7:48 AM on Saturday, January 7, 2017
The plan was to hike Jefferson on Saturday and Monroe on Sunday. But the weather was so good (no wind, mostly clear, very cold) that we just kept going and hiked Jefferson and Monroe, with Mt Washington thrown in between for good measure.
Mt Washington from the Cog Railway parking lot. You can just make out the Observatory if you zoom in a bit.
Striking the Captain Morgan pose near the top of Jewell Trail. You can see the Cog base in the valley.
It was clear below us, but so overcast above us that you can barely make out Mt Washington and its Observatory. This photo and the previous, were taken seconds apart facing in opposite directions.
Following Pepper and his people towards Mt Jefferson. Is that a cairn or just a snow covered bush?
We met John (author of "Pepper and Me" trip reports) and his dog Pepper at the Cog parking lot and hiked with them on and off all day.
John said he saw my red Mini Cooper with "85" on the doors at various trailheads a lot the past couple of weeks. John's car is also easily identified by the GRIDDOG vanity plates. John has completed the grid twice, once with Pepper. He has also red-lined all the trails, twice!
John's hiking companions were Georg Von Trapp (on the right of the photo) who started his grid at age 70 and completed it soon after. Now, at age 75, he hikes as fast as me, knows all the trails by heart, and can name all the surrounding peaks at any viewpoint.
Marty (in the green coat) was the third celebrity hiker, famous mostly for accidentally getting left behind, locked in a cabin on top of a mountain by the other two. Marty was able to free himself by slipping a paperback through the opening between the door and the jamb and unhook the latch on the outside of the door.
It was a real pleasure hiking and chatting with John, Georg, and Marty.
On top of Jefferson, I was so giddy about getting a photo with the celebrity hikers, that I failed to get the traditional photo of me and Steve together. You can see Mt Washington behind me, across the Great Gulf.
A better shot of Mt Washington across the Great Gulf, as seen from Mt Jefferson.
Steve climbing towards the Washington summit.
Looking back at Jefferson, Adams, and Madison across the Great Gulf.
The snowcat (click photo to get a better view) was plowing the top of the Auto Road, though not sure why.
Mt Washington Observatory.
We were on Jefferson, the first peak behind Steve, an hour and fifty minutes ago. After a long hike above tree line, we are near the summit of Washington.
Almost there.
Made it!
The traditional summit selfie.
Ho hum. Jefferson Washington Monroe. Yawn.
Visibility was good as we ascended Mt Monroe. Even so, the cairns were hard to follow and we got off-trail somehow despite repeatedly checking the GaiaGps map. We went to the left of a ridge of snow (we later learned the trail went to the right) and ended up clinging to a near vertical snow field. I had to punch my fists through the snow to anchor me while I groped for footholds. I finally managed to crawl back up to the trail. Steve was not so lucky, as I had displaced most of the snow, leaving just icy cliff face. He hollowed out a space to sit and put on his crampons and soon joined me. However, his fingers had lost all dexterity in the cold, so I had to help remove his crampons when we got back down to the hut.
On top of Monroe, finally!
From Monroe, you can see Mt Washington over my shoulder.
Looking the other way, you can see Mt Eisenhower's bald pate poking up above the clouds.
Pepper, John, and Marty were at the Lake of the Clouds Hut watching and shaking their heads while we climbed Mt Monroe the hard way. They came up the smart way and met us just below the summit. Georg hikes fast, but decided one peak was enough and headed back to his car after Jefferson.
Meanwhile...
...Alexa and Jordan were in Argentina, about to trek the mountain range featured in the Patagonia logo. That's Fitz Roy towering above the clouds.
...and Nick was at a quad meet to cheer on the new crop of Winchester wrestlers, and congratulate Coach Tremblay on setting a record for most wins. Bubba looks psyched to have Julie's famous brownies again.
Apres-hike we made lobster & crab ravioli at the Notch Hostel, then hung out with the 30 other hikers there, sharing Lord Hobo Boom Sauce and gluten-free multi-grain chips.
A bit of adventure?
Steve bounds and glissades downhill, fast. I usually just let him go, but decided to try and keep up as we descended Mt Jefferson. Next thing I knew, I followed him off a 12-foot vertical drop. Fortunately, there was a giant pile of powder at the bottom. No problemo!
After descending Mt Washington, we spent 30 minutes in near whiteout conditions. Then ascending Mt Monroe we got off-trail and ended up clinging to a near vertical snow field. More about both below.
