The muffled sound of church bells slowly penetrated my brain and woke me up. Groggily I recalled that I'd changed the alarm sound on my phone the previous night, and my brain kicked into gear. First things first, I got up and flipped on NESN to see if the Sox won last night (they did) and then started getting dressed. It was 3:00 a.m., I was in room 5 of the Four Seasons Resort in Twin Mountain, NH getting ready for a one-day Presidential Traverse. It had poured rain all night and thankfully the rain had stopped leaving us with a humid but otherwise fine morning. I finished getting dressed, packed up my overnight stuff, checked that Lei and Heidi were awake and getting ready, and waited for Geri to arrive.
In the Spring I set my sights on a Presidential Traverse for July 4th weekend. I'd tried one last year, but fell and sprained my wrist on the summit of Madison ending the attempt almost before it started. July 4th weekend didn't work out and I had settled on the following weekend, but had a bit of trouble finding companions. Heidi had tried a Traverse 6 weeks ago but got a late start and had to bail. Lei had an ACL replaced 3 months ago and had been hiking on it for the past 6 weeks; this was going to be a big test for her. We all had something to prove to ourselves.
Geri pulled in with the Suburban right on time, and we loaded up. She had volunteered to give us a lift to Appalachia at an ungodly hour so that we could finish the hike at our car stashed at Crawford Notch without needing to drive back to Appalachia to fetch a car. We got to the trail head just before 4:00 a.m. and were on the trail at 4:04 under headlamps. We quickly fell into a quiet pattern, broken up only when I took the Fallsway by accident. By 4:50 there was enough light to turn off our headlamps, and our pace picked up a bit. I had "Ghost Riders in the Sky" running through my head most of the way to the hut. The glimpses we had of the summits weren't all that promising; they were socked in, and we could hear the wind blowing. Just before the hut we made a group decision to skip Madison because of time and the rock hopping that gave Heidi trouble last time. The rocks were a bit wet and slick, the hut was warm and inviting, and we stopped in for our first break.
There were three thru-hikers in the hut waiting for breakfast to finish as we ate, refilled water, and adjusted clothing. After about 15 minutes (and one of the least appetizing Cliff Bars I've ever tasted), we were back outside and headed up Adams. Again, we fell into a fairly quiet routine, not talking much but making steady progress. The wind had died down considerably, but it was enough for us to put on our shells. On the way past JQA we got a glimpse of blue sky that quickly disappeared but gave us some hope for the day. We summitted Adams at 8:15 but only stayed up there for 5 minutes. There were no views, no other people, and plenty ahead of us. We rock hopped down to Thunderstorm Junction with a visibility of about 100 feet. I got a bit confused just before the arriving there, not sure if we'd passed the big cairn; that's how little we could see.
The trail towards Edmands Col is much less difficult, and we made good time. During the trip we got more glimpses of sunlight, and our hopes began to rise that we'd eventually see the sky. I was concerned that the wind would pick up in Edmands Col, but it was for naught as the weather couldn't have been more calm. Now we began the climb to Jefferson, and we got views of the Wildcats and the Auto Road on Mt Washington. Except for 4 hikers we saw near Thunderstorm Junction we hadn't seen anyone else on the trail. We summitted Jefferson at 10:30, right on schedule. Leaving the summit of Jefferson is an interesting point in the journey. Before that, each step takes you further away from Appalachia. After that, each step takes you closer to Crawford Notch. No matter what, we weren't going back to Appalachia. I liked that feeling.
Dropping down to Gulfside again we started getting more views. The sun was breaking through the clouds, and we could see some clear skies to the north. Two of the hikers we met at T-Storm were skirting the summit of Jefferson via Gulfside and were headed down Cornice to Caps Ridge. I love Monticello Lawn. It's sublime in its calm among the rocks and crags of the northern Presidentials. I always find it calming and today was no exception. We had planned to meet Jen on Clay around 11:00, so I wanted to push ahead to see if I could find her. Lei and Heidi were keeping a steady pace behind me, and I was loving the choice we made of the day. At Sphinx Col I found a message scratched in the dirt by Jen saying, well, something. We knew she'd been there (having come up Jewel) but weren't sure where she'd went. We hoped she was on Clay or had gone to the summit of Washington.
On to Clay. This bump on the ridge is often avoided by hikers who assume it's extra climbing, but the reality is that it doesn't cost you much and the views into the Great Gulf are worth it. We summitted the north peak of Clay and took in glorious views of Washington, now completely clear of clouds! I pulled out my cell phone and found a text by Jen saying she'd gone to the summit of Washington and would be there until 2:00 p.m. We'd make it there in time, so I texted back where we were. Aren't modern toys fun? We took a brief rest on the top then pushed on to the summit of Washington and prepared food. Just at the junction with Gulfside we spotted Jen coming down to find us. She got my text as she was headed out from the visitor's center and knew where to find us. She'd already climbed Washington once and was easily outpacing us back up a second time. This part of the climb had really taxed me in the past, but it went surprisingly easily this time.
