BIGEarl
Well-known member
November 22, 2009: Washington, Monroe, and Clay
Trails: Jewell Trail, Clay Loop, Gulfside Trail, Trinity Connector, Crawford Path, Monroe Loop, Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail
Summits: Washington, Monroe, and Clay
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue), and me
All week long the forecast was suggesting the conditions on Washington would be ideal for this hike and we made it our Plan A for the day. The Plan B back-up was Cannon and The Kinsmans – but it wasn’t needed. Hiking on Sunday is unusual but that was this week’s schedule. Since Sue needed an early start for work on Monday I suggested an earlier start which should get us out and home a little earlier, and a little extra rest before work. On Saturday night we moved our plans up thirty minutes.
As usual when we’re hiking in the area, the day started with a quick stop at the Highland Center to check the current conditions, change into our hiking footwear, and take care of anything else that might be needed. Everything looked great but we were told about ice above the treeline. We were also told if we had MicroSpikes we would be all set.
We took off for Marshfield Station and our hike. While we were preparing to hike another vehicle pulled in with Jeremy Clark, Jeb Bradley, and two others – also headed for Washington and points beyond. We all visited for a few minutes, Sue indicated it was time to start hiking to generate some heat, and we were off.
Initially we were unsure of the direction we would hike the loop – CW or CCW. The forecast indicated a 15 to 20 mph northerly wind until late in the day. Since it would probably be more pleasant to have that wind on our backs instead of as a headwind we decided to hike CW and ascended Jewell. The trail is clear and dry all of the way to the treeline. It’s a very pleasant approach which has the elevation spread out over the full distance. We reached an area just below the blowdown field where we had an opening in the trees and could see the undercast to the southwest toward the Willey Range. At the blowdown field we enjoyed the more open views and got quite a few pictures of the early-morning undercast. Once the sun came up it would certainly dissipate, but for now we had a treat.
As we approached the treeline we noticed ice in the trees. This wasn’t the usual rime (frozen fog) that we’ve seen in recent hikes but it was clear, hard ice. It had to be frozen rain. As we climbed higher it became more significant until everything was loaded with the stuff. I assume the area was hit with some pretty difficult weather within the past couple days. We hit the treeline and the sun hit us – finally. To this point we were losing degrees in temperature as we climbed. Now, it’s the reverse. The day is warming, the sky is clear, and SURPRISE – no wind! We had an ideal day for wandering in the Presidentials.
Early in the hike the others we saw at Marshfield Station passed us and hiked ahead. From the open area at the treeline we could see them up ahead – but not as far as I expected. I know at least a couple in the group have a comfortable hiking speed which is well beyond my limit. They were a few hundred yards ahead on their way to the Jewell – Gulfside trails junction. We continued the climb but suddenly were forced to watch every step. Everything was covered with ice. We had MicroSpikes and the guy at the Highland Center said we’d be all set, but we waited to pull them out until conditions required them. For now we simply hopped from bare spot to bare spot. Slowly we made our way toward the Jewell – Gulfside trails junction continuing to see the others up ahead. They hit the junction and made the turn south on Gulfside. A short time later we hit the trails junction and kept climbing straight ahead. Our first target for the day was Mount Clay and there is no trail that leads from the Jewell – Gulfside trails junction. It’s a short “bushwhack” straight up to the summit, only ~.2 miles and ~150 feet. We made the short climb, stopped to enjoy the terrific views that Clay has to offer, got a few pictures, and set off south on the Clay Loop to Gulfside and the remainder of our hike.
In the course of departing Clay we ran into an increase in ice on the trail making footing very difficult. It was time to pull out the MicroSpikes. With those in place we were on our way to Mount Washington. We hit the south junction of Clay Loop and Gulfside, which happens to be the hike midpoint, right on plan. I was hoping for a “book time” hike and that was the case to this point. We continued south on Gulfside and started the 1.1 miles and 900 foot final approach to Mount Washington. Along the way we passed the junction with the Westside Trail, a couple other hikers passed us, and one of the new diesel Cogs climbed the mountain. Evidently they are still operating a couple trains per day. The new biodiesel power is quiet and clean – no visible smoke at all, a great improvement.
