Lakes of the Clouds Hut, Mt. Monroe (5,384 ft), and Mt. Washington (6,288 ft) 7-22-23 thru 7-23-23

DAY 1
Distance: 4.42 mi.
Elevation: 2,484 ft (overall) 2,603 ft (total)
Time: (with a 9 year old setting the pace) 2:34 (Gem Pool) 5:33 (Hut)
Trails: Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail

Once my oldest daughter was able to see one of the AMC's huts in person, she wanted to stay at one. So for Christmas last year I surprised her with a reservation for the two of us at the Lakes of the Clouds Hut. The plan would be for us to hike up to the hut on the first day, then hike up Mt. Monroe and Mt. Washington the second day before hiking back down to the truck.

Since we only had to make it to the hut in time to check in before supper, I wasn't worried about our pace and the way up and let my daughter set the pace the entire time. The hike from the Ammo parking lot to the junction just above the base station seemed to go pretty quick for a 9 year old who is just getting over being sick setting the pace. The trail is easy to follow and has nothing really difficult about it other than maybe the 1 brook crossing. Water wasn't super high today, so it went well with my daughter just wanting a hand to make sure she didn't slip off the logs that we used to walk across the water.

The first and biggest brook crossing of the day

After the junction near the base station the trail got a bit muddy (lots of rain this summer and more this week) and a bit rockier. The trail follows right next to the river which is neat (I always like a trail next to a river/brook), but this does mean it can get narrow if the bank is steep. There is also a reroute being worked on at this time to avoid part of this as there is a section of trail that is getting eroded by the river. I didn't get a picture of this section because it was lightly raining at the time. About halfway to the Gem Pool we did start to have some very light rain today. It wasn't enough for me to put on my rain jacket, but I did put on my pack cover so all of our clothes, camera, and other stuff for the night would stay dry. My daughter put on her rain jacket, but mainly because the cool mist on her arms was making her a bit colder than she would like. By the time we reached the Gem Pool, the rain was done for the day, even though the clouds and fog remained.

Liliana at Gem Pool

After taking a nice break at the pool and having some snacks, we started the steep climb up to the hut. I had only done this trail in winter so far so I didn't know how rocky the trail would be, just that it was going to be steep almost all of the way to the hut. Because it was going to be steep, I made sure to let my daughter set the pace so we wouldn't get her to tired at any point.

A small ladder high up on the trail

The trail above the pool was about as rocky as I would have expected given how much use it sees and where it is located. There were also some spots I thought were fun as they were a bit scrambly. My daughter seemed to like them too, but she is a fan of things like that as well. The only real difficult parts are the places where the trail has some water flowing down it or you it crosses the brook higher up. Some of these spots just make for possibly tricky footing.

Liliana enjoying herself near the falls above the trail

As the trail starts to level out some near the hut, Liliana thought it was fun hiking in the clouds, but she was also really looking forward to getting to the hut so we could take a break, but more importantly she could pick out her bunk bed. Just over a hundred feet from the hut it was still so foggy that she couldn't see the hut. I was able to just make out the top of the roof line through the clouds, but only really because I had been there before. Liliana was excited to be so close, but wasn't happy I was spending times taking pictures of us in the clouds instead of going inside.

Even though you can't see it, we're there

Once inside, we checked in and went to our bunk room. Our room had bunks that went 3 levels high and Liliana was thinking the whole trip she wanted the top bunk. She climbed up to the top and checked it out, but in the end decided she didn't like being that high up and choose to take the second bunk with me below her. This is still about as high as a normal bunk bed anyways. After we set out all of our gear we were going to need in our bunks, we got some hot choculate and checked out the rest of the hut. Once ready, we had a great meal and were able to talk with some other nice hikers. After supper we played some card games and a couple rounds of Jenga after watching a couple have a truly impressive game of Jenga that ended with a very tall stack and almost no moves left over at all.

Checking out the view from the top bunk

Google Earth representation of the the first day

DAY 2
Distance: 9.2 mi.
Elevation: 1,207 ft (overall) 1,894 ft (total)
Time: (with a 9 year old setting the pace) 0:37 (Monroe) 1:09 (Hut) 3:44 (Washington) 9:36 (Cog) 9:57 (Total)
Trails: Mt. Monroe Loop, Crawford Path, Trinity Heights Connector, Gulfside Trail, Jewell Trail, Base Station Road

Day 2 and we are ready to hit the summits of this hike. After a hearty breakfast at the hut, we packed up our gear and went outside. We took a couple parting shots of Liliana and I in front of the hut before we headed up to Mt. Monroe. There was a mix of sun and some high clouds to start the day, but the forecast was for increasingly better conditions. We had a good amount of sun for our short-ish (I do have a 9 year old with me) hike up to the summit of Mt. Monroe. As we got to the summit, the wind picked up some and we had some clouds just a little bit above us. The wind was enough that we both put on a layer to stay warm on the summit. Liliana was super excited to be on top of the first peak of the day and her first 5000 footer.

