Mount Pierce & Eisenhower (#47, #48)

Date of Hike: 2/23/11

Crawford Path / Mount Eisenhower Loop: 9.4 (elevation gain 3,250)
click here for trail descriptions

Trip Report:
- With clear skies forecast for Wednesday it was the perfect opportunity to head up to the White Mountains and finish off the Winter 48 - 4,000 footers!
- On trail at 7am, Pierce summit 8:20am, Eisenhower summit 9:10am, finished 10:20am.  Temps at trailhead -10 degrees, temps when done 20 degrees, temps while hiking single digits, W/NW winds from 20-35 mph, clear skies 100 miles plus visibility.
- The Crawford Path has easy to moderate grades and in the winter when well packed you can really book it up the trail to treeline.  Even with the low temps I was able to heat up really fast and once reaching the Alpine Zone I decided to put on dry layers and get out my snowboard goggles in anticipation for the wind.
- The wind was pretty rough at the Webster Cliff / Crawford Path Trail Junction, but I made the turn and headed up a few hundred yards to Mount Pierce's summit, took a couple of pic and dropped back down and headed north on the Crawford Path.
- Within five minutes I changed from my microspikes into snowshoes to make navigating through the minor snow drifts easier. 
- The hike over to the Mount Eisenhower Loop Trail went quickly as the wind would kick up here and there. I was battling minor fogging/icing on my goggles and making sure my neck warmer didn't freeze up solid but I was warm so everything was good to go!
- The hike up the loop trail was easier as I was sheltered from the wind until reaching Mount Eisenhower's summit.
- At the summit I took a few pics but the wind was whipping pretty good so I couldn't really enjoy the moment until I descended and took a break out of the wind.
- The wind was dying down (a little) as I headed back towards Mount Pierce but it gave me one last beating as I approached the Webster Cliff Trail Junction.  From here I jogged the 3.1 miles down the Crawford Path back to the car.  I passed six hikers and one dog all having a blast hiking up into the blue skies to enjoy the great views that lay ahead.
-  It was a real quick hike but I enjoyed every second of it and am thrilled to have been able to complete the winter 48!

Pictures: Click here for Image Gallery

 Mount Eisenhower, Monroe, and Washington

from Webster Cliff Trail

 Mount Eisenhower Summit

 Mount Pierce and Willey from

Mount Eisenhower Loop Trail

Mount Pierce and Jackson from

Crawford Path

Mount Jackson (#46)

Date of Hike: 2/20/11

Webster-Jackson Trail: 5.2 miles (elevation gain 2,200)
Click here for trail descriptions

Trip Report:
- After seeing the weather forecast calling for real high winds I was not going to hike, however at the last moment I figured I'd just head up north to basically run up and down Mount Jackson.
- On trail at 7:10am, Mount Jackson summit 8:30am, finished 9:15am.  Temps in the single digits, winds 50 plus mph on summit, no views.
- There is really nothing to exciting about this hike as it's a pretty strait forward up and down.  The best part is the last .3 miles as one can see the summit from the trail and the steep ledge section just below the summit.
- The wind was really ferocious at the top where I ran into two guys who couldn't locate the trail as they were trying to see how long they could hike along the ridge.  I led them down off the summit ledges on the Webster Cliff Trail and pointed them to a white A.T. blaze on the first tree in the woods and told them good luck and have a fun hike!
- I ran back up to the summit getting battered around by the wind and quickly descended the ledges on the Webster-Jackson Trail and got the hell out of the wind.  I was warm but my neck warmer froze solid!
- The hike out was fast and furious as the trail is well packed down and built for speed.  I ran into Jeremy,  Eric, Sabrina and their two super trail breaking dogs! They were hiking Jackson in the morning and then heading over to hike Tom, Field, and Willey afterwords!
- Back at the car I contemplated heading over to the Crawford Path to hike Ike and Pierce to finish off the Winter 48 knowing the weather called for clearing skies but within seconds I was frozen to the bone and decided to wait until a day with lower winds so I can enjoy the hike above treeline between Pierce and Eisenhower.

