Kul45
New member
Route: Great Gulf Trail - Six Husbands Trail - Jefferson Loop - Gulfside Trail - Sphinx Trail - Great Gulf Trail. Mileage: 14.2 or thereabouts. Time: 8:35.
Departing from the Great Gulf trailhead at 8:50, I enjoyed sunny, if humid conditions for the entire morning. Lunched at 11:35 where the Buttress Trail splits from Six Husbands and crosses Jefferson Brook. Refilled one 1-liter bottle with unfiltered water and topped off my second bottle. As I ascended Six Husbands, sunshine gave way to clouds.
The Six Husbands Trail has a reputation for being steep, and, to be sure, no one would accuse J. Rayner Edmands of having constructed it. The AMC White Mountain guidebook and several trip reports mention the top of the second set of ladders, noting that one must then negotiate an exposed scramble under and around an overhanging rock. The base of the overhang, however, offers numerable easy handholds. The fun only lasts for a mile, though.
Descent of the Sphinx Trail was more slow than my decade-old memory. Care must be taken descending steep rocky sections, and it is not infrequently a stream bed. Spring water cascading down on to the trail allowed me to refill my second liter bottle. Of the two sources, Jefferson Brook and my Sphinx spring, I preferred the latter because of its refreshing coolness.
The Great Gulf and Sphinx Trails were unsurprisingly damp. If there were spots of mud, none of them was a boot sucker.
Back at my car by 5:25, I beat the evening showers that passed over New England.
Summary: the Great Gulf Trail permits swift access to the foot of the Six Husbands Trail and even more prompt exit from the base of the Sphinx Trail. Both Six Husbands and Sphinx trails offer enjoyable ascents and interesting, careful descents--in dry weather. No symptoms yet of giardiasis, but they say it takes a week or two.
Departing from the Great Gulf trailhead at 8:50, I enjoyed sunny, if humid conditions for the entire morning. Lunched at 11:35 where the Buttress Trail splits from Six Husbands and crosses Jefferson Brook. Refilled one 1-liter bottle with unfiltered water and topped off my second bottle. As I ascended Six Husbands, sunshine gave way to clouds.
The Six Husbands Trail has a reputation for being steep, and, to be sure, no one would accuse J. Rayner Edmands of having constructed it. The AMC White Mountain guidebook and several trip reports mention the top of the second set of ladders, noting that one must then negotiate an exposed scramble under and around an overhanging rock. The base of the overhang, however, offers numerable easy handholds. The fun only lasts for a mile, though.
Descent of the Sphinx Trail was more slow than my decade-old memory. Care must be taken descending steep rocky sections, and it is not infrequently a stream bed. Spring water cascading down on to the trail allowed me to refill my second liter bottle. Of the two sources, Jefferson Brook and my Sphinx spring, I preferred the latter because of its refreshing coolness.
The Great Gulf and Sphinx Trails were unsurprisingly damp. If there were spots of mud, none of them was a boot sucker.
Back at my car by 5:25, I beat the evening showers that passed over New England.
Summary: the Great Gulf Trail permits swift access to the foot of the Six Husbands Trail and even more prompt exit from the base of the Sphinx Trail. Both Six Husbands and Sphinx trails offer enjoyable ascents and interesting, careful descents--in dry weather. No symptoms yet of giardiasis, but they say it takes a week or two.
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