Pac-man
New member
Trails: Lowe's Path, King Ravine Trail, Airline, Gulfside, Osgood, Buttress Trail, Six Husbands Trail, Mt. Jefferson Loop, Gulfside, Randolph Path, Lowe's Path
Trail Conditions: Lowe's Path is in good shape. King Ravine Trail has some boggy sections up to the junction with Short Line - after that it's all big boulders, talus, and steep climbing. Everything fine to Madison and back to the top of Buttress Trail. Buttress is fairly narrow when you're not traversing some rock fields, a couple sections where you feel like you're bushwhacking, and then it becomes wild and more easy going on the descent into the Great Gulf. The crossing with Jefferson Brook is fine (if you can find where it is). Heading up Six Husbands is steep at first and keep an eye out for the trail because it isn't well-marked towards the bottom when you're ducking through some caves. The ladders are solid and stable. A few scrambles on boulders past the ladders that require some hand and footholds. Everything good to Jefferson, and Randolph Path well-maintained by the RMC. I don't remember really any blowdowns from the whole hike, but it was a long day...
Equipment: None - but don't bring a fear of heights.
Comments: What a hike! The weather for the weekend looked clear of rain (but humid!!), so we decided to tackle a few trails that we had only heard about (and seen from a distance). Taking these trails was certainly a way to beat the crowds, especially considering how busy Madison Springs Hut was when we arrived there. King Ravine had some incredibly big boulders to go over and then a strong talus field heading up. It has some great rock formations towards the top that are some of the best I've seen in the Whites. Six Husbands, on the other hand, was some of the steepest terrain I've seen - no wonder all of the ladders. I'm not completely unafraid of heights, but the ladders were stable and nothing to worry about. The only sketchy spot is after ladder #4 where you kind of have to shimmy on your stomach up the rock - considering the cliff drop on your left side. The amateur scrambling after that was a lot of fun, too - giving good variety to the trails. It turned out to be one of my wife's favorite trails she's been on. Once you finally reach Jefferson's knee, there are some wonderful views to be had - either looking across the Great Gulf or looking up towards Jefferson across the east talus fields (which still have snow!). We were initially thinking of taking Castle Trail down, but decided to descend the more mellow Randolph Path and Lowe's Path back to our car. The hike is definitely one for the memory banks - tons of new trails and exciting ascents in some of the most wild and scenic terrain that we've experienced!
Trail Conditions: Lowe's Path is in good shape. King Ravine Trail has some boggy sections up to the junction with Short Line - after that it's all big boulders, talus, and steep climbing. Everything fine to Madison and back to the top of Buttress Trail. Buttress is fairly narrow when you're not traversing some rock fields, a couple sections where you feel like you're bushwhacking, and then it becomes wild and more easy going on the descent into the Great Gulf. The crossing with Jefferson Brook is fine (if you can find where it is). Heading up Six Husbands is steep at first and keep an eye out for the trail because it isn't well-marked towards the bottom when you're ducking through some caves. The ladders are solid and stable. A few scrambles on boulders past the ladders that require some hand and footholds. Everything good to Jefferson, and Randolph Path well-maintained by the RMC. I don't remember really any blowdowns from the whole hike, but it was a long day...
Equipment: None - but don't bring a fear of heights.
Comments: What a hike! The weather for the weekend looked clear of rain (but humid!!), so we decided to tackle a few trails that we had only heard about (and seen from a distance). Taking these trails was certainly a way to beat the crowds, especially considering how busy Madison Springs Hut was when we arrived there. King Ravine had some incredibly big boulders to go over and then a strong talus field heading up. It has some great rock formations towards the top that are some of the best I've seen in the Whites. Six Husbands, on the other hand, was some of the steepest terrain I've seen - no wonder all of the ladders. I'm not completely unafraid of heights, but the ladders were stable and nothing to worry about. The only sketchy spot is after ladder #4 where you kind of have to shimmy on your stomach up the rock - considering the cliff drop on your left side. The amateur scrambling after that was a lot of fun, too - giving good variety to the trails. It turned out to be one of my wife's favorite trails she's been on. Once you finally reach Jefferson's knee, there are some wonderful views to be had - either looking across the Great Gulf or looking up towards Jefferson across the east talus fields (which still have snow!). We were initially thinking of taking Castle Trail down, but decided to descend the more mellow Randolph Path and Lowe's Path back to our car. The hike is definitely one for the memory banks - tons of new trails and exciting ascents in some of the most wild and scenic terrain that we've experienced!
