Sunday, June 21, 2009
Mt. Washington
Living in Boston, I rarely get out hiking. The few times I have gone hiking I have been unimpressed. There often is no real destination like a lake or peak... Of late, I have been living vicariously through friends who ARE doing real and challenging hikes and I got an itch to do one too. I figured that once the baby arrives it will be even harder to go out hiking, so last Saturday I escaped while Britney was having a girls day. I drove the ~3 hours into New Hampshire to the hikers parking lot on Base Station road (elevation ~2480 feet) which is 0.3 mi from the Mt. Washington Cog Railway. I lucked out and had good hiking weather, cool and partly sunny.
I was pleasantly surprised at the difficulty and beauty of the hike. I decided to go up the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail which is about 4.5 miles long and climbs about 3800 feet. The first mile was a gentle traverse up the valley then headed up a ravine following a stream. The vegetation reminded me a lot of what I saw in Washington state, ferns, moss, pine trees... Once going up the ravine, it was on the steeper side and included some rock scrambling. Eventually the trail left the tree line and hit the ridge at the Lakes of the Clouds, a few lakes up in the rocks just below the ridge. At that point there is a beat-up old sign that says "THE AREA AHEAD HAS THE WORST WEATHER IN AMERICA. MANY HAVE DIED THERE FROM EXPOSURE EVEN IN THE SUMMER. TURN BACK NOW IF THE WEATHER IS BAD." And with that welcome to the upper part of the mountain, I proceeded undeterred :). The upper part of the mountain was mostly just rocks with the occasional alpine meadow plant. It was more exposed and windy, but fortunately the winds were mild. There were a number of other hikers out, but I don't know if it was my late start or something else, but I didn't feel like it was too crowded until I got to the top and wandered into the FOOD COURT and saw all the bikers and others that drove to the top. There were a surprising number of other hikers (there are at least 4 0r 5 trails that lead to the top) and that helped me feel a bit more comfortable.
After resting, eating, and refilling my water bottles I headed down but took the Jewel Trail. That trail follows a ridge most of the way down so it has better views and is not as steep so its easier on the knees and easier to descend (than some of the rock pitches of the Ammonoosuc ravine). Plus it made for a great loop instead of just an up and down. Going that way you also get a better look at the rest of the mountains in the Presidential Range which is actually pretty impressive. I have generally been unimpressed by the mountains in New England, but these ones were totally legitimate.
One other thing to mention is that as commercialized as Mt. Washington is, I was pleasantly surprised by how secluded the trails felt. These two trails go up the opposite side of the mountain than the road, so you literally don't see or hear any cars until you are on the top. The trails also avoid the cog railroad for the most part so you don't feel like you are hiking up in the shadow of the tracks with the riders watching you as they go by. All in all, I highly recommend climbing it sometime and doing the loop like I did. Click here to see all of the pictures.
Mt. Washington
Living in Boston, I rarely get out hiking. The few times I have gone hiking I have been unimpressed. There often is no real destination like a lake or peak... Of late, I have been living vicariously through friends who ARE doing real and challenging hikes and I got an itch to do one too. I figured that once the baby arrives it will be even harder to go out hiking, so last Saturday I escaped while Britney was having a girls day. I drove the ~3 hours into New Hampshire to the hikers parking lot on Base Station road (elevation ~2480 feet) which is 0.3 mi from the Mt. Washington Cog Railway. I lucked out and had good hiking weather, cool and partly sunny.
I was pleasantly surprised at the difficulty and beauty of the hike. I decided to go up the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail which is about 4.5 miles long and climbs about 3800 feet. The first mile was a gentle traverse up the valley then headed up a ravine following a stream. The vegetation reminded me a lot of what I saw in Washington state, ferns, moss, pine trees... Once going up the ravine, it was on the steeper side and included some rock scrambling. Eventually the trail left the tree line and hit the ridge at the Lakes of the Clouds, a few lakes up in the rocks just below the ridge. At that point there is a beat-up old sign that says "THE AREA AHEAD HAS THE WORST WEATHER IN AMERICA. MANY HAVE DIED THERE FROM EXPOSURE EVEN IN THE SUMMER. TURN BACK NOW IF THE WEATHER IS BAD." And with that welcome to the upper part of the mountain, I proceeded undeterred :). The upper part of the mountain was mostly just rocks with the occasional alpine meadow plant. It was more exposed and windy, but fortunately the winds were mild. There were a number of other hikers out, but I don't know if it was my late start or something else, but I didn't feel like it was too crowded until I got to the top and wandered into the FOOD COURT and saw all the bikers and others that drove to the top. There were a surprising number of other hikers (there are at least 4 0r 5 trails that lead to the top) and that helped me feel a bit more comfortable.
After resting, eating, and refilling my water bottles I headed down but took the Jewel Trail. That trail follows a ridge most of the way down so it has better views and is not as steep so its easier on the knees and easier to descend (than some of the rock pitches of the Ammonoosuc ravine). Plus it made for a great loop instead of just an up and down. Going that way you also get a better look at the rest of the mountains in the Presidential Range which is actually pretty impressive. I have generally been unimpressed by the mountains in New England, but these ones were totally legitimate.
One other thing to mention is that as commercialized as Mt. Washington is, I was pleasantly surprised by how secluded the trails felt. These two trails go up the opposite side of the mountain than the road, so you literally don't see or hear any cars until you are on the top. The trails also avoid the cog railroad for the most part so you don't feel like you are hiking up in the shadow of the tracks with the riders watching you as they go by. All in all, I highly recommend climbing it sometime and doing the loop like I did. Click here to see all of the pictures.
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