Least difficult route to Jefferson when there's wind

There's no better source than the folks on this forum to help me with this question!

I am hoping to do Jefferson on Saturday. Going to be very, very cold. Looks like there could be winds in the 40-50mph range as well.

Was planning to go up the Jewel Trail and then over the ridge. Would heading up the Lowes Path and then over an back be any easier?

Your thoughts will be greatly appreciated!

Brian

I know you really want a route but the reality is if the conditions are as expected, barring an all out effort, your are best finding a less exposed mountain to climb and coming back another less windy day.

In typical NW to west prevailing winds, the Jewell route is potentially brutal and there are no viable bail out options should the weather get worse. The generally recommended approach is via Lowes and Gray Knob. Once you leave tree line past Gray Knob no matter what route you take you will get nailed face first with whatever weather is out there and thus you have an easy bail out if the conditions are too extreme. If you luck out and the conditions are less than expected you may eventually get some shelter from the Castle ridge on the route to Edmonds Col but then you need to deal with the Jefferson snowfields with some respite from the winds but a higher chance of white outs.

As far as ease on low wind day, for some reason I prefer the Jewell route as it skips the east face of Jefferson

B the Hiker said:

Looks like there could be winds in the 40-50mph range as well.

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As of right now, this is what the NWS is saying for Saturday on Jefferson:

"Strong and damaging winds, with a northwest wind around 70 mph, with gusts as high as 100 mph."

That could change of course, but I'd recommend saving it for a better day.

Oh, to be certain! If the forecast is that bad Saturday morning, we're doing something else! I appreciate the forthright statements, Dingo and peakbagger. That being said, it's still two days off, so I'm still pondering.

Brian

Flume via Osseo might be a fun one for a day like that - protect you from the wind most of the day.

Well, one thing is clear: Jefferson is being left for another day! That being said, I'm still interested in people's thoughts on the Jefferson question.

Brian

B the Hiker said:

Well, one thing is clear: Jefferson is being left for another day! That being said, I'm still interested in people's thoughts on the Jefferson question.

Brian

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I suppose it depends what you find to be most difficult. I would agree that the approach from Gray Knob is ideal for testing the approach in bad weather, and it gives you a shelter option near tree line, and a chance to talk to others that were likely above treeline recently too.

B the Hiker said:

There's better source than the folks on this forum to help me with this question!

I am hoping to do Jefferson on Saturday. Going to be very, very cold. Looks like there could be winds in the 40-50mph range as well.

Was planning to go up the Jewel Trail and then over the ridge. Would heading up the Lowes Path and then over an back be any easier?

Your thoughts will be greatly appreciated!

Brian

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Sounds good you are changing plans. It'll be more fun on a better day. To add my thoughts, Jefferson really has no good route in bad weather. As far as coming over from Adams via Lowes Path or Airline etc. is concerned though, it's great if you have a good day and low winds. I did that route in 10F and almost no wind and clear skies. The snow fields on Jefferson's cone above the col can seem a little steep in spots in icy conditions. Long fall out to the gulf. The Castle Trail is an interesting route in snow, I've done it in early April but not calendar winter. It's challenging, but something feels classic about it. Another one for a good weather day. I've not done the Jewell Route to Jefferson in winter nor done the Ammo Ravine/Jewell loop over Monroe, Washington, and Jefferson although I see people do that route as well if you're up for more elevation gain.

I typically do Monroe, Washington, Clay and Jefferson as a loop from the cog. Clay is worth going over on the way to Jefferson.

Anyway you go, Jefferson is a very exposed peak.

Tim

I must admit, one year the day after new years, we drove up Jefferson Notch Road, parked in the lot and hiked up Cap Ridge trail in somewhat windy conditions. Luckily the winds dropped on the descent.

Short answer: there are no easy routes! From Jewell is a long distance battling prevailing winds. From Gray Knob, lots of exposure and Edmonds Col often has worse wind than the summit. IMHO, Jefferson is the hardest winter 48.

B the Hiker said:

There's better source than the folks on this forum to help me with this question!

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Is that a typo?

Jefferson is one of the best peaks in the Whites. It's also unique as it has two personalities. In the summer its a quick easy ascent via the Caps Ridge, even the Jewell is easy, albeit longer. In the winter this peak is much harder, as it's exposure is quite extreme. The north winds hit that peak with nothing to stop them. Bailing off Jefferson can also be problematic. All that being said, I pick relatively "good" days to hit that peak.

Tom Rankin said:

Is that a typo?

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Ha Tom maybe he forgot the word "no??!!"

Yes, tomorrow would have been the tenth month I would have been up Jefferson, but of all those times, nine were as part of a traverse. In the winter, I'm a huge fan of heading up the Grey Knob, dropping off gear, and visiting Madison and Adams, and then the next heading, heading over to Jefferson.

Jefferson is one of those, as with Carrigain and Hale/Zealand, that totally changes in terms of difficulty depending on the season!

Did anyone see this news article? Hikers Drag Stricken Friend from Mt. Washington. Looks like you were smart to stay away on Saturday.

http://berlindailysun.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=52609:202-words&catid=103:local-news&Itemid=442

Some more information on the rescue cited by GBKDalton.

Breeze

There is a Union (mis)Leader article as well, not much additional info. I think we're all curious as to the nature of the woman's "medical emergency," considering she was in and out of consciousness on the trail but fully recovered a few hours later and released from the hospital.

In any case, kudos to the group for having the right gear (not everyone carries a sleeping bag, but it sure came in handy here) and the wherewithal to get her into it, keep the rest of the group safe and warm, and begin to get her off the mountain. Conditions were pretty tough on Saturday. They would have had the wind at their backs for the trip up, but would have been walking directly into it once they turned around from Lakes.

GBKDalton said:

Did anyone see this news article? Hikers Drag Stricken Friend from Mt. Washington. Looks like you were smart to stay away on Saturday.

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Um, did Mt Washington grow a foot when I was not looking ("6289")?? Do I have to go back and climb it again to get credit?

Grey J said:

Um, did Mt Washington grow a foot when I was not looking ("6289")?? Do I have to go back and climb it again to get credit?

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That's its winter elevation.