Stats:
- Peaks: Mt Jefferson, Mt Washington, Mt Monroe
- Weather: no wind, but cold (0F) and partly cloudy (mostly above us, except on Crawford Pass)
- Parked: Cog Railway Base
- Trails: Jewell Tr, Gulfside Tr, Jefferson Loop, Gulfside, Crawford Path, Ammonoosuk Ravine Tr
- Time: 8h25m, 7:48am-4:13pm
- Distance: 12.2mi
- Track: GaiaGps
Mt Washington from the Cog Railway parking lot. You can just make out the Observatory if you zoom in a bit.
Striking the Captain Morgan pose near the top of Jewell Trail. You can see the Cog base in the valley.
It was clear below us, but so overcast above us that you can barely make out Mt Washington and its Observatory. This photo and the previous, were taken seconds apart facing in opposite directions.
Following Pepper and his people towards Mt Jefferson. Is that a cairn or just a snow covered bush?
We met John (author of "Pepper and Me" trip reports) and his dog Pepper at the Cog parking lot and hiked with them on and off all day.
John said he saw my red Mini Cooper with "85" on the doors at various trailheads a lot the past couple of weeks. John's car is also easily identified by the GRIDDOG vanity plates. John has completed the grid twice, once with Pepper. He has also red-lined all the trails, twice!
John's hiking companions were Georg Von Trapp (on the right of the photo) who started his grid at age 70 and completed it soon after. Now, at age 75, he hikes as fast as me, knows all the trails by heart, and can name all the surrounding peaks at any viewpoint.
Marty (in the green coat) was the third celebrity hiker, famous mostly for accidentally getting left behind, locked in a cabin on top of a mountain by the other two. Marty was able to free himself by slipping a paperback through the opening between the door and the jamb and unhook the latch on the outside of the door.
It was a real pleasure hiking and chatting with John, Georg, and Marty.
On top of Jefferson, I was so giddy about getting a photo with the celebrity hikers, that I failed to get the traditional photo of me and Steve together. You can see Mt Washington behind me, across the Great Gulf.
A better shot of Mt Washington across the Great Gulf, as seen from Mt Jefferson.
Steve climbing towards the Washington summit.
Looking back at Jefferson, Adams, and Madison across the Great Gulf.
The snowcat (click photo to get a better view) was plowing the top of the Auto Road, though not sure why.
Mt Washington Observatory.
We were on Jefferson, the first peak behind Steve, an hour and fifty minutes ago. After a long hike above tree line, we are near the summit of Washington.
Almost there.
Made it!
The traditional summit selfie.
Ho hum. Jefferson Washington Monroe. Yawn.
...
No photos between Mt Washington and Mt Monroe, because a big cloud rolled over the saddle and covered the trail as we hiked towards the appropriately named Lake of the Clouds. We were in near whiteout conditions for over 30 minutes and couldn't see the trail, let alone think about taking a picture. There was little risk because I was navigating by GPS and we knew the frozen lake was below us and to our right and the Tuckerman Crossover was on the ridge above us and to our left. Nonetheless, it was worrisome and were were very pleased when the cloud moved on and we could see again.
No photos between Mt Washington and Mt Monroe, because a big cloud rolled over the saddle and covered the trail as we hiked towards the appropriately named Lake of the Clouds. We were in near whiteout conditions for over 30 minutes and couldn't see the trail, let alone think about taking a picture. There was little risk because I was navigating by GPS and we knew the frozen lake was below us and to our right and the Tuckerman Crossover was on the ridge above us and to our left. Nonetheless, it was worrisome and were were very pleased when the cloud moved on and we could see again.
Visibility was good as we ascended Mt Monroe. Even so, the cairns were hard to follow and we got off-trail somehow despite repeatedly checking the GaiaGps map. We went to the left of a ridge of snow (we later learned the trail went to the right) and ended up clinging to a near vertical snow field. I had to punch my fists through the snow to anchor me while I groped for footholds. I finally managed to crawl back up to the trail. Steve was not so lucky, as I had displaced most of the snow, leaving just icy cliff face. He hollowed out a space to sit and put on his crampons and soon joined me. However, his fingers had lost all dexterity in the cold, so I had to help remove his crampons when we got back down to the hut.
On top of Monroe, finally!
From Monroe, you can see Mt Washington over my shoulder.
Looking the other way, you can see Mt Eisenhower's bald pate poking up above the clouds.
Pepper, John, and Marty were at the Lake of the Clouds Hut watching and shaking their heads while we climbed Mt Monroe the hard way. They came up the smart way and met us just below the summit. Georg hikes fast, but decided one peak was enough and headed back to his car after Jefferson.
Meanwhile...
...Alexa and Jordan were in Argentina, about to trek the mountain range featured in the Patagonia logo. That's Fitz Roy towering above the clouds.
...and Nick was at a quad meet to cheer on the new crop of Winchester wrestlers, and congratulate Coach Tremblay on setting a record for most wins. Bubba looks psyched to have Julie's famous brownies again.
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