Double Presidential Range Traverse

Date of Hike: 7/21/13

Crawford Path 2.9	Webster Cliff 0.2	Crawford Path 1.2	Eisenhower Loop 0.8	Crawford Path 1.4
Monroe Loop 0.7	Crawford Path 1.6	Gulfside 1.1	Clay Loop 1.2	Gulfside 0.7
Jefferson Loop 0.7	Gulfside 1.6	Lowe's Path 0.3	Airline 0.6	Gulfside 0.4
Osgood 1.0	Gulfside 0.3	Airline 0.6	Lowe's Path 0.3	Gulfside 1.5
Jefferson Loop 0.7	Gulfside 0.7	Clay Loop 1.2	Gulfside 1.1	Crawford Path 1.6
Monroe Loop 0.7	Crawford Path 1.6	Eisenhower Loop 1.2	Crawford Path 1.2	Webster Cliff 0.2
Crawford Path 2.9	Total Miles	Around 31.5	Elevation Gain	12,300 feet

Trip Report:

- Sunday was my 3rd Annual Double Presidential Range hike.  Just like my first year I was hiking solo and that meant on the way back to Pierce from Madison I would re-tag all the summits!

- Left RI at 2:30 a.m. and was on the trail at 6 a.m. with temps in the high 50's and no humidity, a first for July!

- The weather called for clear skies all day but I ended up being fogged in for most of the hike from early morning just north of Lakes of the Clouds until dropping off of Mount Jefferson in the early afternoon.

- Crawford Path has easy grades with decent footing so I was able to make really good time up to treeline.  I only saw two other people on my way to the Webster Cliff junction just below Mount Pierce.  I made the quick tenth of a mile hike up to the summit just past 7.am. and was greeted with pretty awesome views.

- From Pierce to the Eisenhower Loop the Crawford Path dips in and out of the scrub and up through open ledges.  The trail was a little muddy in spots but I did some trail running and made it to the left turn of the Eisenhower Loop Trail and enjoyed the quick ascent up to the summit.  Views down towards the Mount Washington Hotel and Brenton Woods are pretty impressive while hiking the first part of the loop.

-  When I reached the summit I was greeted with what I call the first 'In your face' view of the Presidential Range.  Mount Monroe is directly in front of you with Mount Washington looming large behind it.  The descent back to Crawford Path heading north on the Mount Eisenhower Loop Trail is one of the best for views in all of the White Mountains.

-  I ran down the Eisenhower Loop and jogged a little of the Crawford Path as it easily ascends and crests an open field just before the Mount Franklin summit.  This small hump is my favorite part of the southern presidential range, I refer to it as the 'Franklin Flats' and the trail is outlined with small rocks the whole way and the views stretch as far as the eye can see.

- Once past the flats I took a right on a small beaten herd path to Mount Franklin's tiny but nice summit and hooked back on the Crawford Path and jogged to the Mount Monroe Loop Trail.  It was at this time that I noticed the forecast might be off not just a little but a lot.  The clouds and what looked like fog was started to come in from the west.  Luckily it wasn't humid so I didn't have to worry about thunderstorms, and cloud cover is a good thing when doing a long hike like this anyway.

- I hit Mount Monroe around 8:30 in the morning and up until this point I had only seen a handful of hikers, but from here on out there would be hundreds along the way!

- There was lots of activity at Lakes of the Clouds Hut, I went inside hoping to score some free pancakes but there must have been a lot of fatties staying there because there were none!  I took a short break and then headed up to the rock pile.  After about a half a mile the fog and clouds rolled in taking away the views, I wasn't bummed because I figured on my return the views would open back up!

-  The hike up to Washington went well, the trail is like a sidewalk as it makes its way up to the summit.  I enjoyed this section because I knew from Mount Washington to Madison and back to this point the footing would turn from the nice gravel, slab, and meticulously placed rocks to jagged, loose, odd shaped, knee hammering boulders.

-  When I hit the summit I went inside and bought a soggy sandwich, a Gatorade, and a cookie/cookie...for $10, highway robbery! The Sandwich tasted awful but I craved the taste of something different than the gels, gummies, brownie bites, and granola bars I had been eating up until this point.

