The VERY best of Washington.
- Thread starter Neil
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king tut
New member
Neil said:
Tuck's is the bowl on the left, Huntington is on the right. I believe boot spur is on the way left ridge of Tuck's. Lion's Head is in the middle, closer to tuck's than Huntington. Tuck's is my favorite. All are good. You can't pick a loser. It's like deciding which Victoria Secret's model to marry. Any decision is good.
This is my pic from the same area
DougPaul
Well-known member
Left-to-right:
* Boot Spur
* Tuckerman's Ravine (the big cirque)
* Lion Head
* Ravine of Raymond Cateract (the small cirque)
* Washington Summit, on the skyline
* Huntington's Ravine (the medium cirque)
* Nelson Crag
As long as we are mentioning routes, the Ravine of Raymond Cateract can be bushwacked. Has a small waterfall that you have to traverse behind and some spruce so dense that you have to walk on the branches--I don't know how far we were above the ground level. I don't think that it is done very often. The route is described in some of the old guidebooks.
Doug
* Boot Spur
* Tuckerman's Ravine (the big cirque)
* Lion Head
* Ravine of Raymond Cateract (the small cirque)
* Washington Summit, on the skyline
* Huntington's Ravine (the medium cirque)
* Nelson Crag
As long as we are mentioning routes, the Ravine of Raymond Cateract can be bushwacked. Has a small waterfall that you have to traverse behind and some spruce so dense that you have to walk on the branches--I don't know how far we were above the ground level. I don't think that it is done very often. The route is described in some of the old guidebooks.
Doug
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Quietman
Well-known member
If Summiting Washington isn't a priority, then my recco would be to do King Ravine via Air Line-Short Line-King Ravine Trail. Routes down could be Airline, Valley Way, or Spur to Amphibranch.
A killer day would be Lowe's Path-King Ravine Trail-Gulfside-Cornice(rough), Castle Trail over the Castles-Link(rough) back to Lowe's and out.
I'd take King Ravine over Tuckerman's any day.
A killer day would be Lowe's Path-King Ravine Trail-Gulfside-Cornice(rough), Castle Trail over the Castles-Link(rough) back to Lowe's and out.
I'd take King Ravine over Tuckerman's any day.
jjmcgo
New member
DougPaul: Was Raymond Cataract a trail in the 1960s?
We take a different route up Washington from Pinkham than we did around 1966. I remember a waterfall about 20-40 minutes from Pinkham that you could walk behind or briefly shower in (little pebbles in the flow), with a small pool and outlet stream that crossed the trail.
Is that the waterfall you were referring to?
Does anyone recognize this feature that I haven't seen on Washington hikes in the last 15 years?
We take a different route up Washington from Pinkham than we did around 1966. I remember a waterfall about 20-40 minutes from Pinkham that you could walk behind or briefly shower in (little pebbles in the flow), with a small pool and outlet stream that crossed the trail.
Is that the waterfall you were referring to?
Does anyone recognize this feature that I haven't seen on Washington hikes in the last 15 years?
TroutBumNH
Member
don't forget...
You can do the Great Gully trail out of King Ravine as well. It's a seldom tracked trail which is very steep and challenging.... at times it goes almost straight up small waterfalls! For the botanists, the herb (Arnica mollias) described in the book is very distinct and is kind of neat to notice... It's a rugged way up, and the views back through the Ravine, over to Crag, and to the Airline are outstanding. To agree w/ someone up above, Six Husbands is outstanding as well.
Oh yeah, and since I'm one for understatement, I finished my 48 on Isolation last saturday!
A report will eventually follow, but this is my first post since, so i thought i'd mention it!
*edited to add herb name*
You can do the Great Gully trail out of King Ravine as well. It's a seldom tracked trail which is very steep and challenging.... at times it goes almost straight up small waterfalls! For the botanists, the herb (Arnica mollias) described in the book is very distinct and is kind of neat to notice... It's a rugged way up, and the views back through the Ravine, over to Crag, and to the Airline are outstanding. To agree w/ someone up above, Six Husbands is outstanding as well.
Oh yeah, and since I'm one for understatement, I finished my 48 on Isolation last saturday!
A report will eventually follow, but this is my first post since, so i thought i'd mention it!*edited to add herb name*
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DougPaul
Well-known member
Don't know how fast you hike...jjmcgo said:
The route up RoRC leaves from the trail to Huntinton shortly after it branches off from the trail to HoJos. Follows the stream and then up the steeps. At one point in the steep section, you have to traverse a ledge behind a small waterfall to get to easier terrain on the other side. I did it in the mid-to-late 70s, so I don't remember all the details.
I don't think it was ever a formal trail.
Doug
Lizzy
New member
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Not to veer too far off the topic, but I did that exact route to bag Adams & Jefferson on the same day. Easily the hardest dayhike I've ever done, took me something like 13 hours, and I had to "empty the bucket" to do it. The Link was absolutely brutal, espcecially that first section between the Castles and the Castle Ravine trail. I know it doesn't include the big rockpile, but there's plenty of views of it.
Not to veer too far off the topic, but I did that exact route to bag Adams & Jefferson on the same day. Easily the hardest dayhike I've ever done, took me something like 13 hours, and I had to "empty the bucket" to do it. The Link was absolutely brutal, espcecially that first section between the Castles and the Castle Ravine trail. I know it doesn't include the big rockpile, but there's plenty of views of it.
the best of washington in a day...
it's a mountain that still has things to show me after decades, but here's a way to see a lot of it:
Start at the Cog Base Station (for all its drawbacks, it is a special part of mtn history), go up Ammonoosuc (perhaps the most beautiful trail in the whites, with waterfalls, beautiful forest and flowers, cool slabs) to Lakes of the Clouds (special alpine lakes), then the Camel Trail (good views of Oakes Gulf and S. Peaks and Bigelow lawn) to Lawn Cutoff near top of Boott Spur (views of summit cone and Tuckerman Ravine), Lawn Cutoff to Tuckerman trail; Tuck trail down into the ravine as far as you want to go to get views of the bowl, then back up to Alpine Garden Trail, to Nelson Crag Trail ..right on Nelson Crag trail (to get a glimpse of Huntington and the buttress you climbed), then turn around and take Nelson crag trail to summit. Down via Gulfside Trail (views of Great Gulf) and then choose: over to Clay and then down Jewell to Base Station, or take Westside (classic JR Edmands trail construction) to Crawford path (few places in the east have as expansive a view as the west side of Washington), and then back down Ammonoosuc.
And then come back for more another day!
it's a mountain that still has things to show me after decades, but here's a way to see a lot of it:
Start at the Cog Base Station (for all its drawbacks, it is a special part of mtn history), go up Ammonoosuc (perhaps the most beautiful trail in the whites, with waterfalls, beautiful forest and flowers, cool slabs) to Lakes of the Clouds (special alpine lakes), then the Camel Trail (good views of Oakes Gulf and S. Peaks and Bigelow lawn) to Lawn Cutoff near top of Boott Spur (views of summit cone and Tuckerman Ravine), Lawn Cutoff to Tuckerman trail; Tuck trail down into the ravine as far as you want to go to get views of the bowl, then back up to Alpine Garden Trail, to Nelson Crag Trail ..right on Nelson Crag trail (to get a glimpse of Huntington and the buttress you climbed), then turn around and take Nelson crag trail to summit. Down via Gulfside Trail (views of Great Gulf) and then choose: over to Clay and then down Jewell to Base Station, or take Westside (classic JR Edmands trail construction) to Crawford path (few places in the east have as expansive a view as the west side of Washington), and then back down Ammonoosuc.
And then come back for more another day!
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