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Southern Presidentials Winter Traverse

This southern presi-traverse was a memorable “winter” season ender. Here’s looking forward to future hikes in shorts and a t-shirt!

Saturday, March 29, 2014
Bretton Woods, NH
Strenuous
Hosted by Gandalf

The trip report

A pretty nice way to end the winter hiking season, even though it officially ended a couple weeks ago. We all met at 8:30am in the parking lot near the Highland Center. Steve left his car and we carpooled to Marshfield Station for the start of our hike. The rolling access road had sections of thick ice so we had to drive carefully. This drive over was the most dangerous part of the entire hike!

The day was cloudy but warm and nicely calm. We all started the day with MicroSpikes right from the parking area and they stayed on for the next 8 hours. That’s right; we were able to make it up the Ammonoosuc Ravine without crampons. There were spots on the Crawford Path where we could have used snowshoes.

The early part of the hike to Gem Pool is level and easy.  The trail is generally clear sailing. There’s enough elevation to help with a good warm-up but that’s about it. Jon and I did some layer adjusting in this section as we came up to temperature. At Gem Pool it was surreal with clouds and fog drifting through the trees. From Gem Pool to the Lakes of Clouds Hut the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail gets serious. It’s only one mile but includes 1550 feet in elevation gain. Steep! We stayed with the MicroSpikes. The trail was packed but soft. Generally the surface was solid enough to hold but there were occasions when we all slipped back while attempting to move higher. As we got further up, the skies got brighter and later on we saw a sunny orb above us.

At the first crossing we stopped for a quick break. With that out of the way we continued the climb. Soon we hit the treeline and were enjoying fantastic views to Washington. Below the Presidentials we could see a great deal of undercast! We started to feel some wind.

We checked out the dungeon (emergency shelter) at Lakes of the Clouds [LOC] Hut. We left the dungeon and headed to the front of the Hut where the snow had collected so we were able to walk right up onto its roof! We decided to break for lunch since we were getting hungry so we went behind the Hut for wind block. We were enjoying full sun. Nice, but standing still we started to get cold so we packed it up and began heading for Mt Monroe.

The climb to Monroe was a little tougher than usual. The wind was fierce and gusty! We were all adequately layered up. Monroe was definitely an interesting first summit for the day. Reaching the small ridge that leads back to the actual summit area we were near the east edge of it with a pretty good drop-off to the east. The wind was gusting to 30 mph and with wind chill, it must have been around 15 degrees. We hit the blustery summit, got the usual pictures, and headed south for Eisenhower.

We left Monroe on the usual route that passes over Little Monroe and connects with the Crawford Path. The Crawford Path passes around the east side of Monroe/Little Monroe and we could see a trace of the trail down below.

As we hiked south we enjoyed views in all directions! Eventually we made it to the area where the Crawford Path, Edmands Path, and the Eisenhower Loop all generally meet. The trail since leaving the LOC Hut was for the most part clear of any deep snow. We started into the climb and after some good cardio came to the Eisenhower summit cairn, got our pictures, and headed south.

Leaving Eisenhower we followed the large cairns. In a very short time we were at the south junction of the Eisenhower Loop and the Crawford Path. That was easy!

We continued south. The trail was well packed with all the previous foot traffic.  Eventually we made it to the Webster Cliff Trail junction, made the turn, and headed for the summit of Pierce.

We headed back to the Crawford Path and our exit. The hike out was an easy cruise down the huge ramp of the Crawford Path. It was an easy walk out. In what seemed like a very short time we reached the Mizpah Cutoff and not long after we hit the trailhead and the Crawford Connector parking lot.  

We were all tired as we had a full day hiking over Mt Monroe, Eisenhower and Pierce. What a day!  While the hike began with clouds after some serious ascent the sun broke out and we were treated to our favorite phenomenon of an undercast below us.  

The three of us got back home to take a shower and finally relax by the fireplace with a glass of wine.  Shortly later dinner was ready where we gobbled down freshly roasted turkey with mashed potatoes, stuffing, asparagus, cubed sweet potato and just out of the oven puff pastry crescent rolls.   Dessert was a homemade pumpkin tart with a ginger cookie crust topped with a hit of cream.  We retired upstairs to relive the hike with over 100 slides to watch.

This southern presi-traverse was a memorable “winter” season ender.  Here’s looking forward to future hikes in shorts and a t-shirt!

 

Event photos (159)

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About this event

This winter hike traverses one of the most spectacular routes in the White Mountains that including climbing 3 four thousand footers: Monroe, Eishenhower and Pierce!
 
It starts on the western side of Mt. Washington on the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail to reach the Lakes of Clouds Hut [closed in winter] under Mt. Washington's peak, and we will take a right above tree line onto Crawford Path to the Monroe Loop and summit Mt. Monroe [5,384'], drop down and then regain the Crawford Path past Mt. Franklin [5,004'] to the intersection of Edmunds Path. We then follow the Eisenhower Loop to the summit of Mt. Eisenhower [4,780']. After that back to the Crawford Path and if anyone wants, we can tag Mt. Pierce [4,310'] on the way down. This above tree line route has magnificent views in all directions. To sign up for this hike, you should be an experienced winter hiker, who has recently completed hikes of at least 8-10 miles, and who consistently hikes at or better than book time.
 
Dogs are discouraged on this hike due to the uncertainty of conditions. If your dog has experience with long hikes of this nature in winter conditions and you are confident that he/she can handle this advanced hike, please email us to discuss.
 
Perfect weather is an absolute necessity for this winter hike. Dangerous exposure in sudden storms above tree line on the Crawford Path can overcome unwary, overconfident, or unfit hikers. The summit area is exposed, and you will need to be prepared for windy conditions depending on the weather. We may do something more sheltered if the weather is not cooperative.
 
Every participant should have top-notch clothing including winter insulated boots, light traction [microspikes], snowshoes, wool socks, synthetic under garments, synthetic shirt, nylon or gore-tex pants, hat, gloves, insulating layers, hard shell jacket, balaclava/neck gaiter, face mask and goggles. Your pack should be big enough to put some of the clothes you start wearing in it as you heat up, lunch, extra food, water, flashlight and survival gear to preserve life in a subarctic environment. That's what we'll climbing to.
 
We will  hike about 11 miles and  climb about 3,900 feet and drop down about 4,500 feet. It should take an average hiker about 7.5 hours to complete this trip ~ this estimate allows for slower travel during winter (trail breaking, route finding, changing gear/footwear, etc.)
 
Expect to come out in the early hours of darkness if we encounter any significant snow and/or ice. We will not be moving fast but we will be moving steadily since it is winter; uphill will be slower since there is a lot of elevation gain. After Mt. Monroe we will be faster with maybe some butt surfing. Breaks will be quick. The weather will dictate the length and amount of stops. 
 
After The Hike
Everyone is welcome back at our house around the fireplace to join us for dinner. It's $5 per person and BYOB. Bring a change of clothing and take a shower to freshen up; we have plenty of towels to share.  
 
Lodging Option
Bunk beds are available at our house near Waterville Valley, NH for Friday and/or Saturday night for $20 per night. Coffee/bagels each morning and linen/blankets/towels are provided. We have limited space in the fridge to store your beverages/food so it's best to bring a small cooler. Space is limited so email us ASAP to reserve a bunk!

Who came along (2)

Gandalf SUSTAINING
Gandalf
Thornton, NH
shep5 GUEST MEMBER
shep5
Jaffrey, NH

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