- After a fifteen minute break on Washington I headed off to the Northern Presidential Range.  I have lost count as to how many times I have been through the Gulfside Trail and the loop trails over the summits through this section.  I remember how my body used to take a beating up here but through the years but with my La Sportiva Raptors I have adapted and now can rock hop most of it.  I think I also may have been blessed with strong ankles, it's just luck that they over all the miles I have never rolled into even a minor sprain.

-  The theme of the hike north through Mount Adams was down and up over the boulder fields in the fog, every so often I'd see the sun and a break in the clouds only for it to be gobbled back up in a second and back to viewless.  along the way I ran into tons of hikers going in every direction.  Unless someone asks me I never tell anyone what I am doing, I usually just say hi and say how great the day is and listen to other people tell me of where they are going and I enjoy hearing about other hikers adventures.  There were lots of Presi Traverses out and about, I even ran into one guy doing a double as well!

- Finally the views opened up dropping down from Mount Adams and they stayed that way until coming back up to Mount Adams.  Heading up Mount Madison I ran into Peter who was descending on his way to Adams, Madison was his 47th peak and Adams would be his 48-4,000.  Congratulations on finishing your 4,000 footers and great to meet you!

- I took a nice little break on Madison's summit and watched the clouds roll back in over Mount Madison.  I realized once again, I have a long way back to my car!  The good news is I had all day, I made really good time to Madison's summit, making it there in around 6 hours and fifteen minutes. 

- I rock hopped back to the hut but this would be the last time I would trail run until descending Mount Washington.  I kind of hit a wall here and there throughout my hike back over Adams, Jefferson, and until Clay's summit.  Along the way I ran into a few hikers who recognized me from this blog which is always nice.  It was nice to meet all of you and hike briefly with s few of the groups along the way.  One of the hikers I ran into recognized me from my bumble bee sneakers and was doing an impressive Six Husbands to Jefferson and back to his car at Pinkham Notch  Loop via the Glen Boulder Trail.

- Finally when I hit Mount Clay the views opened up and I felt much better, when you have views it's easy to break through walls.  On Mount Clay's summit I ran into a hiker with his cute little dog that tried to steal my snacks out of my pack.

- Feeling rejuvenated I rock hopped off Clay and hiked fast back up Mount Washington taking some great pics of the cog as it chugged past me.

- At the summit I needed to fulfill another weird craving, I had a hot dog and skim milk.  Yup, how gross is that!  But it hit the spot and after a short break I ran down to the Lakes of the Clouds hut in about 25 minutes!

- From here the footing changed back to dirt, gravel, and well placed rocks.  My body was holding up well and I ran the downs and hiked the ups.  I enjoyed the big views along the way, turning back around every few minutes to watch the big fluffy clouds pass over the range to the north.  It's an absolute blast hiking / running through here.

- I ran into a big group on Eisenhower that I saw earlier in the day, they were having a blast enjoying their Presi Traverse.  I also bumped into fellow North Providence resident Brandon.  Him and his friend were doing the traverse as well.  It was nice to see you guys. 

- Now was the home stretch, the run and hike to Pierce flew by.  I took a break on Mount Pierce's summit to take what I just did all in and admire the views one last time before dropping back under treeline after spending the past 25 miles above it.

- The hike back to the car went well, I just hiked out and other than a couple of hikers it was a quiet descent back to the car.  I made it back to the Highland Center just before 6:30 p.m., twelve and a half hours after I started.  I just sat in the back of the Jeep for a bit with my feet hanging out before I changed into clean clothes and headed back to RI, making it back home at 10:30 p.m., where I took a shower and passed out from exhaustion dreaming about the next big hike!

Start: 5:58 a.m.  /  Pierce: 7:04 a.m.  /  Eisenhower: 7:41 a.m. /  Franklin: 8:12 a.m.  /  Monroe: 8:34 a.m.  /  Washington: 9:22 a.m.  /  Clay: 10:05 a.m.  /  Jefferson: 10:43 a.m.  /  Adams: 11:35 a.m.  /  Madison: 12:17 p.m.  /  Adams: 1:05 p.m.  /  Jefferson: 2:00 p.m.  /  Clay: 2:39 p.m.  /  Washington: 3:20 p.m.  /  Monroe: 4:09 p.m.  /  Franklin: 4:30 p.m.  /  Eisenhower: 5:02 p.m.  /  Pierce: 5:30 p.m.  /  Finished: 6:25 p.m.