The two of us ready to leave the hut

Liliana on the summit of Mt. Monroe

We enjoyed some time at the summit, but we knew that we couldn't spend all morning here as we needed to hike back down past the hut and then up the steady rocky climb to Mt. Washington before making the long hike back down to the truck. The hike back down to the hut went well with the one steep spot requiring Liliana to climb down facing the rock instead of away from it so that she felt more comfortable. Soon enough we were back to the hut for a quick bathroom break before climbing up Mt. Washington.

View south from Mt. Monroe

Looking back down to the hut

As we started our climb up Mt. Washington, the summit was still in the clouds. But as the forecast predicted, the clouds got higher and thinner the longer we climbed. The trail is easy to follow here despite being completely on the open rocks. Liliana was doing well setting the pace, but was a little more tired than I had hoped for. This was her first multi day hike though, so I couldn't complain too much. We saw lots of other people on the trail with many of them giving Liliana words of encouragement and saying how good she was doing for her age.

Looking up towards the summit of Mt. Washington

By the time we were probably three quarters of the way to the summit of Mt. Washington the clouds had cleared and we had great views all around us. We really did luck out considering this trip was planned 8 months ago. As we neared the summit, things were getting busier and our pace was slowing some. It wasn't until we had been at the top for a little bit that I noticed it was already about 2pm, and we still had more than 5 miles back to the truck. As much as we both wanted too spend more time at the summit, we cut it shorter than planned. We were still able to check out a lot of things, rest some, and replenish our water, but we had a lot of hiking to do still. So we walked close to the summit, avoiding the long line, so that between people taking pictures Liliana could walk over the high point of the mountain (making it official of course). We then went just past the summit sign and took pictures with a nice view in the background instead of at the sign.

Liliana on the summit of Mt. Washington

After our photos, we headed for the Great Gulf and Mt. Clay. The plan was to climb down the Jewell Trail back to the truck making for a nice loop while getting me a few miles of Redlining as well (I haven't done the Jewell Trail before). Coming down the rocky terrain towards the top of the Jewell Trail proved to be a little bit harder for Liliana than I thought it would be. Her feet were starting to get sore and climbing around on rough terrain was a bit harder for her. In her defense though, we had been walking on solid rock all day though and in the end she was still making good progress.

The view north from just below the summit of Mt. Washington

Liliana working her way down the mountain

For me, the highlight of coming down this way is the view into the Great Gulf from the trail as it goes right around the top of it where it drops steeply off down from the ridge. To me this is the best place to get a real sense of just how big the gulf really is. Liliana also really liked this area and it was great to spend some time here taking a break with her.

Looking out over the Great Gulf

After our last short climb around the back side of Mt. Clay, we finally hit the Jewell Trail and were ready to really start the descent. By this time, we were also starting to feel the effects of being above treeline in the sun and we could tell our foreheads were getting a bit red. I don't do the best with sunscreen, and I forgot all about it again today with Liliana since we started in the clouds. Even though we were late to do so, we did put some sunscreen on now to keep things from getting too bad.

Looking back over to the hut from the Jewell Trail

I know lots of people like hiking these two peaks together using the loop we were doing, but to me I was dissapointed in the Jewell Trail. I'm not sure what I was really expecting from it, but I found it felt like it wandered a bit too much and really could have used a few more small cairns and a few blazes on the rocks would have been nice in some spots as well. While on open rocks, the trail at times makes a turn and the only real indication of this is paying attention to how much wear and tear there is on the surface of the rocks. Coming down one field of rocks, we saw the group in front of us and behind both go straight when the trail made a left and followed the side of the rock field. This resulted in the other hikers wandering around not sure where the trail was or where they were going until they found a way out by trampling over the fragile vegetation above treeline. In this case, there was a wide and very beaten path over and through the plants that will likely never recover.

Descending the Jewell Trail

Once we got to the treeline we were happy to be in the shade and took a small break since our sunburn was starting to affect us some. Luckily the trail becomes smoother and eventually not as steep as well. This meant my daughter was enjoying it a bit more and we were able to pick our speed up some. To pass the time and try to keep ourselves going through this section, my daughter would ask random questions and we would then discuss the subject until another came up. When we got to the split where we could continue down the trail to the parking lot and use a bridge to cross the river or go left and wade through the river at the base station for the cog railway, I let my daughter make the decision. I had checked out the water level a week ago and knew about how deep it should be. I explained our options to her and reminded her that as soon as we crossed we could change into the crocs we brought for the night at the hut and use them to walk back to the truck. With feet that were getting sore, she decided we should use the trail to the base station and she could get her looser fitting crocs on that much sooner. She was a bit nervous when it came to the actual crossing, but I helped her all the way across and in the end it really wasn't that bad. After changing shoes on one of the benchs, all we had left was the walk back to the truck as things got darker out because the sun had gone down.

