BIGEarl
Well-known member
October 6, 2007: Jefferson, Clay, Washington, Monroe
Trails:
Caps Ridge Trail
Jefferson Loop Trail
Gulfside Trail
Clay Loop Trail
Crawford Path
Monroe Loop Trail
Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail
I needed to finish the hike and get home early, which required an earlier-than-normal start for a 14 mile hike. I rolled out of bed at 2:30am and my second stop was the computer to see the latest weather forecast. After seeing all of the usual sites I was thinking about heading back to bed. The forecast was generally calling for a 70% probability of precipitation starting mid-morning. That forecast wasn’t good for a day of above-the-treeline hiking. I made a pot of coffee and checked the weather channel but found similar information. After my first cup and after 3:00am I headed back to the computer and found an updated forecast that indicated mostly sunny and dry conditions until at least 4:00pm. We’re having fun now! I got ready for a day in the mountains and headed out.
Arriving at Jefferson Notch just before 6:30am I was a little surprised to see I was not the first one in the lot. Another person was preparing to head out to Jefferson on his “first” hike. A couple weeks earlier he hiked from the summit of Washington to the Lakes of the Clouds hut, round trip, and decided hiking was fun. Now he’s hiking the Caps Ridge Trail because somebody told him it was a short, gradual climb, and easy hike to Jefferson. I commented that description didn’t agree with the White Mountain Guide. He said “I’ll find out eventually” and headed out. I was a couple hundred yards behind him for much of the hike.
My main interest in the Caps Ridge Trail came after reading reports by a couple other hikers – Roxi and Bobby. In fact, back on July 20 I decided I really wanted to hike the trail this year after reading Roxi’s report. I enjoy multi-peak outings and thought a loop over Jefferson, Clay, Washington, and Monroe would make a good day hike. It did.
First, hike the Caps Ridge Trail to Jefferson. This trail is a real treat. The early part of the trail is a gradual grade providing adequate warm-up before the real work starts. Then, the caps. I realized right away the hiking poles would be more trouble than help so I packed them away and worked my way through the scrambles using hands and feet. Gradually, I made it over each one enjoying great views along the way. The amount of exposure would make climbing this area interesting on a windy day. Fortunately all I had was a light breeze – just enough to stay comfortable. Occasionally I saw the other hiker up ahead as I reached open areas. Above the treeline I noticed he was gone. I studied the trail ahead, the slope above and he was not in sight. Perhaps he simply moved out at a good rate and was now out of sight. I continued my climb but continued trying to find the guy. I reached the summit and looked in all directions with no luck. He wasn’t at the large cairn just below the summit. I stopped for a few minutes to get some pictures and headed out on the Jefferson Loop Trail for its south junction with the Gulfside Trail.
Approximately half way to the junction I met the other hiker coming up to the summit. He looked at me and asked if I had taken a different trail. I said, “no, but you did”. He missed the turn at the junction of the Caps Ridge and Cornice trails and continued CCW around Jefferson. When he found the Jefferson Loop Trail he headed for the summit.
I continued on to the next target. Every time I have previously been in the area I tagged Clay – no sense in changing now. I reached the Clay Loop Trail and headed for the summit. The views from Clay into the Great Gulf and to Washington are terrific and well worth the effort. A short time after reaching the summit some motion to the southwest got my attention. A glider was cruising past at eye level a couple hundred feet west of the summit. Nice sight! I had more ground to cover and a schedule to keep so I headed off for Washington
After leaving Clay I started to see large numbers of hikers. Looking back to Jefferson there were others climbing Caps Ridge trail. There were groups also coming up the Jewell trail. I made it back to the Gulfside trail and headed for Washington. As I approached the area of the Cog tracks I saw the construction work referenced by Kevin Rooney in his recent report. I don’t see that job being completed before winter.
A couple years ago I was on the summit of Washington during Seek the Peak weekend. At that time I thought the place was really crowded. Today the place was much more crowded. The Cog Railway had multiple trains running simultaneously in both directions. At one point I noticed four heading up. The tracks and cash registers were busy.
I stayed on the summit only long enough for a quick lunch and some pictures. I left the summit a little after noon but the crowds continued for the remainder of the hike. Roughly half way to the Lakes of the Clouds Hut I came upon Trail Trotter, MadRiver, and Steve. Trail Trotter had just tagged her #48 of 48 (Monroe). Congratulations Sue!
They were heading for the Jewell Trail. We visited for a few minutes and then continued on our separate ways. Christa, Silentcal, and Grace were with them to Monroe but split off to head over Little Monroe, loop around and head out on the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail. I wasted no time in getting down to the hut and on to the Monroe Loop Trail. A short hike to the summit and I would have #4 of 4 for the day. I reached the vacant summit of Monroe, got some pictures, and noticed some really bad looking weather was coming in. Quickly I was off for the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail and the shelter of the spruce.
The Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail is a great place to get hurt. Try to hurry in the section between the hut and Gem Pool and the chances go up for a slip or trip. The rock slabs, steep and rough trail, and occasionally wet sections all combine to make it necessary to pay attention. I was in a hurry but was focused on the trail. I only had one fall with no significant damage.
I made it to the trail split where right goes to the Cog RR - Marshfield Station and left heads for the trailhead lot, and I went left. Roughly halfway to the trailhead lot I caught Christa, Silentcal, and Grace. We all visited for a few minutes and then hiked out together. The rain was just starting. By now I was also roughly an hour behind schedule. Sometimes things don’t go the way they’re planned. Steve and Christa gave me a ride back to my truck in Jefferson Notch – thanks, you really saved me. Next time I’ll start a little earlier, or take a smaller bite.
I’ve posted some pictures from the day.
BIGEarl's pictures.
Straight to the slideshow.
Trails:
Caps Ridge Trail
Jefferson Loop Trail
Gulfside Trail
Clay Loop Trail
Crawford Path
Monroe Loop Trail
Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail
I needed to finish the hike and get home early, which required an earlier-than-normal start for a 14 mile hike. I rolled out of bed at 2:30am and my second stop was the computer to see the latest weather forecast. After seeing all of the usual sites I was thinking about heading back to bed. The forecast was generally calling for a 70% probability of precipitation starting mid-morning. That forecast wasn’t good for a day of above-the-treeline hiking. I made a pot of coffee and checked the weather channel but found similar information. After my first cup and after 3:00am I headed back to the computer and found an updated forecast that indicated mostly sunny and dry conditions until at least 4:00pm. We’re having fun now! I got ready for a day in the mountains and headed out.
Arriving at Jefferson Notch just before 6:30am I was a little surprised to see I was not the first one in the lot. Another person was preparing to head out to Jefferson on his “first” hike. A couple weeks earlier he hiked from the summit of Washington to the Lakes of the Clouds hut, round trip, and decided hiking was fun. Now he’s hiking the Caps Ridge Trail because somebody told him it was a short, gradual climb, and easy hike to Jefferson. I commented that description didn’t agree with the White Mountain Guide. He said “I’ll find out eventually” and headed out. I was a couple hundred yards behind him for much of the hike.
My main interest in the Caps Ridge Trail came after reading reports by a couple other hikers – Roxi and Bobby. In fact, back on July 20 I decided I really wanted to hike the trail this year after reading Roxi’s report. I enjoy multi-peak outings and thought a loop over Jefferson, Clay, Washington, and Monroe would make a good day hike. It did.
First, hike the Caps Ridge Trail to Jefferson. This trail is a real treat. The early part of the trail is a gradual grade providing adequate warm-up before the real work starts. Then, the caps. I realized right away the hiking poles would be more trouble than help so I packed them away and worked my way through the scrambles using hands and feet. Gradually, I made it over each one enjoying great views along the way. The amount of exposure would make climbing this area interesting on a windy day. Fortunately all I had was a light breeze – just enough to stay comfortable. Occasionally I saw the other hiker up ahead as I reached open areas. Above the treeline I noticed he was gone. I studied the trail ahead, the slope above and he was not in sight. Perhaps he simply moved out at a good rate and was now out of sight. I continued my climb but continued trying to find the guy. I reached the summit and looked in all directions with no luck. He wasn’t at the large cairn just below the summit. I stopped for a few minutes to get some pictures and headed out on the Jefferson Loop Trail for its south junction with the Gulfside Trail.
Approximately half way to the junction I met the other hiker coming up to the summit. He looked at me and asked if I had taken a different trail. I said, “no, but you did”. He missed the turn at the junction of the Caps Ridge and Cornice trails and continued CCW around Jefferson. When he found the Jefferson Loop Trail he headed for the summit.
I continued on to the next target. Every time I have previously been in the area I tagged Clay – no sense in changing now. I reached the Clay Loop Trail and headed for the summit. The views from Clay into the Great Gulf and to Washington are terrific and well worth the effort. A short time after reaching the summit some motion to the southwest got my attention. A glider was cruising past at eye level a couple hundred feet west of the summit. Nice sight! I had more ground to cover and a schedule to keep so I headed off for Washington
After leaving Clay I started to see large numbers of hikers. Looking back to Jefferson there were others climbing Caps Ridge trail. There were groups also coming up the Jewell trail. I made it back to the Gulfside trail and headed for Washington. As I approached the area of the Cog tracks I saw the construction work referenced by Kevin Rooney in his recent report. I don’t see that job being completed before winter.
A couple years ago I was on the summit of Washington during Seek the Peak weekend. At that time I thought the place was really crowded. Today the place was much more crowded. The Cog Railway had multiple trains running simultaneously in both directions. At one point I noticed four heading up. The tracks and cash registers were busy.
I stayed on the summit only long enough for a quick lunch and some pictures. I left the summit a little after noon but the crowds continued for the remainder of the hike. Roughly half way to the Lakes of the Clouds Hut I came upon Trail Trotter, MadRiver, and Steve. Trail Trotter had just tagged her #48 of 48 (Monroe). Congratulations Sue!
They were heading for the Jewell Trail. We visited for a few minutes and then continued on our separate ways. Christa, Silentcal, and Grace were with them to Monroe but split off to head over Little Monroe, loop around and head out on the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail. I wasted no time in getting down to the hut and on to the Monroe Loop Trail. A short hike to the summit and I would have #4 of 4 for the day. I reached the vacant summit of Monroe, got some pictures, and noticed some really bad looking weather was coming in. Quickly I was off for the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail and the shelter of the spruce.The Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail is a great place to get hurt. Try to hurry in the section between the hut and Gem Pool and the chances go up for a slip or trip. The rock slabs, steep and rough trail, and occasionally wet sections all combine to make it necessary to pay attention. I was in a hurry but was focused on the trail. I only had one fall with no significant damage.
I made it to the trail split where right goes to the Cog RR - Marshfield Station and left heads for the trailhead lot, and I went left. Roughly halfway to the trailhead lot I caught Christa, Silentcal, and Grace. We all visited for a few minutes and then hiked out together. The rain was just starting. By now I was also roughly an hour behind schedule. Sometimes things don’t go the way they’re planned. Steve and Christa gave me a ride back to my truck in Jefferson Notch – thanks, you really saved me. Next time I’ll start a little earlier, or take a smaller bite.
I’ve posted some pictures from the day.
BIGEarl's pictures.
Straight to the slideshow.
Last edited:
