Not a Soul in Sight . . . Mount Washington and Mount Monroe

Date of Hike: 1/14/18

Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail: 2.3 miles  /  Crawford Path: 3.0 miles  /  Mount Monroe Loop: 0.6 miles  /  Ammonnosuc Ravine Trail: 2.3 miles
Total Miles 8.2 (4,180 feet elevation gained) Garmin Forerunner 920 XT

Trip Report:
- Monday morning I got up early and drove to Marshfield Station to hike Mount Washington.  I lucked out with incredible weather, cold but comfortable (mid teens) with absolutely no wind above treeline on my way up Washington and only a slight breeze on Mount Monroe's summit cone.
- Trail conditions were great, the televators and aggressive crampons on my snowshoes came in really handy for the steep sledded out luge from Gem Pool up to treeline below Lakes of the Clouds.  From Lakes I kept my snowshoes on but I could have easily switched into light traction to motor my way up to the summit.  The reason for keeping my snowshoes on was so I could take a few shortcuts on some steeper off trail sections on the way up and down.
- When I reached the summit I took a few pictures and wandered around for about ten minutes before booking it back down to Lakes before making the quick out and back to Monroe's summit.
- Unfortunately I had to head back down to get on my computer to work or I would have spent the whole day up there!

Started my morning off parking in the upper Cog lot.  Usually I park at the USFS Ammonoosuc trailhead, but since the government shutdown it's not plowed so I parked here, forking over $10 

Beautiful morning above treeline as I  approach Lakes of the Clouds Hut

Lakes buried in snow, there is actually a little less snow than last month when Whitney and I took Sarge up to Mount Monroe

On my way to Washington

Passing by Lakes of the Clouds, you would never know it was under all this snow! 

Easy hiking up Crawford Path

Approaching the summit towers

Pano of the towers 

Mount Washington summit

Northern Presidential Range (Jefferson, Adams, Madison)

Looking towards Ball and Nelson Crag

Looking north into Maine and the Mahoosuc Range

 Zoom-in on the Mahoosuc Notch!

Summit area

The chained down Stage Office 

If hiking Mount Washington from the east, the worst part of ascending from the Tuckerman Ravine Trail is the dreaded staircase! 

Hiking back down from the summit there were some cool ripple snow wave formations

Descending Crawford Path 

Mount Monroe 

Zoom-in of Lakes of the Clouds Hut and Mount Monroe

Twin Range and Franconia Ridge zoom-in 

As I was hiking down a helicopter flew over the summit, pretty cool!

 Lakes of the Clouds Hut

Mount Washington as seen from Mount Monroe 

Lakes of the Clouds Hut

Lakes of the Clouds Hut and Mount Washington

Mount Washington Zoom-in

Zoom-in of the summit towers

Southern Presidential Range

Mount Carrigain

Lakes of the Clouds must have melted and flowed over and then flash freezed just north of the hut

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