Google Earth representation of the the second day

TOTALS
Distance: 13.62 mi.
Elevation Gain: 4,497 ft (total)
Time: (with a 9 year old setting the pace) 15:30



For all the pictures from the hike, just go HERE

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Mt. Washington (6,288 ft) 7-21-13

Distance: 8.62 mi.
Elevation: 4,232 ft. (overall) 4,406 ft. (total)
Time: 4:44 (up) 8:21 (total)
Trails: Tuckerman Ravine Trail, Lion Head Trail, Crawford Path, Davis Path, Boott Spur Trail

This year would be my first year participating in Seek the Peak and also my first time hiking Mt. Washington without it being part of a traverse. This being the case, pretty much any route up would be new trails to me. For whatever reason, I kept thinking about hiking from the eastern side of the mountain. I decided on a loop that would get me good views into Tuckerman Ravine and avoid some of the crowd that would be on that trail. This route ended up being up Tuckerman Ravine Trail to Lions Head and the summit. Then back down via the Crawford Path to Davis Path and Boott Spur Trail.

I guess I had never looked at the topo map enough for Tuckerman Ravine. I was a little surprised how much elevation the trail gains before Lions Head and the main part of the ravine. Maybe this was just because people make the ravine out to be such a big place, but in hindsight it makes sense. I guess I was just thinking the head wall was taller than it is. This section of trail went pretty quick and easy though. The trail is at a moderate grade most of the time, but being wide and not having huge rocks in the trail makes it a quick hike. Soon I was at the junction with the Lion Head Trail.

Crystal Cascade

Tuckerman Ravine Trail

Going up the side of the ravine, I knew the Lion Head Trail would be pretty steep to start, and it was. It goes up steeply, but not with anything too hard. There were some good scrambles and a ladder, but with only slightly damp places in the trail, they weren't hard. Just before the alpine zone, there is a short section that works across the ravine wall staying mostly level that gives a small break. Then you pop out and it goes up less steeply, but still at a good grade. You also come out onto more rocks like the mountain is known for. The hike up to Lion Head itself isn't too bad with just one steep part right before it. There are nice views here into the ravine and you could easily see the brook and waterfall coming down the head wall.

Ladder on Lion Head Trail

Short steep scramble

From the junction with the Alpine Garden Trail, it's 0.9 miles to the summit. Someone ahead of me commented about that, and the woman coming down the trail responded with "it's a long 0.9 miles." From here, my GPS was still saying there was something like 800 feet of elevation gain. There is one steep part where the trail is a little hard to figure out. I think it goes straight up the hard section, but there is a noticeable trail around it as well. From there it is just the steady rocky climb up the remainder of the Tuckerman Ravine Trail along with the crowd on it.

Tuckerman Ravine head wall

Follow the swarm of people

The summit was in and out of the clouds, so there wasn't a lot of views while I was up there. But since I had just finished up my volunteer week on the summit 4 days before, I was very familiar with them anyways. This also meant that for the tour, I just headed straight for the cookies and to talk with the group that replaced my shift down in the living quarters. They didn't count all the cookies they made this year, but they did make less than last year (817) due to the weather for Saturday and the expected difference in hiker numbers. After a chat, snack, and drink, it was time to head out.

Now serving #372. I waited for a break between groups, grabbed a quick pic of just the sign, and walked over the summit before heading inside

To avoid the dip and extra rise of the Lawn Cut-Off Trail, I went down the Crawford Path to the Davis Path. This also allowed me the option of hitting Monroe if felling up to it. I thought about it and think I could have done the extra elevation gain, but decided I didn't want to use the time and get home even later tonight. The hike over the Davis Path to the summit of Boott Spur is a great section. It's not hard and the rocks are pretty easy to go over. The rises are gentle and you get to go past many cairns. I noticed that on this route, the cairns are hollow. There are just the outside with rings of rock getting smaller on the way up. I'm sure this makes them quicker to build and less likely to fall in winter with the snow and ice conditions.

Looking down the presidentials from Davis Path

Looking back to the summit

From the summit of Boott Spur down, the trail seems to be one long steady downhill that continues at a pretty good downward angle. The rocks were easy to navigate except for one short section with large boulders. Views are also still in abundance giving you something to always look at. Split rock was interesting, but I wasn't that impressed with Harvard Rock. There is a nice view into the ravine, but the rock isn't much special in my opinion. This might have been party due to poor lighting at this point for photos. Once back into the trees, I noticed some small flowers were still out. A couple different varieties, but mostly a patch of Spring Beauties.

Split Rock

Spring Beauty

Missing sign

Once below treeline, the trail stays at a moderate grade down with some small steeper rocky spots. None of these were too tricky, even though I did fall on what should have been one easy one. Through here, the trail didn't seem to have many defining features that would really help you figure out where you are on the map. This only was an issue when you tried to figure out how far it was to the end. The small viewpoints that were on the trail, didn't show on either of my maps. About the time it seemed that this trail wasn't going to end, I came to the ladder near the bottom. The ladder is steep for going down, so the choice was either backwards or sideways. I went backwards while the couple hikers near me went sideways while I stopped for a photo. After this, you quickly cross the ski path and come back to the Tuckerman Ravine Trail. Then it is just a short walk back to the trail head.

Boott Spur Trail Ladder

All in all, this was a great hike. Today's weather was far better than Saturday's when most planned to hike. It made for great hiking weather and good views to the east all day. I was happy with how I felt after the hike given the amount of elevation gain Mt. Washington has in the relatively short distance to hike it.

My route shown on Google Earth

For all the pictures from the hike, just go HERE