TDawg
Well-known member
Finally found some time to write up my last good trip. I had never been in the Gulf before, and it was about time, what a gorgeous area. I also revisited 3 summits which I haven’t been up since I started hiking the Whites when I was a young teenager, my first 3 NH 4ks. We had a fantastic time over our four days "in" the mountains.
Day 1
My sister and her boyfriend, Dustin, met me at Pinkham where we spotted their car for possible options on day 4. In the back of my mind I had Mt. Washington via Great Gulf with a descent down Nelson Crag for the last day. Started out at the GG TH at about 12:30 under beautiful sunny skies. The GG trail is quite lovely as it hugs the Peabody River West Branch for most of its length, ltos of nice cascades. We took a break at The Bluff for snacks and took in the views there. We could look up towards Washington and see cars on the auto road above at the halfway turn. The crossing of Parapet Brook was a non-issue so it was smooth sailing. We passed a group of kids at Clam Rock and we would stay ahead of them at all costs in order to secure our site higher up in the Gulf. We gained elevation and got better and better looks up to the ridges above us on both sides. We reached the site and put our stuff down to secure a couple flat spots, soon the group of 8 showed up and set up in an overflow area with one tent sharing our site. They were headed up Washington the next day so we would end up having the place to ourselves. We cooked dinner and spent the night hangin out by the river, snackin, and sipping on 3 beers apiece we had hiked in, saving the last 3 for after our next days hike. A bit of a downer as I turned into bed, my thermarest somehow received a gaping rip in it. I would be sleeping on a flat pad for the next 3 nights.
Good thing I had a few unisom in the first aid kit!Day 2
Woke up Monday morning and cooked a breakfast of oatmeal, natures valley bars, and toasted bagels with spray butter and peanut butter, mmmm. Packed snacks and lunchs, hung food, stowed up our camp and were off around 9. Out of the 2 middle hiking days of the trip, Monday was it for above treeline travel so we made a fantastic loop up Six Husbands Tr. to Jefferson, Gulfside over to Adams, them up and back to Madison, back to camp via Buttress Tr.
The Six Husbands trail started off interesting with a tricky crossing over the higher than average West Branch Peabody River. Dustin and I crossed with dry feet, lil sis Kristen waded barefoot, her legs too short for the crucial rock hop. Six Husbands trail was awesome and lived up to its rep. Steep climbing, ladders, huge boulders forming caves, breathtaking views, just a sick trail. And crossing the flat area above Jefferson’s knee to the Jeff summit cone is a great stroll after an unrelenting climb.
Jefferson summit was sweet because there was literally no wind, not a breeze and we had it to ourselves for 30 minutes. We headed on down the Loop Tr. to Gulfside on down to Edmands Col where we had lunch. The Gulfside out of the col is an awesome stretch and I loved the look down into Castle Ravine, as well as the boggy wet area below Sam Adams.
We reached the Adams summit via Lowes Path, where there was again, very little if any wind. As a result, the weird Mt. Adams bugs I remembered from years ago were out, but not biting just annoying.
Took Airline down and as I was descending I started looking at JQ Adams and thinkin, “now that doesn’t look too bad.” So I picked a route through the boulder fields and rockhopped on up where I was treated with a lofty perch high above Star Lake and the Adams summit towering above me. I would have like to stay longer but just minutes after I reached the JQ summit….A rumble of thunder.
Now nothing picks up my pace above treeline like a rumble of thunder, not Red Bull, not a GU shot, nothing. I rockhopped faster than I ever have off JQ back to the Gulfside at the Airline junction where we regrouped, then high tailed it to Madison Hut amongst more thunder. Thankfully, there was no lightning involved and only light, light rain. Upon reaching Madison Hut, we filled up water and snacked up in dry shelter while the heavier rain and thunder passed. We waited for a good 40 minutes holding out that we would get a break, and a perfect break we got.
The rain stopped to we started up Madison via Osgood Tr. Halfway up the summit cone, the sun came out and we were all elated that we had stuck it out waiting in the hut. At Madison summit we chatted with a few thru-hikers about the hardships paying for or trying to work off hut stays in the Whites. I could only agree with them the prices are steep, even more so on a thru-hiker budget. The sun stayed out for our summit stay and the descent, best part of the day. Passed right on by the hut and up Star Lake trail, checked out the large quartz outcrop near Star Lake, and took my favorite pic of the trip. Madison’s reflection in Star Lake…
Now Buttress trail is a very nice trail in its own right. Starts off just above treeline near Star Lake and immediately you see how little used it is. The trailbed you’re walking on is grass, and pretty darn green too. Soon you dip into low scrub and then taller before you climb up thru large boulders and descend over a few tricky areas including a steep little chute next to a nice rock perch looking into Madison Gulf. Views continued to be great up to the Madison summit and looking across to Osgood ridge. Soon the trail turns the corner around Adams and it started to rain a lil bit. The trail corridor is pretty nil in spots so staying dry was impossible with all the wet branches. The one pain in the ass blowdown of the day was also in this stretch. It rained until just before crossing the large talus field near the Six Husbands/Buttress junction. I waited here for Kristen and Dustin as the sun was fighting through the clouds above Jefferson Ravine. It then appeared as a small sunshower came through and formed a gorgeous rainbow in the Great Gulf, just awesome.
Other than spotting the red blaze at the start of the former Adams Slide trail, the short hike back to camp was pretty standard. We arrived pretty beat and immediately started cooking up food, I went and fetched the 3 remaining beers and nalgene bottle of Manhattan, for medicinal purposes only.
The beers and spirits never taste as good as they do when you’re camping after a long hike, and you lugged them to where you are. None of us made it too long after sundown and stuffing our faces. That night is rained, I was nervous going to sleep because there was a small pond growing where I was set up. But the tent footprint did its job and I slept like a baby.Continued.....
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