We tagged the summit marker and headed in to grab food. I set a time limit of 30 minutes, and we set about our tasks. I ate two hot dogs (couldn't quite face a chili dog), drank a Powerade, changed my socks (heaven), hit the head, and filled up my water. We were back outside at 2:00 p.m. under sunny skies and headed down. This is the physical and psychological crux of the trip. You can see everything you've got left, and there's nothing left to do but pick 'em up and set 'em down. As we left the top a woman came up to me and said, "I know you!" We met her on BobC's 48th over at Madison; she was one of the Painted Toe Sole Mates. BobC and Amy were hopefully waiting at Lakes for us so Jen, the Energizer Bunny of the Presidentials, took off to find them. I was behind her, and Lei and Heidi behind me. We settled into our solitary worlds.
At Lakes BobC and Amy were waiting; Jen had met them before so there wasn't a problem finding each other. We took our last big break (15 minutes); I drank two glasses of lemonade and stretched on a bench outside. Now our group was 6, and we started up Monroe at 3:15 and summitted 15 minutes later. On down the ridge, we tagged Franklin for yuks and covered the miles at a steady pace. We regrouped at the base of Eisenhower and topped out there at 5:00 where we met a group drinking beers and playing a windup radio tuned to WHOM, Top of Mount Washington. To our chagrin, they didn't offer us one. AMC trail croo was working on the Eisenhower Loop, doing a great job adding wooden steps and ladders, and doing rock work. Our plan at that point was for Jen, Amy, and I to cruise ahead and do the car shuttle before the rest got down. Things didn't quite work out like that as Lei, Heidi and Bob missed the turn off for Pierce. We waited for them at the junction after tagging the summit, but they were already past us on the way down.
As Ted Williams said "If you don't think too good, don't think too much". By the time I got to Pierce I wasn't thinking all that clearly, but the emotion was there. It has been over a decade since I'd done a Traverse, and I wasn't sure if I'd be able to do one of these again. It was a solid feeling of accomplishment to be there and to feel like there was still something in the tank. I like the feeling of being exhausted but satisfied, pushing your body until you feel yourself digging deep.
We started down the Crawford Path not knowing if the rest of the troop was behind us or not. We heard voices at the Mizpah Cut-off Junction and sure enough we found Bob and Heidi there, they had missed the summit of Pierce. Oh well, it counts in my book. At the cut off to the parking lot I was alone for a sec and two young hikers caught up to me. They were fit and obviously fast, and I found out they'd just completed a Traverse in 9 hours, compared to my 16 hours. It was deflating at first, but then I realized it didn't matter. There's always going to be someone faster than me; that's a given. Comparing myself against others is not what this was about. Finishing a Traverse was a goal I set for myself, one that meant something to me and that I accomplished. That's something I can live with.
All the pictures
In the Spring I set my sights on a Presidential Traverse for July 4th weekend. I'd tried one last year, but fell and sprained my wrist on the summit of Madison ending the attempt almost before it started. July 4th weekend didn't work out and I had settled on the following weekend, but had a bit of trouble finding companions. Heidi had tried a Traverse 6 weeks ago but got a late start and had to bail. Lei had an ACL replaced 3 months ago and had been hiking on it for the past 6 weeks; this was going to be a big test for her. We all had something to prove to ourselves.
Geri pulled in with the Suburban right on time, and we loaded up. She had volunteered to give us a lift to Appalachia at an ungodly hour so that we could finish the hike at our car stashed at Crawford Notch without needing to drive back to Appalachia to fetch a car. We got to the trail head just before 4:00 a.m. and were on the trail at 4:04 under headlamps. We quickly fell into a quiet pattern, broken up only when I took the Fallsway by accident. By 4:50 there was enough light to turn off our headlamps, and our pace picked up a bit. I had "Ghost Riders in the Sky" running through my head most of the way to the hut. The glimpses we had of the summits weren't all that promising; they were socked in, and we could hear the wind blowing. Just before the hut we made a group decision to skip Madison because of time and the rock hopping that gave Heidi trouble last time. The rocks were a bit wet and slick, the hut was warm and inviting, and we stopped in for our first break.
There were three thru-hikers in the hut waiting for breakfast to finish as we ate, refilled water, and adjusted clothing. After about 15 minutes (and one of the least appetizing Cliff Bars I've ever tasted), we were back outside and headed up Adams. Again, we fell into a fairly quiet routine, not talking much but making steady progress. The wind had died down considerably, but it was enough for us to put on our shells. On the way past JQA we got a glimpse of blue sky that quickly disappeared but gave us some hope for the day. We summitted Adams at 8:15 but only stayed up there for 5 minutes. There were no views, no other people, and plenty ahead of us. We rock hopped down to Thunderstorm Junction with a visibility of about 100 feet. I got a bit confused just before the arriving there, not sure if we'd passed the big cairn; that's how little we could see.
