The mountains will always have the final say and, as mere mortals, we must abide. Winter Mt Washington trips result in a lot of shorted trips going only as far as we can, due to the frequency of impossible weather, but when it comes to things like traverses we have to be somewhat flexible. This is such a case, the guest wanting “something epic,” though the plan ended up changing (to something still epic). What follows is a summary from Redline Guide Eric Hansen, comments from our guest, and a few photos.
You can choose the day or you can choose the weather, not both. We had originally scheduled to hike a northern Presidential Range Traverse a few weeks back, but didn’t go because forecast (and actual) winds on Washington then were 100+ mph with no visibility. This time around we blocked out three days and picked the best, and as luck would have it, we totally scored, though it helped that we scaled back the mission to a Monroe-Washington loop.
Yes it’s spring, officially, but after a warm period this past week that thawed most of the alpine to bare rock, winter conditions and cold temps have returned, bringing new snow, rime ice and hard ice to all surfaces. We made a counterclockwise loop, starting up the Ammonoosuc Ravine Tr, passing Gem Pool, then to take a break at Lakes of the Clouds Hut. We used snowshoes on the climb up to the hut through mostly packed snow, up to four feet still in the wooded sections. Below treeline, trails are still all snow but packed out and in great condition at the moment.
Once in the alpine zone, at the Lakes of the Clouds hut we switched to microspikes. The hut itself had a fresh drifting of snow forming a large ramp. We easily summited the high point of the roof, a nice 360-degree view for a modest 20 feet of elevation gain!
Mt Monroe was absolutely great as always. The ascent up the north side was mostly over snowfields, a few parts allowing some footwork practice and mountaineering skills. Up Crawford Path to Washington summit got progressively windier but never too much. We were both quite comfortable with our existing layering, though brought extra layers/gear that we didn’t use.
Summit temps on Washington were 26°F and 35 mph winds. Absolutely perfect! We visited with the skiers sitting around the summit sign (5:1 skier to hiker ratio!), took a short break in a sheltered spot, then progressed onwards on Gulfside Tr towards the Great Gulf. That was the windiest spot of our whole route! Just for about 60 seconds we were blasted with sideways snow at 40 mph as we traversed across the top of the gulf. We descended Jewell Tr over supportive snowpack and were able to keep our spikes on until the end of the route.
Our guest did fantastic and we had a great time on this hike! It definitely pays to be a little patient, I’m glad we could make it work with the forecast and we were blessed with amazing conditions. —Eric
And Eric wasn’t the only one with something to say about this hike. Our guest also commented:
I completed my hike today with Eric. It was a really great day, he made me feel super comfortable, and was a great guide. It’s evident he is very knowledgeable and skilled.
We ended up not needing the crampons. It would’ve been my first time using them. Eric still took the time in the parking lot after the hike to get them fitted to my boot and show me how to tie them up, etc.
This was an all around great day. I’ll be reaching out again next winter! —Guest
