KevinF
Member
Date(s) Hiked: Saturday Sept. 26th, 2009
Trails(s) Hiked: Ammonoosuc Ravine, Crawford Westside, Gulfside, Jewell
Total Distance: a lot.
9 miles or so.
Difficulty: Most of it is pretty easy going, although the ravine headwall gets your heart rate going.
Conditions: Dry, cloudless, windless, mid-40s.
Special Required Equipment: Nothing
Trip Report:
Ammonoosuc Ravine starts out a short distance before the cog railway station. Saturday morning dawned clear and cold, so I had a few layers on to start. No one will ever say I hike quickly, so I was passed by the usual hoards of people heading up Washington.
It's basically flat for the first two miles or so, and then you get to a very pretty waterfall and pool. From there to the Lakes of the Clouds, it gets steep, although not in a scary way. Mostly just a steep staircase, interspersed with some short-ish scrambling sections. The scrambly sections are nice as they provide views across the ravine; you can occasionally see the cog train on the next ridge over to the north.. Some ice is forming on the higher elevations, so careful footing is required.
Ammonoosuc ravine pops out at the Lake of the Crowds -- I mean Clouds -- hut. Mt. Monroe is looming immediately to the south. I headed onto the Crawford Path, which is an easy walk to the top of Monroe. I was the only person up there for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile I could look down and see a virtual army of hikers heading up Washington.
Back down Monroe and joined Washington's Army heading up Crawford Path towards Washington's summit. I was about 600 vertical feet shy of Washington's summit when I deserted the army and turned onto the Westside Path, which heads north. The path is basically level; really easy going. There was nobody on it; stunning views to the west and eventually a jaw-dropping view of the northern Presidentials (Madison, Adams and Jefferson).
Westside Trail bumps into the Gulfside Trail and crosses the Cog Railway tracks. I happened to get to the track crossing just as the train was getting there. Waved at the train passengers who are giving me the "you're WALKING up here???"
The Westside / Gulfside trail combo gives a good indication of just how big Mt. Washington is. It took about an hour on mostly flat ground to go about 1/3rd of the way around Washington's summit cone.
And then it was Jewel trail back to the bottom. Jewel trail is pretty rough going in its above-treeline section. i.e., the first 0.7 miles of the descent takes a while. Once you're in the trees though, it's an easy path. Mostly dirt, nothing steep, etc. It was nice to have an easy trail to descend. There are a couple bridged river crossings in the last mile or so of Jewel. Jewel terminates right where the Ammonoosuc Ravine trail starts.
It was a very pretty hike. A lot of it is above treeline (from just before the Lakes of the Clouds hut to treeline on Jewel trail). Probably three or four miles worth of being at the mercy of the weather. I'd save this one for those crystal-clear days (although you could always head for Washington's summit and take the train back down if the weather turns really nasty on you).
Trails(s) Hiked: Ammonoosuc Ravine, Crawford Westside, Gulfside, Jewell
Total Distance: a lot.
9 miles or so.Difficulty: Most of it is pretty easy going, although the ravine headwall gets your heart rate going.
Conditions: Dry, cloudless, windless, mid-40s.
Special Required Equipment: Nothing
Trip Report:
Ammonoosuc Ravine starts out a short distance before the cog railway station. Saturday morning dawned clear and cold, so I had a few layers on to start. No one will ever say I hike quickly, so I was passed by the usual hoards of people heading up Washington.
It's basically flat for the first two miles or so, and then you get to a very pretty waterfall and pool. From there to the Lakes of the Clouds, it gets steep, although not in a scary way. Mostly just a steep staircase, interspersed with some short-ish scrambling sections. The scrambly sections are nice as they provide views across the ravine; you can occasionally see the cog train on the next ridge over to the north.. Some ice is forming on the higher elevations, so careful footing is required.
Ammonoosuc ravine pops out at the Lake of the Crowds -- I mean Clouds -- hut. Mt. Monroe is looming immediately to the south. I headed onto the Crawford Path, which is an easy walk to the top of Monroe. I was the only person up there for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile I could look down and see a virtual army of hikers heading up Washington.
Back down Monroe and joined Washington's Army heading up Crawford Path towards Washington's summit. I was about 600 vertical feet shy of Washington's summit when I deserted the army and turned onto the Westside Path, which heads north. The path is basically level; really easy going. There was nobody on it; stunning views to the west and eventually a jaw-dropping view of the northern Presidentials (Madison, Adams and Jefferson).
Westside Trail bumps into the Gulfside Trail and crosses the Cog Railway tracks. I happened to get to the track crossing just as the train was getting there. Waved at the train passengers who are giving me the "you're WALKING up here???"
The Westside / Gulfside trail combo gives a good indication of just how big Mt. Washington is. It took about an hour on mostly flat ground to go about 1/3rd of the way around Washington's summit cone.
And then it was Jewel trail back to the bottom. Jewel trail is pretty rough going in its above-treeline section. i.e., the first 0.7 miles of the descent takes a while. Once you're in the trees though, it's an easy path. Mostly dirt, nothing steep, etc. It was nice to have an easy trail to descend. There are a couple bridged river crossings in the last mile or so of Jewel. Jewel terminates right where the Ammonoosuc Ravine trail starts.
It was a very pretty hike. A lot of it is above treeline (from just before the Lakes of the Clouds hut to treeline on Jewel trail). Probably three or four miles worth of being at the mercy of the weather. I'd save this one for those crystal-clear days (although you could always head for Washington's summit and take the train back down if the weather turns really nasty on you).