We reached the junction with Trinity Heights Connector, turned left and completed the final climb to the summit. We hit the summit area at roughly 11:30am with a breeze of ~10 mph and a temperature of 32 degrees. We got the usual summit pictures and found a warm place in the sun for our lunch break. There were four others on the summit when we arrived but a steady flow of hikers arrived while we were there. Most were hiking from the east but a couple came up from the south. We finished the break quickly to avoid anything getting stiff and set off for our next and final target for the day – Mount Monroe.
The south exit from Washington was different from our northerly approach. The sun hitting hard and the ice was doing a lot of melting. Roughly a couple hundred feet in elevation below the summit we stopped to remove our MicroSpikes – they were no longer needed to safely hike. We made our way south to the Lakes of the Clouds meeting a few hikers heading the opposite direction. In a couple cases we discussed the conditions waiting ahead. Evidently the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail was going to be a test. As we were arriving to the Lakes of the Clouds the ice again became very difficult and we pulled out the MicroSpikes. We passed the lakes and reached the hut where we made another quick stop before our climb of Monroe. Two others were there at the time and they made comments about the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail that included the word treacherous (more than once). That’s a subjective term that in this case seems to be based on the conditions and the equipment being used. Again, it seemed the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail was going to be a test.
First things first, we set off for Monroe. Lots of ice but the MicroSpikes did the job. We managed to climb to the summit with no slipping or falling – we’re still having a great day! As we climbed we also moved into the wind and decided to add a layer before hitting the summit to stay comfortable. We cleared the initial climb and made our way back to the actual high point, got more pictures, enjoyed more terrific views, and u-turned back out. On the way to the LOC Hut we passed another couple headed for the summit of Monroe. We reached the hut and knew the fun was about to start.
From the LOC Hut to Gem Pool is only 1.1 miles but the trail drops 1550 feet. In other words, it’s a pretty steep section of trail. The upper 900 feet is the problem. Most of this section of trail passes over ledge which has a good flow of water for most of the distance. There is a significant build-up of ice for nearly all of this section. This is only my opinion but I feel the traction requirements of this section are currently well beyond that of MicroSpikes. But, we had MicroSpikes and the guy at the Highland Center said we’d be all set. Slowly we picked our way down the ice – ledge section by ledge section. In some cases we crossed from one side of the ledge to the other multiple times to complete the short descent. In a couple cases the only choice we had for traction we felt comfortable with had us walking in the water flow – knowing there was no ice on that particular submerged section of ledge. Occasionally we got a break from the descent stress when the trail wandered into the spruce but it kept coming back to the ledge and ice. Finally we hit the lower ledge crossing at approximately 4000 feet where the trail heads into the trees and stays there to Gem Pool. We cleared the gauntlet without breaking anything important and no blood. Everyone has their own “comfort zone”. In my case, the descent was pretty interesting – and a little intense in a couple places. From now on until next spring when I know they are definitely no longer needed, anytime I visit the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail my crampons will be with me. Sue and I were able to get through the descent on MicroSpikes, but the conditions were really suited for crampons.
It’s always a pretty sight but Gem Pool was a little better than ever on this hike. Here we knew we had a mild 2.1 miles back to Marshfield Station and the truck. The descent took a lot of extra time and we needed to pull out the headlights for our final exit. Roughly half-way from Gem Pool to Marshfield Station we had the headlights out and on. For some reason everything gets quiet when the headlights are out. We quietly made the final ~1 mile to Marshfield Station, headed for the truck, and packed for the drive south. While we were there I noticed a spacecraft flying past and pointed it out to Sue. We had seen another one at the Caps Ridge trailhead a couple weeks earlier. Because of its appearance I was pretty sure it was the International Space Station. When I got home I did some checking and found the ISS was flying over at the time. Nice!
Thanks Sue for a great hike with an interesting ending. It’s time to get out the winter gear.
