Jonni
Member
Date Hiked: 6/7/2008
Trail(s) Hiked: Caps Ridge Trail, Castle Trail, The Link
Hike Number: 5
Total Distance Traveled: 6.7 Miles
Difficulty: Difficult
Conditions: Good
Special Equipment Required: Bug Spray, a lot of it!
Trip Report: After my short hike on the AT two days earlier as a prep, I set my sights on a much larger prize - Mt. Jefferson. I've been wanting to get back above treeline this summer for a while and I figured tackling my first Northern Presi would fit the bill. Looking for something relatively short I decided Caps Ridge would be the best way up the mountain with the possibility of heading down a different way and cutting across back to my car some other way. Caps Ridge seemed to be the most logical way to go up, as well as it would guarantee hitting treeline pretty quickly with a strenuous hike up over the Caps. This trail did not disappoint.
Starting from the trailhead at roughly 3000' on the Jefferson Notch Road it was the start of NH's first triple H day (Hazy, Hot and Humid) and what a better day than to spend it at 5000'+. The Caps Ridge trail started quite nicely through the woods without beginning it's ascent of the mountain until after the first 0.1 mile where it climbed at a moderate rate all the way until the first outlook (with the glacial potholes) right before the trail junction with The Link. I was able to maintain a good pace up to here and right up to the base of the first Cap with minimal stoppages to allow my heart to settle. With the trail getting constantly more and more steep the further I went, the smile on my face got bigger and bigger as well as the views got better and better.
The Caps themselves were a style of hiking that I have honestly never attempted, basically rock climbing up over mass deposits of ledge sticking out of the mountain. Each part requiring a good look for the best way to ascend each one without sliding back down the exposed rock. Man was it sweet! Before long I had reached the next trail junction with The Cornice.
At this point I wasn't 100% certain if I wanted to continue based on the darkness of the clouds heading over the mountain. The wind was becoming stronger as well as the temperature was rapidly dropping the further up I hiked. Because of this waiting I allowed a group of four other hikers to catch up to me and I continued my hike up tailing their group all the way to the top over the last 0.4 miles up the trail. The summit was socked in with clouds and their had to have been a sustained 35 - 40 mph wind up there with higher gusts, which made it fun.
After taking my summit photos I ventured my way down just below the summit to the massive summit cairn located just below the summit in a what appeared to be a tiny col in between the true summit and a false summit to the North. The wind was much better here and I decided to break for some lunch with a family who had just arrived on the summit. I was not disappointed. Over the next 10 minutes the summit broke out of the clouds for some spectacular hazy views in almost every direction. Quickly scrambling back up to the top of the baron cone I got some fantastic pictures of views to the North, East and West with Washington remaining in the clouds to the South. With the wind still whipping I also recorded some video to show my buddies in Mass (who are Met majors at LSC) what some real sustained winds are.
Finishing my summit adventures I decided that I wanted to take a bit of a detour and head down the Castle Trail, through the Castles and cut back over The Link as a more scenic route down. Looking at The Link on the map, with it's little to no elevation gain or loss I figured it would be a relatively easy hike back to the Caps Ridge. Wrong! The Castle Trail was pretty nice, but it did present many challenges on descent that felt as if they would have been as difficult perhaps more so than if I descended the way I came. Rock hopping for the first mile I found myself climbing down over a ridge very similar to the Caps Ridge only with more of a drop off on the right hand side into Castle Ravine. Spectacular views were had in every direction, but the more I descended the more difficult the trail seemed to get.
Finally getting to The Link, I began to make the journey back to the Caps Ridge Trail. This was narrow, gnarly, and unforgiving. Up and down in places going over what appeared to be a relatively new trail through the woods cutting across the steep slope that made up Mt. Jefferson, walking from one cloud of bugs to the next. Difficult footing was had most of the time on this part of the hike which made it take much longer that I had originally had anticipated. When I finally hit the Caps Ridge Trail, the junction sign looked as if it was a beacon sent down from hiking gods. I then made great time back down the trail back to my car.
The hike up took about 3 hours from my car to the summit. The hike down took about 4 1/2 hours just to get to the junction with the Link and Caps Ridge Trail. Getting to the bottom, my car was a sight for sore eyes. Very buggy, and quite strenuous on the way back, but overall it was a fun hike and it's #10 on my list of NH 4Kers. Pictures to follow.
Photos:
Looking up the trail right before getting to the Caps
Looking up at the looming Caps.
Yours truly at the top, with the good ol' MarcHowes thumbs up
Summit Cairn and Mt. Adams
Looking down the Castle Ridge
Slippery and Sketchy rock ledge that I descended.
