Some summited Washington, but we got the Boott!

Clarke (Ridgewalker) and I decided to take advantage of yesterday's weather and hit the Presis.

We decided to go up Boott Spur Trail, having never done it before. It's a nice and quiet trail in very good shape. It wasn't long before we hit a partial outlook and Clarke was enjoying the views:




We arrived at a Ravine overlook and got a nice view of Tuckerman's and the summit:



We got to treeline and saw smoke from the Cog Railway:




Just above that, I took another shot of Clarke:




The alpine section of Boott Spur was great. Winds were light and temps were moderate. Here's a shot of Clarke and three from a large group of cool guys that were hiking Boott and Washington as part of a bachelor party.




Some alpine flowers on Boott Spur Trail:



Some more:




We got to the Davis Path and got to see the Southern Presis, Pemi and Franconia Ridge peaks:




Here's me at the bottom of a snowfield just below Tuckerman's Junction:




We decided to go to the Alpine Garden instead of going up Washington and dealing with the crowds. Alas, the Garden was not yet in bloom. We did notice a little ice near the summit of Washington that some good guys we met ( Alan, Charlie (?) and Oscar) said was avoidable. Here is a look to the ravine, with Wildcat ski area in the background:



Here are some skiers/boarders/sliders on Tuckerman's:




And lastly, here is an expansive view of the Tuckerman's Headwall and snow below.




We descended Lion's Head, which was SLOW due to the crowds. Some of the tougher descent spots such as the ladder and the ledge descents proved to be pinch points and the black flies were ferocious there. When we got to Tuckerman's, we sailed down on the wider trail and made it back in time for me to go out to dinner with my wife. All in all, it was a great hike with my friend Clarke. Unfortunately, we did not see my pal MEB, who was also hiking in the area. Would have been great to have seen you again, Mary Ellen. Good luck on the healing.

Marty

Such a great day, and better spent with a friend. The views were 'delicious' and certainly the best ever seen. So glad that you wisely documented the richness and the vestiges of winter. A pleasure and a joy as always!

Nice pictures Marty... It's been awhile since I've been to the whites... Might of even been my Moose finish last year when I met you there... I hope to take a couple of pleasure trips to the whites this summer, help a friend of mine finish his 48 and perhaps explore some of the lesser known peaks..

Jay

It looks like you had a fine day. Great pictures!

Sorry to have missed you two....it's been a long time since I've seen either of you. Had I remember what the climb was like going up Boot Spur I might have chosen something different. Regardless it was a great day to be out in the mountains.

-MEB