Pictures will follow.
Trails: Jewell Trail, Clay Loop, Gulfside Trail, Trinity Connector, Crawford Path, Monroe Loop, Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail
Summits: Washington, Monroe, and Clay
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue), and me
All week long the forecast was suggesting the conditions on Washington would be ideal for this hike and we made it our Plan A for the day. The Plan B back-up was Cannon and The Kinsmans – but it wasn’t needed. Hiking on Sunday is unusual but that was this week’s schedule. Since Sue needed an early start for work on Monday I suggested an earlier start which should get us out and home a little earlier, and a little extra rest before work. On Saturday night we moved our plans up thirty minutes.
As usual when we’re hiking in the area, the day started with a quick stop at the Highland Center to check the current conditions, change into our hiking footwear, and take care of anything else that might be needed. Everything looked great but we were told about ice above the treeline. We were also told if we had MicroSpikes we would be all set.
We took off for Marshfield Station and our hike. While we were preparing to hike another vehicle pulled in with Jeremy Clark, Jeb Bradley, and two others – also headed for Washington and points beyond. We all visited for a few minutes, Sue indicated it was time to start hiking to generate some heat, and we were off.
Initially we were unsure of the direction we would hike the loop – CW or CCW. The forecast indicated a 15 to 20 mph northerly wind until late in the day. Since it would probably be more pleasant to have that wind on our backs instead of as a headwind we decided to hike CW and ascended Jewell. The trail is clear and dry all of the way to the treeline. It’s a very pleasant approach which has the elevation spread out over the full distance. We reached an area just below the blowdown field where we had an opening in the trees and could see the undercast to the southwest toward the Willey Range. At the blowdown field we enjoyed the more open views and got quite a few pictures of the early-morning undercast. Once the sun came up it would certainly dissipate, but for now we had a treat.
As we approached the treeline we noticed ice in the trees. This wasn’t the usual rime (frozen fog) that we’ve seen in recent hikes but it was clear, hard ice. It had to be frozen rain. As we climbed higher it became more significant until everything was loaded with the stuff. I assume the area was hit with some pretty difficult weather within the past couple days. We hit the treeline and the sun hit us – finally. To this point we were losing degrees in temperature as we climbed. Now, it’s the reverse. The day is warming, the sky is clear, and SURPRISE – no wind! We had an ideal day for wandering in the Presidentials.
Early in the hike the others we saw at Marshfield Station passed us and hiked ahead. From the open area at the treeline we could see them up ahead – but not as far as I expected. I know at least a couple in the group have a comfortable hiking speed which is well beyond my limit. They were a few hundred yards ahead on their way to the Jewell – Gulfside trails junction. We continued the climb but suddenly were forced to watch every step. Everything was covered with ice. We had MicroSpikes and the guy at the Highland Center said we’d be all set, but we waited to pull them out until conditions required them. For now we simply hopped from bare spot to bare spot. Slowly we made our way toward the Jewell – Gulfside trails junction continuing to see the others up ahead. They hit the junction and made the turn south on Gulfside. A short time later we hit the trails junction and kept climbing straight ahead. Our first target for the day was Mount Clay and there is no trail that leads from the Jewell – Gulfside trails junction. It’s a short “bushwhack” straight up to the summit, only ~.2 miles and ~150 feet. We made the short climb, stopped to enjoy the terrific views that Clay has to offer, got a few pictures, and set off south on the Clay Loop to Gulfside and the remainder of our hike.
In the course of departing Clay we ran into an increase in ice on the trail making footing very difficult. It was time to pull out the MicroSpikes. With those in place we were on our way to Mount Washington. We hit the south junction of Clay Loop and Gulfside, which happens to be the hike midpoint, right on plan. I was hoping for a “book time” hike and that was the case to this point. We continued south on Gulfside and started the 1.1 miles and 900 foot final approach to Mount Washington. Along the way we passed the junction with the Westside Trail, a couple other hikers passed us, and one of the new diesel Cogs climbed the mountain. Evidently they are still operating a couple trains per day. The new biodiesel power is quiet and clean – no visible smoke at all, a great improvement.