The Link
Reflecting on what I just climbed
Trail(s) Hiked: Caps Ridge Trail, Castle Trail, The Link
Hike Number: 5
Total Distance Traveled: 6.7 Miles
Difficulty: Difficult
Conditions: Good
Special Equipment Required: Bug Spray, a lot of it!
Trip Report: After my short hike on the AT two days earlier as a prep, I set my sights on a much larger prize - Mt. Jefferson. I've been wanting to get back above treeline this summer for a while and I figured tackling my first Northern Presi would fit the bill. Looking for something relatively short I decided Caps Ridge would be the best way up the mountain with the possibility of heading down a different way and cutting across back to my car some other way. Caps Ridge seemed to be the most logical way to go up, as well as it would guarantee hitting treeline pretty quickly with a strenuous hike up over the Caps. This trail did not disappoint.
Starting from the trailhead at roughly 3000' on the Jefferson Notch Road it was the start of NH's first triple H day (Hazy, Hot and Humid) and what a better day than to spend it at 5000'+. The Caps Ridge trail started quite nicely through the woods without beginning it's ascent of the mountain until after the first 0.1 mile where it climbed at a moderate rate all the way until the first outlook (with the glacial potholes) right before the trail junction with The Link. I was able to maintain a good pace up to here and right up to the base of the first Cap with minimal stoppages to allow my heart to settle. With the trail getting constantly more and more steep the further I went, the smile on my face got bigger and bigger as well as the views got better and better.
The Caps themselves were a style of hiking that I have honestly never attempted, basically rock climbing up over mass deposits of ledge sticking out of the mountain. Each part requiring a good look for the best way to ascend each one without sliding back down the exposed rock. Man was it sweet! Before long I had reached the next trail junction with The Cornice.
At this point I wasn't 100% certain if I wanted to continue based on the darkness of the clouds heading over the mountain. The wind was becoming stronger as well as the temperature was rapidly dropping the further up I hiked. Because of this waiting I allowed a group of four other hikers to catch up to me and I continued my hike up tailing their group all the way to the top over the last 0.4 miles up the trail. The summit was socked in with clouds and their had to have been a sustained 35 - 40 mph wind up there with higher gusts, which made it fun.
After taking my summit photos I ventured my way down just below the summit to the massive summit cairn located just below the summit in a what appeared to be a tiny col in between the true summit and a false summit to the North. The wind was much better here and I decided to break for some lunch with a family who had just arrived on the summit. I was not disappointed. Over the next 10 minutes the summit broke out of the clouds for some spectacular hazy views in almost every direction. Quickly scrambling back up to the top of the baron cone I got some fantastic pictures of views to the North, East and West with Washington remaining in the clouds to the South. With the wind still whipping I also recorded some video to show my buddies in Mass (who are Met majors at LSC) what some real sustained winds are.
Finishing my summit adventures I decided that I wanted to take a bit of a detour and head down the Castle Trail, through the Castles and cut back over The Link as a more scenic route down. Looking at The Link on the map, with it's little to no elevation gain or loss I figured it would be a relatively easy hike back to the Caps Ridge. Wrong! The Castle Trail was pretty nice, but it did present many challenges on descent that felt as if they would have been as difficult perhaps more so than if I descended the way I came. Rock hopping for the first mile I found myself climbing down over a ridge very similar to the Caps Ridge only with more of a drop off on the right hand side into Castle Ravine. Spectacular views were had in every direction, but the more I descended the more difficult the trail seemed to get.
Finally getting to The Link, I began to make the journey back to the Caps Ridge Trail. This was narrow, gnarly, and unforgiving. Up and down in places going over what appeared to be a relatively new trail through the woods cutting across the steep slope that made up Mt. Jefferson, walking from one cloud of bugs to the next. Difficult footing was had most of the time on this part of the hike which made it take much longer that I had originally had anticipated. When I finally hit the Caps Ridge Trail, the junction sign looked as if it was a beacon sent down from hiking gods. I then made great time back down the trail back to my car.
The hike up took about 3 hours from my car to the summit. The hike down took about 4 1/2 hours just to get to the junction with the Link and Caps Ridge Trail. Getting to the bottom, my car was a sight for sore eyes. Very buggy, and quite strenuous on the way back, but overall it was a fun hike and it's #10 on my list of NH 4Kers. Pictures to follow.
Photos:
Looking up the trail right before getting to the Caps
Looking up at the looming Caps.
Yours truly at the top, with the good ol' MarcHowes thumbs up
Summit Cairn and Mt. Adams
Looking down the Castle Ridge
Slippery and Sketchy rock ledge that I descended.
The Link
Reflecting on what I just climbed
Last edited:
