Stairs Mt, ( Giant Stairs) and Resolution.

[sierra]

Me and my dog Shay completed #50, #51 on our second round of the 52wav list. It was a magnificent hike through incredible wilderness. We ran into a virtual whos who of hikers and had an amazing day. If you've never been out there, trust me, you will not be disappointed. The Davis Path to the spurs, Mt. Crawford can be added as well for the trifecta.

 

[peakbagger]

WIth 52 with a view so popular, this area is getting busy. Lots of groups that ignore the group size limit of 10 in the Dry River Wilderness.

 

[DavidG]

WIth 52 with a view so popular, this area is getting busy. Lots of groups that ignore the group size limit of 10 in the Dry River Wilderness.

These are the same people who complain about painted rocks.
Can't wait to hear about the finish!

 

[DayTrip]

Me and my dog Shay completed #50, #51 on our second round of the 52wav list. It was a magnificent hike through incredible wilderness. We ran into a virtual whos who of hikers and had an amazing day. If you've never been out there, trust me, you will not be disappointed. The Davis Path to the spurs, Mt. Crawford can be added as well for the trifecta.

Davis Path beyond Stairs Mt gets decidedly less enjoyable for a lengthy stretch. Blowdowns, dead forest, mud and spider webs. I've done several out and backs and loops to Mt Davis and love that little summit so I endure the boring stretches on the 8.5 mile trek out there. Crawford, Stairs and Resolution are very cool summits and that area of the Davis Path is very scenic and enjoyable. I just did Resolution for the first time earlier this year. I thought it was just a few restricted outlooks. It is actually a fantastic summit that I will definitely be visiting again.

 

[sierra]

Davis Path beyond Stairs Mt gets decidedly less enjoyable for a lengthy stretch. Blowdowns, dead forest, mud and spider webs. I've done several out and backs and loops to Mt Davis and love that little summit so I endure the boring stretches on the 8.5 mile trek out there. Crawford, Stairs and Resolution are very cool summits and that area of the Davis Path is very scenic and enjoyable. I just did Resolution for the first time earlier this year. I thought it was just a few restricted outlooks. It is actually a fantastic summit that I will definitely be visiting again.

Thats very interesting and I'm not terribly surprised. One of these days I might check that section out.

 

[maineguy]

Mt Davis is a nice peak. Great views and no people. A number of years ago we did a long traverse from Washington to Route 302. We didn't see a soul once we left Isolation.

 

[peakbagger]

Running the Coos Trail over that stretch does not seem to have really increased the usage significantly.

The 4 K committee used to adopt the Davis Path, they would donate surplus funds to the maintenance as it always seems to be in need of clearing given the half dead spruce that lines it.

 

[Cartophile]

The Davis path past Stairs is a great favorite of mine. The terrain varies, and it's very rare to see another hiker between Stairs and Isolation, except for the occasional one who has missed the side path for Isolation. There's just one small boggy bit. I try to hike this annually, though this summer didn't work out. I agree about the summits of Davis and Resolution. The only drawback is that there's no water between the Saco and Isolation, with the exception of that boggy bit, and I did once encounter an older man with a couple of children who were at that boggy bit and couldn't quite believe me when I said that that was pretty much the only water available. They did not look happy.

 

[maineguy]

The only drawback is that there's no water between the Saco and Isolation,

There used to be water available at the site of the Resolution Shelter. You might have to go downstream aways, but there was water available. With all the rain the area has been getting, there is a good chance that there is water there now.

 

[Beckie and Prema]

The way this year has been is you can just open your mouth and look up and you will get water!

 

[DayTrip]

There used to be water available at the site of the Resolution Shelter. You might have to go downstream aways, but there was water available. With all the rain the area has been getting, there is a good chance that there is water there now.

When I was out there at the end of May this spot was flowing well. I actually got water in the brook just before reaching the summit, which was also flowing quite nicely. I didn't think that was going to be a usable brook (and I suppose most years it probably isn't).

In a "typical" year I could often get water about 2.5 miles North of the Stairs Spur. There is a spot roughly where South Davis is marked on the map where the trail takes a hard right (heading North) and briefly follows a tiny brook (which is usually a trickle if not dry) before turning left. If you went down that bank there was often pools large enough to get water with a pump filter. You could hear the water movement from the trail. I never relied on it as a definite stop but if the water was flowing I knew I could be more liberal with my water use because I had a fill up spot on the way back.

 

[sierra]

The way this year has been is you can just open your mouth and look up and you will get water!

Last year there was no water available past Mt. Crawford, I carried 135 oz. for me and my dog. This year, there was so much water everywhere, I dumped out all my dog's water at the Mt. Parker trail. There was literally water every 1/4 mile on the trail and feeder streams everywhere. The polar opposite of last year and a good indication of how wet this summer has been.