Lost in a Great Gulf

[cushetunk]

I'd never been there before, but it looked simple on the map. The Great Gulf trail crosses the Peabody River, meets the Sphinx Trail, and then crosses back to the southeast bank of the Peabody, and heads up to Spaulding Lake. In winter, I could just bushwhack around the two crossings and rejoin the trail.

So, today, at what seemed like the right time on the trail, I climbed up some small ledges right above some bubbling cascades, then soon after the trail seemed to cross the main branch of the Peabody, diagonally. I tried to bushwhack to avoid this crossing (it did not look good) and wound up confounded in thick balsam and with many different drainages all around me, none of them on the Washburn map. I never did rejoin the Great Gulf trail. I reached my turn-around time and had an excuse to end what was otherwise turning into an aimless thrashfest.

Has anyone else attempted this shortcut? Could I have been somewhere other than I thought, perhaps mistakenly bushwhacking up the east side of a subsidiary stream?

 

[maineguy]

Well, since nobody has spoken up....

Great Gulf Trail does not cross the W Branch of the Peabody once you are past the intersection of the Mad Gulf Trail. It stays on the East side of the river all the way to Spaulding Lake. You cross the river if you take the Sphinx Trai but not if you just stay on the Great Gulf Trail.

Hope this helps. It is shown pretty clearly on maps.

 

[RoySwkr]

Great Gulf Trail does not cross the W Branch of the Peabody once you are past the intersection of the Mad Gulf Trail.
...
It is shown pretty clearly on maps.

I have been there twice but in low water and don't remember the crossings. The USGS map http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?z=19&n=4907134&e=316391&size=s&datum=nad83&layer=DRG25 agrees with maineguy, but has been known to be wrong. The AMC map shows the double crossing but also shows crossings of a couple side brooks a little lower down, including one they pencilled in so it may be more obvious on the ground than on the original map.

 

[cushetunk]

Thanks for the replies. There does seem to be a disagreement between the USGS and the AMC/Washburn maps. Although, I've always been skeptical of trails on USGS maps. I can imagine how in summer, with low water, all these streams would barely warrent a second thought. I may well have been by those side brooks. Just for reference, here's what the WMG says:

"At 5.2 mi. the trail climbs up ledges beside a cascade and continues past numerous other attractive cascades in the next 0.2 mi. After crossing over to the northwest bank of the West Branch (may be difficult), it soon crosses the brook that descends from Sphinx Col and at 5.6 miles reaches the junction where the Sphinx Trail [...] The Great Gulf Trail soon crosses again to the southeast bank of the West Branch..."

I will have to return in summer and sort this out.

 

[Lovetohike]

I'll add my .02. I think the USGS and AMC maps are wrong. The WMG text contradicts those maps. So I pulled out an old RMC map of the Northern Presidentials, which is a bigger scale than the AMC map. While the map ends just after the Sphinx Junction, it does clearly show the trail briefly crossing to the Northwest bank of the Peabody, then right at the Sphinx Junction crossing back again to the Southeast bank. It does look like you should be able to avoid the first crossing, and, keeping the river on your right, rejoin the Great Gulf trail past the Sphinx Junction. However, this was obviously easier said than done. It occurs to me that there must have been a reason why the trail crossed the river and then came back in a short distance. Perhaps the terrain on the Southeast bank in that particular area was/is particularly tough to navigate. Sounds like a fun challenge to sort out!