Hitting the Trails: 10/05/2013 Mount Washington and the Great Gulf Wilderness

10/05/2013 Mount Washington and the Great Gulf Wilderness

Tuckerman Ravine Trail / Huntington Ravine Trail / Nelson Crag Trail / Trinity Connector Trail / Gulfside Trail / Great Gulf Trail / Madison Gulf Trail / Old Jackson Road Trail

Saturday, October 5, 2013

Mount Washington

Was on the fence about an overnight, so I brought all of the gear just in case. Weather looked promising on the ride up to Pinkham Notch. Hit the trailhead around 7:45am after hitting a surprisingly half-full parking lot. Wonder if the government shutdown kept people away. Got rolling on Tuckerman Ravine Trail with 2 layers and was reasonably comfortable but generating some perspiration. Hit the junction with Huntington Ravine Trail and veered right onto the trail. I had gone down this trail on my first trip to Mount Washington back in 2011, and it was a blast, but I had never climbed up what is described as the most difficult trail in the White Mountains.

The trail follows a stream with a nice waterfall before the trail keeps climbing. Partial views of the ravine slowly come into view. Soon the trail crosses a fire road or logging road with a sign pointing to Harvard Cabin. The trail eventually makes a 90 degree turn with a sharp left towards the pile of rocks and boulders known as The Fan. Soon the top of the Huntington Ravine comes into view including the amazing Pinnacle Gully with the spectacular waterfall. I notice a couple of rock climbers taking a break off the trail to the left of the waterfall, perhaps the Pinnacle Approach or Odell?

The trail starts up and over the many large rocks and boulders while slowly heading to the right. From the beginning of The Fan until the top of the ravine, the trail is very well marked to include yellow blazes with directional markings as the trail winds up the ravine. I find a nice spot to sit down a take a snack break about half way up as the sun breaks through the clouds. I approach the first major scramble, which is very well marked with both yellow blazes and white arrows. This section is very steep, but very doable if you take your time, plan out your next couple of moves and use the generous handholds and footholds to climb up the slabs. Soon I am past the most challenging part of the climb. That was a lot of fun! There are a couple of other tricky areas, but nothing too challenging, even with a full pack.

I really enjoyed this trail as you put away your trekking poles from the start and use your hands to gain extra purchase and stability as you make your way up. There is nothing like grabbing onto those rocks and boulders to work your way through the ravine. Eventually the cairns start to appear and I notice the clouds start to roll into the valley. Up ahead on the trail, visibility starts to diminish and I can only see about 30 feet ahead. I hit the junction with the Nelson Crag Trail and continue towards the summit. Visibility gets lower and the temperature feels like it drops about 10-15 degrees as the wind starts to pick up. I hear the whistle of the Cog Railroad in the distance as I continue climbing. Soon I hear the sound of car engines below the howl of the wind and I reach the Auto Road. Visibility is down to about 10 feet. As soon as I cross the road, a car emerges from the fog and heads down the road. I soon hit the train tracks of the railroad and know the summit is close. Due to the low visibility I don't see the summit building until I am almost right on top of it. I have not seen a soul since I got on the Huntington Ravine Trail, but now I run into the usual mix of hikers and tourists at the top of the summit. I wait in line for the mandatory summit photo and notice that the moisture on my outer layer is freezing up and crystallizing. Since I am no longer moving, I notice some steam coming off my body also. The girl behind me takes my photo and I take photos of her and her friend. She asks if I hiked up by myself.

I'm starting to get a little chilly so I make a beeline for the summit building to grab some coffee, a coffee cake, take a rest and warm up. The visitor building was pretty crowded, as usual, but I found a chair to take a break. The coffee always tastes delicious after a cold, damp climb to the summit. I put on another layer for the trip down, and hooked with the Trinity Connector Trail to Gulfside Trail. I crossed the railroad tracks and felt the rumbling, and although I couldn't see the train due to the low visibility, I knew it was coming. Got some video of the train emerging from the fog and then quickly disappearing back into the soupy clouds. I reached the junction with the Great Gulf Trail and began my journey on another new trail for me. After passing a sign indicating no camping a quarter mile from the trail until the junction with the Sphnix Trail, I started the steep descent down. The trail was loose with small rocks. Sections of the trail had larger rocks and boulders with many slick sections from running water. Unlike the Huntingdon Ravine Trail, this trail was sparsely marked, which one would expect from a wilderness trail. Every once in a while a faded yellow (or sometimes an even older red) blaze could be spotted on a boulder. The occasional small cairn would also help with staying on the trail. During many parts, the trail was merging with running water, which made for some very slick, slippery sections to navigate. Nothing of real concern, but slow and steady was the pace throughout the first section of the descent. Eventually a view of Spaulding Lake at the bottom of the valley could be spotted in the distance. Unfortunately, the clouds were still obstructing views above me. I passed two guys headed up who advised the trail below was slippery. I told them to expect more of the same above.

After hiking down what seemed like a steep stream for an extended period of time, the trail leveled off a bit as the shallow lake appeared on the left. The trail followed the water and continued past some spectacular waterfalls. Most water crossings were shallow with small cairns indicating the trail was on the other side. At one point past a water fall, the path of the trail became less obvious. I followed a herd path which led to a decent campsite, but obviously not on the trail. Backtracked and looked for a spot across the water, but nothing looked promising. After consulting my GPS, it looked like the trail did not cross over the water at this junction, so after about 10 minutes of recon, I took the only way I had not tried yet. I stayed to the right of the water and began heading down some big, slippery boulders and rocks which had a pretty sizable drop off into the water below. After navigating a particularly slick section, I saw to my great relief that the trail continued down below.

Before long, I started calculating how much daylight I had left and figured I could make the designated campsites my son and I had discovered earlier this year at the junction of Madison Gulf and Great Gulf. I reached the junction with the Six Husbands Trail, which was my destination in my original plan to continue up the abandoned Adams Slide trail. Due to the late afternoon hour, I skipped this and continued down the Great Gulf. I reached the junction with the Sphnix Trail and heard some people nearby. I assumed there must have been a designated campsite close by on the Sphnix Trail. I took a break, then continued down the Great Gulf and passed by two "unofficial" campsites close to the water. Pretty soon after that, I came upon two designated campsites with green metal bear boxes included. Both sites had warnings indicting recent bear activity in the area, but no idea how "recent" these sightings were. I spent a lot of time at the second campsite and came very close to pitching the tent and calling it a day. I still had some daylight left and decided to push on to the Madsion Gulf campsite.

Soon I was at the junction near the suspension bridge and I climbed up the hill to the campsite area. After checking out the site, I once again almost set up camp, but decided I didn't want to deal with the rain forecast for the night into Sunday. Plus the Breaking Bad marathon was calling me. I had about 3 1/2 miles to Pinkham Notch and only about 30 minutes of daylight left. I went back to the bridge and hooked a left onto the AT headed towards the Old Jackson Road Trail and the Auto Road. I pass two guys heading towards the Madison Gulf campsite, so I would not have had the place to myself. Anyone who has done this section knows that the trail goes against all normal trail logic, as it begins a steady climb even though your brain knows you are supposed to be climbing down the mountain! After a long day, this ascent tries to break your will and it's a good test for your mental toughness. The shadows are creeping in and my eyes adjust to the approaching darkness. It gets dark very quickly in the woods! I hold off on pulling out my headlamp until I hit the Auto Road. By now it is pitch black out and the last 1.5 miles or so is slow going. I get back to the car around 8:30pm or so and take a nice drive back south as the rain starts falling. Just another awesome hike in some new territory for me.