 

Highland Center Parking Lot 

 Crawford Path Southern Terminus

 Early morning on the Crawford Path approaching treeline

 Crawford Path

 Mount Pierce Summit

 Webster Cliff Trail with Mount Eisenhower in view

 Some well placed bog bridges along the Crawford Path just north of Mount Pierce

 A section that may need bog bridges!  Crawford Path in the Pierce / Eisenhower col

 Crawford Path heading north toward Mount Eisenhower

 A beautiful morning above treeline on the Crawford Path near the Mount Eisenhower Loop Junction

 Mount Pierce to the south

 Mount Washington Hotel

 Crawford / Eisenhower Loop Junction

 Pierce / Eisenhower Col from the Eisenhower Loop Trail

 Eisenhower Loop Trail

Mount Pierce summit with Mount Willey rising above across Crawford Notch 

 Eisenhower Loop Trail

 Approaching Mount Eisenhower's Summit

 Mount Eisenhower Summit Cairn

 Eisenhower Loop Trail

 Looking north towards Mount Franklin, Monroe, and Washington

 Red Pond at the bottom of the summit cone of Mount Eisenhower

 Edmands / Crawford Path Trail Junction

 Crawford Path / Eisenhower Trail Junction

 Mount Pierce

 Crawford Path

 Crawford Path just below the 'Franklin Flats'

 'Franklin Flats'

 Heading north towards Mount Franklin

 North on the Crawford Path

 Mount Monroe and Mount Washington

 Mount Washington

 Mount Clay and Jefferson from the Crawford Path

Great section of trail (Crawford Path)

 Heading to Mount Franklin

 Mount Franklin's Summit

 Mount Franklin Spur Path

 Looking back towards the 'Franklin Flats'

 Southern Presidential Range

 Crawford Path just below Mount Monroe

 Lil' Monroe

 Monroe Loop Trail

 Cross Cairn just below the summit of Mount Monroe

 Mount Franklin, Eisenhower, and Pierce

 Lakes of the Clouds and Mount Washington

 Lakes of the Clouds Hut

 Lakes of the Clouds

Hikers descending Mount Monroe's Loop Trail 

 Lakes of the Clouds sitting high above the Ammonoosuc Ravine

 Lakes of the Clouds Hut

 Weather Warning Sign

 The A.M.C. is doing a scientific research on weather

 Lakes of the Clouds and mount Washington

 Lakes of the Clouds

 The old fashioned 'Coal Cog' crawling up Jacob's Ladder

 Mount Washington being overtaken by fog

 Mount Monroe

 Crawford Path and Mount Monroe

 Crawford Path, notice how the trail has been built with specific boulders to create a 'sidewalk' effect

 Crawford Path, looking south.  The fog rolled in and Lakes of the Clouds and Mount Monroe has disappeared

 Approaching the summit of Mount Washington

 Nature...at its best!

 The Cog

 Carwford Path northern terminus and Mount Washington's Summit

 Observation Tower

 The Great Gulf Wilderness being overtaken by clouds

 Mount Clay Loop Trail, notice how the trail is now uneven with odd sized boulders

 Mount Clay Loop Trail

 The Lil' Clay / Big Clay col

 Mount Clay's Summit

 Looking down off Mount Clay to the Gulfside / Clay Loop Trail Junction

 Gulfside Trail heading north approaching the Sphinx Col

 Sphinx Col

 Gulfside Trail

 Heading north to Mount Jefferson

Gulfside / Cornice Trail Junction 

 Monticello Lawn

 Monticello Lawn

 Monticello Lawn

 Jefferson Loop Trail

 Mount Jefferson Summit

 Hikers planning their next move at the big cairn on Mount Jefferson

 Jefferson Loop Trail

 Dogs on Jefferson!