Pictures: Click here for Image Gallery

 Webster Cliff / Webster-Jackson Trail Junction

Mount Jackson Summit

Madison, Adams, Jefferson (#43, #44, #45)

Date of Hike: 2/16/11

Valley Way: 3.8 miles
Osgood Trail: 1.0 miles
Gulfside/Airline/Lowe's Path/Gulfside: 2.7 miles
Gulfside bypass "snow-whack"/Jefferson Loop: 1.4 miles
Randolph Path: .8 miles
Snow-whack: .7 miles
Gulfside Trail: 1.4 miles
Valley Way: 3.8 miles
Total Miles: 15.5 miles (elevation gain 6,600)
click here for trail descriptions

Trip Report:
- This winter for the most part has been sub-par as far as views go and more importantly lacking good weather for long hikes above treeline.  With a promising forecast of clear skies, temps in the twenty's, and wind chills around zero it seemed like a perfect opportunity to hike Mount Madison, Adams, and if the predicted high winds weren't to strong a chance to steal Jefferson.
- On trail at 7am, Madison summit 9:30am, Adams summit 10:40am, Jefferson summit 11:50am, "dead ended" on Randolph Path 12:30 pm, back on Gulfside Trail 1:20pm, Madison Springs Hut 2pm, finished 3:15pm.  High clouds, 100 plus miles visibility, temps in low twenty's, wind out of the southeast from 20-40 mph.
- Joining me today on the hike was Alton, she's working on her winter 48 and entering today had nine left.  Alton when not hiking runs marathons and does triathlons!
- We made good time up to Madison Springs Hut as the Valley Way was broken out and very easy to follow.  As we approached treeline we could hear the wind whipping so we layered up to prepare for the biting wind and at that point it seemed like just a Madison and Adams day.
- However as we climbed the summit cone of Madison the winds died down a little bit and were not bad at all.  Views from the summit in every direction were incredible!
- The hike up to Adams was easier than most times I remember as we were out of the wind practically until descending the summit.  Conditions were good for Crampons (styrofoam snow but some rocks) from Madison Springs Hut, to Adams, down to Thunderstorm Junction. 
- The hike along the Gulfside Trail by Adams V peak is where the wind chilled us down as we couldn't generate enough heat while descending to stay 100% warm but once we started dropping down to Edmands Col we were shielded from the wind and heated right back up.
- We decided to bypass the very steep eastern slopes on the Gulfside Trail below Mount Jefferson by going up and around and hooking back up at the Jefferson Loop Trail junction.  Amazingly there was a lone hiker who was a few tenths miles ahead of us who went up the steep eastern slopes!
- As we came to the summit of Mount Jefferson the winds started whipping again so at the summit we took pictures and headed strait back down to Edmands Col.
- From here we had two options, retrace our steps having to gain elevation back until hitting Thunderstorm Junction, or see if we could hike the Randolph Path and descend for good.
- We decided on the Randolph Path, and we followed faint tracks and were doing fine until we hit the junction for the Randolph Path and Grey Knob Trail.  We stayed on the Randolph Path for maybe fifty more feet until all the cairns disappeared and we ended up going a little to high and ended up on the Grey Knob Trail.  We found two cairns but it was a lost cause because I knew we were to high so we started to head towards the Randolph Path but then suddenly started to sink into a Spruce Trap field.  This was the beginning of a really bad situation and I knew we had to turn around because one or two more steps and it could be dangerous spruce traps and deep deep drifts I've never encountered off trail.  However the wind was now whipping from where we had just came and was "dusting" up some loose snow which would make for and awful trek back to Edmands Col.  Looking up towards the ridge directly above us and above the Gulfside Trail on the opposite side the snow was styrofoam and knew that we could angle our way up to the ridge until gaining it then come down and hook back to the Gulfside Trail .25 mile below Thunderstorm Junction.  I looked at Alton and said "We have to go back up, this is going to suck, it's going to get windy, but this will put us back on a trail that we know we can follow" (click here for map)
- So we slowly climbed back up about 600 feet, it was not fun but the footing was much better and safer. Once we gained the ridge (between Storm Lake and Sam Adams we dropped back down to the Gulfside Trail and headed up a couple hundred more feet to Thunderstorm Junction.  The hike on the Gulfside to Thunderstorm was pretty weird as the wind was blowing loose snow from behind us made for a cool scene if you looked back.
- From Thunderstorm Junction we booked it back to the hut and went even faster down the Valley Way making it back to the car in an hour and fifteen minutes from the hut.
- I re-learned a valuable lesson about hiking above treeline.  When planning hikes like this, make sure the weather forecast is good for the whole day and if possible the following day, bring the appropriate gear, start at first light or just after, so if you find yourself in trouble and you look at your watch it's 12:30pm (not 4pm), make sure you'll have great visibility (not socked in), and as long as you don't panic, take a deep breath, head back to a safe trail or one you are familar with you and the person you're hiking with and responsible for because your leading the way will not become a statistic.
- It ended up being an "Epic" day in the Northern Presidential's and it was great to hike with Alton who is an incredible athlete and should be awarded with "hiker of the week" for doing Galehead and Carrigain the previous two days and kicking ass in the Northern Presi's on the third strait day of hiking....very impressive!

