice to work through. We reached the hut, made the turn, and headed for Washington via the Crawford Path. I was already thinking it would be nice to get that hour back - the slow climb from Gem Pool cost some extra time.
The climb from the Lakes of the Clouds to the summit of Mount Washington was uneventful. The conditions were very comfortable to start with no wind. As we gained elevation we climbed into the wind and found the ~24 mph that was reported at the Highland Center before our start. With added layers for the wind we continued the rest of the way to the summit. We had the place to ourselves with completely overcast conditions but the clouds were high and the visibility pretty good for distant views. We got our summit pictures and set off for our targets to the south. As we were leaving another solo hiker arrived.
The next target was Monroe. On the descent we met four other hikers making their way up. We completed the return hike to the LOC Hut with no surprises, continued to the Monroe Loop junction, and made the turn for the summit. We’re still on MicroSpikes and making fairly good progress on the day. The overcast was dropping, clouds/fog were building on the east side of the ridge, and a light snow was starting. But, along with leaving Washington we left the wind behind and were hiking in very comfortable conditions at the lower elevation. It’s interesting how much difference a thousand feet can make in the weather conditions. As we climbed we also stopped to enjoy the views. At one point we noticed another hiker approaching the LOC Hut on the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail. We made our way to the summit, got the summit pictures, and kept hiking. The views were starting to go away. On descending Washington we were able to see all of the Southern Presidentials and beyond to Carrigain, Franconia Ridge, and more. Now, the view to Eisenhower was getting limited.
We picked our way through the ice-covered rocks to Little Monroe and back to the Crawford Path. There it looked like we had some clear trail ahead and we removed the MicroSpikes. A short distance before reaching the Monroe Loop south junction with the Crawford Path there was a huge low-pitched bang. I looked at Sue and she simply said – thunder! I listened and could hear the sound of a jet. There were multiple military aircraft in the area as they commonly are and I assumed one of them just did the sound barrier. Thunder? Sound barrier? It didn’t matter – it didn’t happen again.
Roughly a half mile south we again came into icy conditions on the trail, I took a fall, and we decided to get the MicroSpikes back in the game. We worked our way to the Eisenhower Loop north junction. A short distance before reaching the junction I noticed a lone hiker descending Eisenhower and pointed him out to Sue. We were still a fair distance away from the loop junction. Evidently he noticed us and Sue heard him yell “Earl!”. She started to laugh and told me what she heard. I yelled “Fitz!”. He responded with “That’s Me!” We all met at the Edmands Path – Crawford Path junction. Fitz started up the Crawford Path from the Highland Center knowing we were coming south and hoped to join up with us on the hike. He wasn’t interested in a re-climb of Eisenhower and took the Crawford Path around to the south junction with the Eisenhower Loop as Sue and I made our visit to the summit.
By the time we reached the summit there were no distance views, the clouds and falling snow had taken over. We still had plenty of short range visibility and the day had become pretty nice with the light snow and calm conditions. Sue and I took care of the summit formalities and set off to again find Fitz.
With the three of us together we continued our hike south to the next target – Mount Pierce. South of Eisenhower are areas where the trail passes through sections of thick scrub. In these areas the snow is significantly deeper and the trail is significantly rougher. I believe people with snowshoes had passed through but the evidence can’t be seen. Our progress became much slower through this section. We reached the Crawford Path – Webster Cliff Trail junction and headed for the summit of Pierce. After the usual pictures we were off for the Mizpah Hut, our next milestone. The trail from Pierce to Mizpah is rough and loaded with fairly deep snow. The ladders above Mizpah aren’t quite buried but it won’t be long. We slowly made our way to the hut. There, I checked our progress. I knew the hike from Pierce was slow. We had a decision to make. The snow was falling at a good rate and I assumed the road conditions were getting difficult. If we continued to Jackson, the best we could hope for (based on the trail conditions since Eisenhower) was a 10:00 – 10:30pm finish in Crawford Notch. Jackson can be a tough peak if you save it for last. This isn’t the first time we have bailed prior to hiking Jackson (third time this year – once on a Presi Traverse, once with the Willey Range, and this hike). We decided to call it a hike, take the Mizpah Cutoff back to the Crawford Path, and hike the Crawford Path to Crawford Notch. We’ll get Jackson when we hike something else in the area.
The exit was a little longer than usual. Lots of snow, and lots of blowdowns. I lost count of the blowdowns but know it’s going to take a major effort to re-open the Crawford Path. There are all sizes with some partially blocking the trail and others requiring an off-trail bypass to get through. Eventually, we made it to the trailhead. Looking to the left we could see the highway was closed – no traffic was passing through Crawford Notch in either direction. By the time we cleared the vehicles of snow and got ready to leave the road was re-opened, the traffic jam cleared, and we were able to exit the parking area.
A quick stop at the Highland Center, run back to Marshfield Station to collect my truck, and we were on the road south. The trip south was painfully slow – roughly an hour and a half longer than usual. We didn’t try to force anything and managed to complete the day in one piece.
I’ll be glad when winter finally arrives.
Pictures will follow.
I’ve posted some pictured from the day.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Straight to the slideshow
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