Mt. Monroe - 3/25/09 The Big Four Eight

The weather forecast for my days off this week was looking great, and it proved to be even better in reality. I set off around 9 AM for the Cog Railway base station - the winter trailhead for the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail - under warm, sunny conditions. I arrived, strapped on the pack, and set off on the trail. On the drive in the "Ammo" Ravine looks pretty steep and slightly daunting, but it was a really nice walk. The first mile or so is relatively easy going. Then you arrive at the Gem Pool, from then on the trail is quite steep. This where the vast majority of your elevation is gained. I took a short rest, strapped on my crampons, and was set out for the Lakes of the Clouds hut.

The Ammonoosuc Ravine

After climbing up through the woods, you slowly come out above treeline. The summit cone of Mt. Washington comes into view off to the Northeast and a broad view opens up behind you. The hut, closed in winter, comes into view ahead. The hut sits in a col between Mts. Washington and Monroe, beside two small alpine tarns (glacial ponds), with Washington being 1.4 miles away and Monroe being .3 miles out. This area is normally pounded by high winds nearly constantly, this being obvious by the roof-high snow drifts on the hut.

Snow-covered Lakes of the Clouds hut

The snow is rather compacted and incredibly icy, making crampons and ice axes required gear (as well as sunscreen, so I found out). Setting off for the summit of Mt. Monroe, I began the steep, icy climb upward. I also met a group of backcountry skiers, who jumped off the East side of Monroe and skied down into Oakes Gulf. It was pretty impressive, to say the least.

Summit cone of Mt. Monroe seen from the roof of the hut

The conditions up there where almost unheard of for these particular mountains. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the wind never picked up to more than a light breeze. The views seemed to never end. I could not have asked for a better day to finish my 4000 Footers, and while I felt accomplishment to have finished them, the prevailing emotion was that of excitement to get back out to these awe-inspiring places.

View Southwest from Monroe, Franconia Ridge are the white-capped mountains in the back


Lakes of the Clouds hut and Mt. Washington


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Mt. Moriah: Round 2 - 3/17/09

What better way to spend a beautiful St. Patrick's Day than atop a mountain? I couldn't think of one so I decided to attempt to climb Mt. Moriah again. I arrived at the trailhead to find that the snow on the trail was packed solid, meaning I wouldn't even need snowshoes this time. A world of difference from the last time I had tried this path.

The Presidentials from summit ledge of Moriah

I made it up and over Mt. Surprise in good time and soon passed the spot where I had turned around on the previous trip. From this point the trail goes over a few PUDs (Pointless Ups and Downs) and over a couple false summits before reaching the small ledge at the actual summit. Here I sat on the bare ledge, had a quick lunch in the sun, and gazed off toward the Carter Range and the Presidentials.

USGS benchmark at summit

I snapped a few pictures of the 360 degree panoramic view from this vantage point before setting off for the car again. See you next time, for what will hopefully be the completion of my 4000 Footers list!

View toward the Northeast

Mt. Moriah Attempt #1 - 2/25/09

As one who enjoys hiking, I spend a fair amount of time reading trip reports and trail conditions online. I frequently read reports of people being turned back during there hikes for various reasons, mostly weather-related, before reaching their destination. Fortunately I’ve yet to be forced to cut a hike short. This lucky streak ended on this particular trek.

I had decided to hike up Mt. Moriah via the Carter-Moriah Trail from Gorham on this crystal clear day. A few days before the hike we had a rather large snowstorm, I thought I would save myself a huge amount of effort breaking trail and give it an extra day for other people to pack out the trail. However, upon arriving at the trailhead I found that it hadn’t been touched since the snowfall. Trail breaking is incredibly strenuous and is usually done in groups, with the leader breaking trail for a while before stepping to the side and going to the back of the line, and the next person in line does the same, and so on. The prospect of breaking out the 4.5 mile (9, round trip) trail by myself was not at all appealing, but it was a beautiful day and I didn’t want to have driven up there for nothing. I decided I’d give it a go.

A lower (not-so-deep) section of unbroken trail

From the start the snow was about 2 feet deep and the indentations from the trail could be seen clearly. While this made for easy route finding, the stomping through the snow was getting tiring quickly. The trail ascends over a minor hump called Mt. Surprise before climbing up the main peak of Moriah. After a little more than a mile, the muscles in my legs where already getting worked heavily. I had almost decided that I would turn around upon reaching Mt. Surprise when I remembered the ”rest step”, and put it into action. The “rest step” is a method of hiking that allows your legs to rest while you walk. This is done by locking the knee of the rearmost leg while the other leg is moving forward. Locking the knee takes all the weight off the muscles and puts it on the bones instead, allowing the muscles to rest for a brief moment. While I find this method too slow and “clunky” for warm-weather hiking, it seemed to work really well in this application. I came to the summit of Mt. Surprise and thanks to the newfound energy I decided to continue. By this point, however, the snow had already become quite drifted, erasing any sign of the trail and was around 4 feet deep. After another mile and a half, my legs begged me to turn around. I had to agree with them after it took around 20 minutes to gain only a tenth of a mile. I turned around and began the painful 3 and a half mile trudge out. Since I was the only traveler on that particular trail that day, it was almost as hard hiking back though all that snow as it was the first time. Needless to say, I don't think I was ever so happy to see my car.

View from Mt. Surprise ledges

While it was a shame to not get to the top on such a gorgeous day, I was still rewarded with some great semi-panoramic views off to the North and to the West to the Northern Presidentials from the ledges around the top of Mt. Surprise. Moriah will still be there the next time. See you then!


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Mt. Cabot - 2/17/09

With #46 squarely in my sights, I set off on the drive to the Northernmost of the 48 peaks, Mt. Cabot. It was to be a lovely day according to various weather forecasts,and it was. It was blue skies and sunshine the whole time I drove to the trailhead, with the exception of some clouds over a couple of the higher Presidentials. Shortly after setting off on the York Pond Trail I came to a clearing with a view of Cabot ahead, blanketed in snow clouds. Off I went, a little less optimistic, and withing minutes it began to snow and continued throughout the remainder of the walk. It was pleasantly warm and the snow was thick and fluffy, so it made for nice conditions despite the fact that views were sure to be lacking.

The Bunnell Notch Trail

After a few more miles, and another inch of snow or so, I reached the cabin near the top and continued on toward the summit. After finding the sign at the top, I set off for the cabin once again, to take a break and eat a quick lunch, before returning the same way I had come.

The cabin below the summit

The improvised sign at the "true" summit

Upon glancing back up the mountain again from the same clearing, it appeared that the clouds had moved out. Apparently it was my own personal snowstorm, as I drove home the skies were blue and the sun was shining, even the clouds on those higher peaks appeared to let up a bit.

Looking back


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See you next time!