We reached the junction with Trinity Heights Connector, turned left and completed the final climb to the summit. We hit the summit area at roughly 11:30am with a breeze of ~10 mph and a temperature of 32 degrees. We got the usual summit pictures and found a warm place in the sun for our lunch break. There were four others on the summit when we arrived but a steady flow of hikers arrived while we were there. Most were hiking from the east but a couple came up from the south. We finished the break quickly to avoid anything getting stiff and set off for our next and final target for the day – Mount Monroe.
The south exit from Washington was different from our northerly approach. The sun hitting hard and the ice was doing a lot of melting. Roughly a couple hundred feet in elevation below the summit we stopped to remove our MicroSpikes – they were no longer needed to safely hike. We made our way south to the Lakes of the Clouds meeting a few hikers heading the opposite direction. In a couple cases we discussed the conditions waiting ahead. Evidently the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail was going to be a test. As we were arriving to the Lakes of the Clouds the ice again became very difficult and we pulled out the MicroSpikes. We passed the lakes and reached the hut where we made another quick stop before our climb of Monroe. Two others were there at the time and they made comments about the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail that included the word treacherous (more than once). That’s a subjective term that in this case seems to be based on the conditions and the equipment being used. Again, it seemed the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail was going to be a test.
First things first, we set off for Monroe. Lots of ice but the MicroSpikes did the job. We managed to climb to the summit with no slipping or falling – we’re still having a great day! As we climbed we also moved into the wind and decided to add a layer before hitting the summit to stay comfortable. We cleared the initial climb and made our way back to the actual high point, got more pictures, enjoyed more terrific views, and u-turned back out. On the way to the LOC Hut we passed another couple headed for the summit of Monroe. We reached the hut and knew the fun was about to start.
From the LOC Hut to Gem Pool is only 1.1 miles but the trail drops 1550 feet. In other words, it’s a pretty steep section of trail. The upper 900 feet is the problem. Most of this section of trail passes over ledge which has a good flow of water for most of the distance. There is a significant build-up of ice for nearly all of this section. This is only my opinion but I feel the traction requirements of this section are currently well beyond that of MicroSpikes. But, we had MicroSpikes and the guy at the Highland Center said we’d be all set. Slowly we picked our way down the ice – ledge section by ledge section. In some cases we crossed from one side of the ledge to the other multiple times to complete the short descent. In a couple cases the only choice we had for traction we felt comfortable with had us walking in the water flow – knowing there was no ice on that particular submerged section of ledge. Occasionally we got a break from the descent stress when the trail wandered into the spruce but it kept coming back to the ledge and ice. Finally we hit the lower ledge crossing at approximately 4000 feet where the trail heads into the trees and stays there to Gem Pool. We cleared the gauntlet without breaking anything important and no blood. Everyone has their own “comfort zone”. In my case, the descent was pretty interesting – and a little intense in a couple places. From now on until next spring when I know they are definitely no longer needed, anytime I visit the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail my crampons will be with me. Sue and I were able to get through the descent on MicroSpikes, but the conditions were really suited for crampons.
It’s always a pretty sight but Gem Pool was a little better than ever on this hike. Here we knew we had a mild 2.1 miles back to Marshfield Station and the truck. The descent took a lot of extra time and we needed to pull out the headlights for our final exit. Roughly half-way from Gem Pool to Marshfield Station we had the headlights out and on. For some reason everything gets quiet when the headlights are out. We quietly made the final ~1 mile to Marshfield Station, headed for the truck, and packed for the drive south. While we were there I noticed a spacecraft flying past and pointed it out to Sue. We had seen another one at the Caps Ridge trailhead a couple weeks earlier. Because of its appearance I was pretty sure it was the International Space Station. When I got home I did some checking and found the ISS was flying over at the time. Nice!
Thanks Sue for a great hike with an interesting ending. It’s time to get out the winter gear.
Pictures will follow.
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