ChileMass
Active member
Trip - Mt. Jefferson via Caps Ridge - 8/14/04
Date - 8/14/04
Distance - 2.4 mi each way
Elevation - 2700'
Difficulty - I will call it moderate due to the short distance. There are definitely some steep parts that will get your heart pumping, and the top 1/3 is all rock-hopping.
Special Equipment Needed - a wind jacket above treeline was definitely needed, also could have used some gloves as my hands got a bit cold after a while. No bugs, so no bug spray needed. Maybe some sunblock.
Hey all - had a great day going up Caps Ridge yesterday with ole buddy Rob. Dirt Girl did a pretty complete job a couple weeks ago of describing the route, so I won't rehash it here, but let's just say it is a terrific hike with lots to see.
The wind was blowing like crazy when we left our campground late at 11AM (had to do some family stuff early), so we expected it to be much more difficult at altitude, but as soon as we got to the trailhead, the wind simply died and the sun came out nice and strong. Probably nothing more than 20mph even at the top. A couple of interesting scrambles over a little bit of open rock, but nothing too difficult. A few muddy spots at the bottom after all the rain on Friday night, and the top 1/3 was in fog as we climbed up past the 2nd Cap. Views from the Caps were fabulous, especially over to Clay and the Castellated Ridge. Nothing to see when we got to the top, and we were just heading down when out of nowhere everything cleared off revealing all of Adams (unbelievable sight), and all the way across the Great Gulf to Monroe, Ike and well beyond. We could see all the way to Lafayette over in Franconia, too. Only the very top of Washington remained in clouds, and the view was stupendous! The Great Gulf headwall going up to Washington just looks insanely steep and long. Met a bunch of nice people on the way up and down (saw about 30 people in total - it was pretty busy on a mostly-sunny Saturday). Took us about 2.5 hours to get up top, and just under 2 hours to get down (long, slooooooow descent due to rocks and tired knees). The Weekend Warriors did it!!
Pictures to follow - left the camera with the family at the campground in Glen. Back up for more hiking on Thurs/Fri/Sat this week........will post pics when I return........
Date - 8/14/04
Distance - 2.4 mi each way
Elevation - 2700'
Difficulty - I will call it moderate due to the short distance. There are definitely some steep parts that will get your heart pumping, and the top 1/3 is all rock-hopping.
Special Equipment Needed - a wind jacket above treeline was definitely needed, also could have used some gloves as my hands got a bit cold after a while. No bugs, so no bug spray needed. Maybe some sunblock.
Hey all - had a great day going up Caps Ridge yesterday with ole buddy Rob. Dirt Girl did a pretty complete job a couple weeks ago of describing the route, so I won't rehash it here, but let's just say it is a terrific hike with lots to see.
The wind was blowing like crazy when we left our campground late at 11AM (had to do some family stuff early), so we expected it to be much more difficult at altitude, but as soon as we got to the trailhead, the wind simply died and the sun came out nice and strong. Probably nothing more than 20mph even at the top. A couple of interesting scrambles over a little bit of open rock, but nothing too difficult. A few muddy spots at the bottom after all the rain on Friday night, and the top 1/3 was in fog as we climbed up past the 2nd Cap. Views from the Caps were fabulous, especially over to Clay and the Castellated Ridge. Nothing to see when we got to the top, and we were just heading down when out of nowhere everything cleared off revealing all of Adams (unbelievable sight), and all the way across the Great Gulf to Monroe, Ike and well beyond. We could see all the way to Lafayette over in Franconia, too. Only the very top of Washington remained in clouds, and the view was stupendous! The Great Gulf headwall going up to Washington just looks insanely steep and long. Met a bunch of nice people on the way up and down (saw about 30 people in total - it was pretty busy on a mostly-sunny Saturday). Took us about 2.5 hours to get up top, and just under 2 hours to get down (long, slooooooow descent due to rocks and tired knees). The Weekend Warriors did it!!
Pictures to follow - left the camera with the family at the campground in Glen. Back up for more hiking on Thurs/Fri/Sat this week........will post pics when I return........
