Yestarday I done a this hike that I plan for the last 3 winters. In winter 2007
I plan the presitraverse from January until the end of winter and never had
enough good weather to complete.
In March 2007 with Oncoman and Jeremy I try the traverse but a huge without near washington made us turn back and we went down following the cog rail track.
In winter 2008 I completed the list of 111ers in winter and had not enough
time to do a traverse.
This winter I look at the weather every 2 weekends from Dec 24 until now.
The only good day was February 28, I summited Jefferson-Clay-Washington
but since I had to travel to Baxter state park that day I don't done the
traverse. This saturday I was supposed to hike the Santononi in the Daks,
2 friends cancel on tuesday soo I start to looks at the weather for an attemp
on saturday. And finally friday morning (friday the 13th) the weather report
was great (sunny,wind 50-70 mph,15F) soo I drive to NH, sleep early (5:30 pm) and Saturday morning I was ready. I took my time to start the hike since
the winds was supposed to shift and reduce to 40-50 mph by noon.
I start around 6:30 am and the snow pack was excellent, no need for snowshoes. I reach Madison hut in less than 2 hours and I summit Madison
first (mixe of Rocks,Ice,Snow). From Madison the left side of Adams was
very invited soo I went and follow Star lake trail to summit Adams. I used
my crampons and Ice Ax a lot on many steep slope. On Madison and Adams
summits it was very windy but not cold. From Adams summit to Edmunds Col
I had the wind in the face, it was cold and I used two face mask to prevent
from frost bite in the face (I had a big one last winter).
Before Edmund col I saw another hiker around 1 miles in from of me and that
hiker stay at the same distance until Eiseinhower. It was a long and tiring hike
from Edmund Col to the summit of Jefferson. Again it was windy, from Jefferson to Washington I start to regain more energy and I was felling
very good. I summits Clay and Washington without problem, now the wind
has turned to the west and it was on my right side. I reach Washington at
around 2:00 pm. Couple of hiker was on the summit that came from Lion Head.
I went down the crawford path and again the same hiker was in from of me.
After a short break on the roof of Lake of the clouds hut I went for Monroe.
This time it was harder since I start to been tired going up. By chance it is
only 300 feet to climb. The distance between me and the other hiker in from
was now less than 1/2 mile. Before the summit of Eiseinhower I reach that
hiker who was a Russian women. She was doing the presitraverse in microspike all the way and the had difficulty going down Clay and Monroe
with all the ice on the trail. We speek a little and she offer me a lift after the
hike to return to Appalachia (I had plan a long return by Clinton-Jefferson road) and I accepted her offer. It turned out that she is a very trail runner
and a ice and rock climber with her husband. We reach the summit of
Eiseinhower together and she went down faster than me soo I let her
go, again I reach her on Pierce summit. We both decided to skip Jackson
we she went down faster than me. I reach her at the Highland center
where we wait her husbanc and a friend for the lift to Appalachia.
This traverse was my first winter traverse and one of my best day in the mountain with last April traverse. A perfect summy day make a very big difference, the wind was allday long strong (40-60 mph) but since it was not
cold it just forced me to use my Google very often.
I plan the presitraverse from January until the end of winter and never had
enough good weather to complete.
In March 2007 with Oncoman and Jeremy I try the traverse but a huge without near washington made us turn back and we went down following the cog rail track.
In winter 2008 I completed the list of 111ers in winter and had not enough
time to do a traverse.
This winter I look at the weather every 2 weekends from Dec 24 until now.
The only good day was February 28, I summited Jefferson-Clay-Washington
but since I had to travel to Baxter state park that day I don't done the
traverse. This saturday I was supposed to hike the Santononi in the Daks,
2 friends cancel on tuesday soo I start to looks at the weather for an attemp
on saturday. And finally friday morning (friday the 13th) the weather report
was great (sunny,wind 50-70 mph,15F) soo I drive to NH, sleep early (5:30 pm) and Saturday morning I was ready. I took my time to start the hike since
the winds was supposed to shift and reduce to 40-50 mph by noon.
I start around 6:30 am and the snow pack was excellent, no need for snowshoes. I reach Madison hut in less than 2 hours and I summit Madison
first (mixe of Rocks,Ice,Snow). From Madison the left side of Adams was
very invited soo I went and follow Star lake trail to summit Adams. I used
my crampons and Ice Ax a lot on many steep slope. On Madison and Adams
summits it was very windy but not cold. From Adams summit to Edmunds Col
I had the wind in the face, it was cold and I used two face mask to prevent
from frost bite in the face (I had a big one last winter).
Before Edmund col I saw another hiker around 1 miles in from of me and that
hiker stay at the same distance until Eiseinhower. It was a long and tiring hike
from Edmund Col to the summit of Jefferson. Again it was windy, from Jefferson to Washington I start to regain more energy and I was felling
very good. I summits Clay and Washington without problem, now the wind
has turned to the west and it was on my right side. I reach Washington at
around 2:00 pm. Couple of hiker was on the summit that came from Lion Head.
I went down the crawford path and again the same hiker was in from of me.
After a short break on the roof of Lake of the clouds hut I went for Monroe.
This time it was harder since I start to been tired going up. By chance it is
only 300 feet to climb. The distance between me and the other hiker in from
was now less than 1/2 mile. Before the summit of Eiseinhower I reach that
hiker who was a Russian women. She was doing the presitraverse in microspike all the way and the had difficulty going down Clay and Monroe
with all the ice on the trail. We speek a little and she offer me a lift after the
hike to return to Appalachia (I had plan a long return by Clinton-Jefferson road) and I accepted her offer. It turned out that she is a very trail runner
and a ice and rock climber with her husband. We reach the summit of
Eiseinhower together and she went down faster than me soo I let her
go, again I reach her on Pierce summit. We both decided to skip Jackson
we she went down faster than me. I reach her at the Highland center
where we wait her husbanc and a friend for the lift to Appalachia.
This traverse was my first winter traverse and one of my best day in the mountain with last April traverse. A perfect summy day make a very big difference, the wind was allday long strong (40-60 mph) but since it was not
cold it just forced me to use my Google very often.
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