Pictures: Click here for all pictures

Mount Washington

 Mount Adams

 Madison Springs Hut and J.Q. Adams

 Mount Madison

 Appalachian Trail and Mount Adams

 Great Gulf headwall and Mount Washington

 Lakes of the Clouds Hut

and Mount Monroe

Mount Isolation (#42)

Date of Hike: 2/13/11

Rocky Branch Trail: 2.8 miles
Engine Hill Bushwhack: 1.3 miles
Isolation Trail / Bushwhack: 1.9 miles
Davis Path: .5 miles
Davis Path / Isolation / Rocky Branch / Bushwhacks: 6.5 miles
Total Miles: 13.0 (elevation gain 3,400 feet)
Click here for trail descriptions

Trip Report:
- Over the past month I kept watching the trail conditions hoping that Mount Isolation would be broken out but it never seemed like it was and not knowing the exact track of the standard winter route bushwhacks I stayed away from venturing to the isolated Isolation summit.
- However this weekend I was lucky enough to find out the Bob, Cathy, and Mike were planning on hiking it and the trail had been broken out on Friday and packed down really well on Saturday so I tagged along with the group and headed up to Isolation.
- On Trail at 10:15am, summit 2pm, finished 4:30pm, temps around twenty degrees, clear skies to socked in views above 4,400 feet, no wind.
- We made great time up to the Dry River / Presidential Range Wilderness boundary as Cathy set a real good pace.  We all heated up really fast and had to shed layers because of the warmer winter temps and no wind.
- When we hit the Engine Hill Bushwhack I was really excited to get to hike through the open birch-glades.  It was one of my favorite sections of the hike and really pretty eventhough this time the bushwhack didn't stay in the birch-glades as long as it usually does.
- The hike out and back of Mount Isolation is pretty long as far as miles go but the grades are gradual and since the trail was packed down we booked it up to the top with no problems.  The only steep section is the last couple hundred feet to the bare summit where I expected high winds but there were none at all today.
- We stayed at the summit for a few minutes to take pictures and have a tasty brownie or two before butt sliding back down the Isolation Spur to the Davis Path.
- The hike back to the car was uneventful as it fast and furious and lots of fun!  Back at the car it was time to get into warm clothes and start the long drive home where I would get pulled over for speeding by a state trooper. Congrats "Officer Krupke" for getting me, I consider myself the "Red Baron" of I-93, job well done...although next time I can do without the whole making me get out of my car, having me unzip my snow pants pockets and pull out the lining, being told that he has reason to believe I am hiding something, searching the back of my car and asking if I have done any drugs!
- Even with getting nailed for speeding it was another great trip and hike in the White Mountains and it was lots of fun to hike with Bob, Cathy, and Mike!

Pictures: Click here for all pictures

Engine Hill Bushwhack

 Mount Isolation Summit

 View towards Mount Pierce

 Birch-glades