 Dropping down to Edmands Col

 Popping out of the Edmands Col to the 'Adams Family' range

 Gulfside Trail

 White A.T. blaze on the Gulfside Trail

Heading to Mount Adams 

 Thunderstorm Junction in some smoky fog 

 Looking back down to Thunderstorm Junction

 Approaching Mount Adams's summit

 Mount Adams Summit

 Looking down to J.Q. Adams, Star Lake, and Mount Madison

 Durand Ridge, where the Airline Trail travels up

 Madison Springs Hut and Mount Madison

 Madison Springs Hut

 Madison Springs Hut and Mount Madison

 Dogs on Madison!

 Star Lake and Mount Adams

 Star Lake

 Approaching Mount Madison Summit

Pinkham Notch, Wildcat Ridge in view

 Osgood Ridge

 Mount Adams being overtaken by clouds

 Osgood Trail with J.Q. Adams in view

 Madison Springs Hut and J.Q. Adams

 Madison Springs Hut and Mount Adams

 Gulfside Trail

 Airline Trail up to Mount Adams

 Mount Adams Summit

 Lowe's Path

 Israel Ridge / Lowe's Path Trail Junction

Thunderstorm Junction 

 Gulfside Trail heading south along the many sub peaks of Mount Adams

 Approaching Edmands Col

 Edmands Col Cutoff / Gulfside / Randolph Path Trail Junction

 Looking down into the Great Gulf

 Mount Jefferson Summit

 Monticello Lawn

 Monticello Lawn

 Heading north to Mount Clay

Mount Clay Loop Trail

 Hiking along the Mount Clay Loop Trail

 Mount Adams and Mount Madison in the clear

 Mount Clay Summit

 The Great Gulf Headwall

 Great Gulf Trail (river / waterfall section)

Great Gulf Irene Slide 

 Lil' Clay / Big Clay Col

 Southern Presidential Range from Mount Clay

 Lakes of the Clouds and Mount Monroe

 Lakes of the Clouds and Mount Monroe

The cog chugging its way up the tracks 

 Northern Presidential Range from the Gulfside Trail

 The cog

 Cog Train, look at the conductor, he seems happy so I passed on mooning him!

 The Cog

 Another Cog train, this one was empty

 The Cog Train

 The Cog Railway

 Hikers on the Gulfside Trail with Mount Adams rising high above

 Gulfside Trail approaching the summit of Mount Washington

 Gulfside Trail

 Mount Washington's Summit

 Inside the observatory

 Crawford Path Northern Terminus

 Tip Top House

 Southern Presidential Range

Lakes of the Clouds and Mount Monroe 

 Hut Crew bring the goods down to the hut

 Crawford Path

 Lakes of the Clouds and Mount Monroe

 Lakes of the Clouds and Mount Monroe

 Crawford Path

 Mount Washington's Summit Cone

 Crawford Path

 Another crew hauling a lot of stuff down to the hut

 Mount Monroe

 Crawford Path

 Lakes of the Clouds

 Lakes of the Clouds and Mount Washington

Monroe Loop Trail 

 Lakes of the Clouds and Mount Washington

 Approaching Mount Monroe's Summit

 Mount Washington

 Descending from Mount Monroe along the Monroe Loop Trail

 Looking down to Crawford Path

 Crawford Path with 'The Camel's Hump' above

 Mount Washington

 Heading south along the Presidential Range

 Monroe Loop Trail

 Lil' Monroe

 Mount Monroe and Washington

 

 Crawford Path

 Crawford Path

 Crawford Path looking back north

 Mount Monroe and Washington

 Mount Eisenhower

 Looking down at a series of paths from the Eisenhower Loop Trail

 Looking north at the Crawford Path

 Northern Presidential Range

 Eisenhower Loop Path

 Eisenhower Loop Path

 View to the east from Mount Eisenhower

 Mount Monroe, Washington, Clay, and Jefferson

 Mount Pierce

 Eisenhower Loop Trail

 Crawford Path

 Mount Pierce Summit

 Summit of Mount Pierce

 Webster Cliff Trail and the Presidential Range

 Mount Eisenhower, Monroe, and Washington

 Crawford Path

 Above Gibbs Falls on the Crawford Path

 Crawford Path Southern Terminus

 Highland Center and Route 302

Wooden steps at the beginning of the Crawford Path

 Highland Center