The trail towards Edmands Col is much less difficult, and we made good time. During the trip we got more glimpses of sunlight, and our hopes began to rise that we'd eventually see the sky. I was concerned that the wind would pick up in Edmands Col, but it was for naught as the weather couldn't have been more calm. Now we began the climb to Jefferson, and we got views of the Wildcats and the Auto Road on Mt Washington. Except for 4 hikers we saw near Thunderstorm Junction we hadn't seen anyone else on the trail. We summitted Jefferson at 10:30, right on schedule. Leaving the summit of Jefferson is an interesting point in the journey. Before that, each step takes you further away from Appalachia. After that, each step takes you closer to Crawford Notch. No matter what, we weren't going back to Appalachia. I liked that feeling.
Dropping down to Gulfside again we started getting more views. The sun was breaking through the clouds, and we could see some clear skies to the north. Two of the hikers we met at T-Storm were skirting the summit of Jefferson via Gulfside and were headed down Cornice to Caps Ridge. I love Monticello Lawn. It's sublime in its calm among the rocks and crags of the northern Presidentials. I always find it calming and today was no exception. We had planned to meet Jen on Clay around 11:00, so I wanted to push ahead to see if I could find her. Lei and Heidi were keeping a steady pace behind me, and I was loving the choice we made of the day. At Sphinx Col I found a message scratched in the dirt by Jen saying, well, something. We knew she'd been there (having come up Jewel) but weren't sure where she'd went. We hoped she was on Clay or had gone to the summit of Washington.
On to Clay. This bump on the ridge is often avoided by hikers who assume it's extra climbing, but the reality is that it doesn't cost you much and the views into the Great Gulf are worth it. We summitted the north peak of Clay and took in glorious views of Washington, now completely clear of clouds! I pulled out my cell phone and found a text by Jen saying she'd gone to the summit of Washington and would be there until 2:00 p.m. We'd make it there in time, so I texted back where we were. Aren't modern toys fun? We took a brief rest on the top then pushed on to the summit of Washington and prepared food. Just at the junction with Gulfside we spotted Jen coming down to find us. She got my text as she was headed out from the visitor's center and knew where to find us. She'd already climbed Washington once and was easily outpacing us back up a second time. This part of the climb had really taxed me in the past, but it went surprisingly easily this time.
We tagged the summit marker and headed in to grab food. I set a time limit of 30 minutes, and we set about our tasks. I ate two hot dogs (couldn't quite face a chili dog), drank a Powerade, changed my socks (heaven), hit the head, and filled up my water. We were back outside at 2:00 p.m. under sunny skies and headed down. This is the physical and psychological crux of the trip. You can see everything you've got left, and there's nothing left to do but pick 'em up and set 'em down. As we left the top a woman came up to me and said, "I know you!" We met her on BobC's 48th over at Madison; she was one of the Painted Toe Sole Mates. BobC and Amy were hopefully waiting at Lakes for us so Jen, the Energizer Bunny of the Presidentials, took off to find them. I was behind her, and Lei and Heidi behind me. We settled into our solitary worlds.
At Lakes BobC and Amy were waiting; Jen had met them before so there wasn't a problem finding each other. We took our last big break (15 minutes); I drank two glasses of lemonade and stretched on a bench outside. Now our group was 6, and we started up Monroe at 3:15 and summitted 15 minutes later. On down the ridge, we tagged Franklin for yuks and covered the miles at a steady pace. We regrouped at the base of Eisenhower and topped out there at 5:00 where we met a group drinking beers and playing a windup radio tuned to WHOM, Top of Mount Washington. To our chagrin, they didn't offer us one. AMC trail croo was working on the Eisenhower Loop, doing a great job adding wooden steps and ladders, and doing rock work. Our plan at that point was for Jen, Amy, and I to cruise ahead and do the car shuttle before the rest got down. Things didn't quite work out like that as Lei, Heidi and Bob missed the turn off for Pierce. We waited for them at the junction after tagging the summit, but they were already past us on the way down.
As Ted Williams said "If you don't think too good, don't think too much". By the time I got to Pierce I wasn't thinking all that clearly, but the emotion was there. It has been over a decade since I'd done a Traverse, and I wasn't sure if I'd be able to do one of these again. It was a solid feeling of accomplishment to be there and to feel like there was still something in the tank. I like the feeling of being exhausted but satisfied, pushing your body until you feel yourself digging deep.
We started down the Crawford Path not knowing if the rest of the troop was behind us or not. We heard voices at the Mizpah Cut-off Junction and sure enough we found Bob and Heidi there, they had missed the summit of Pierce. Oh well, it counts in my book. At the cut off to the parking lot I was alone for a sec and two young hikers caught up to me. They were fit and obviously fast, and I found out they'd just completed a Traverse in 9 hours, compared to my 16 hours. It was deflating at first, but then I realized it didn't matter. There's always going to be someone faster than me; that's a given. Comparing myself against others is not what this was about. Finishing a Traverse was a goal I set for myself, one that meant something to me and that I accomplished. That's something I can live with.
All the pictures
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