We had a returning guest reach out for another list-assist and we were glad to help. Last time he grabbed Cannon, diverted there thanks to the winds. This time was going to be a little more exciting with the hike taking place on Mt Jefferson, more so as this time they’d hike up and back on Caps Ridge Trail of T-25 fame. Leading again was Redline Guide Tim Jones. He also produced the detailed summary that follows along with some photos of the trip.
A returning guest (who is starting to feel like an old friend) needed Mount Jefferson as #47 of his 48 4,000 footers. We’d enjoyed a cloudy damp and windy day summiting Cannon in late August and he’d checked off Adams in the meantime, which left him with Jefferson and Washington to complete his list.
The plan was a simple out and back to Jefferson’s summit on the Caps Ridge Trail. Which isn’t quite as simple as it sounds. For those of you who aren’t familiar, the trail for Caps Ridge is 2.5 miles long and starts at 3008 feet (making it the highest trailhead from a public road in New Hampshire). That takes care of all but 2700 feet of elevation gain to reach Jefferson’s 5,716-foot summit. The trade off is that you only gain 800 feet in the first mile, and the last mile and half is steep and rough enough to earn it a well-deserved place on the ‘Terrifying 25’ list of toughest trails in the White Mountain Guide Book.
Given the nature of Caps Ridge, we got an early start and made good time for the first 1.5 miles up to the start of the steeps on Cap 1, then slowed our pace for safety over Cap 1, Cap 2, and The Cornice. The sky was clear, temperature was in the high 30s and a very brisk (strong enough to affect balance in places) north wind made it feel much colder.
We tagged the top of Jefferson (smiles all around) then took even more time descending the steep rocks. The last mile and half back to the trailhead seemed like a walk in the park compared to the upper steeps. We didn’t even come close to making the trek in ‘book time,’ but for a couple of guys whose combined age is 146, that didn’t matter at all.
47 done — Washington here we come! —Tim
