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Mt. Washington, Mt. Monroe, Mt. Eisenhower, Mt. Pierce
Chandler's Purchase, NH, Sargent's Purchase, NH, Beans Grant, NH, Harts Location, NH
Trailheads, measurements, times, distances, and maps are all approximate and relative to the hike(s) as shown below.
Looking up the Crawford Path on the way to Mt. Washington
Route: Unknown trail, Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail, Crawford Path, (Mt. Washington), Crawford Path, Davis Path, Tuckerman Crossover, Crawford Path, Mount Monroe Loop, (Mt. Monroe), Mount Monroe Loop, spur path, Crawford Path, Eisenhower Loop, (Mt. Eisenhower), Eisenhower Loop, Crawford Path, Webster Cliff Trail, (Mt. Pierce), Webster Cliff Trail, Crawford Path
With a major storm working its way in to the region, we decided to take advantage of the calm before it and head above treeline.
The Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail was a bit of a mess due to barebooting, however conditions improved as we climbed. Reaching the Lakes of Clouds Hut (the front almost completely burried up to the roof with snow), we put on our crampons and headed up to Mt. Washington under blue skies. Arriving at the summit, clouds had moved in and snow didn't look far off.
Wanting to avoid a nasty ice sideslope on the Crawford Path, we opted to take the Tuckerman Crossover for the descent - a nice alternative. Continuing past the hut to Mt. Monroe, the north lip on the Monroe Loop was quite tricky due to drifting and ice.
While we had views from the summit, they were not as strong as those from Washington - a trend that would continue as the snow worked its way north.
Perhaps the toughest conditions of the day were on the north side of Mt. Eisenhower, as we dealt with deep drifts. We didn't linger for long on the summit, as we were hoping to get back into the trees sooner rather than later. Reaching the south loop junction, we swapped our crampons for snowshoes and then continued to Mt. Pierce.
After a quick stop at the summit, we had a nice descent on the well packed Crawford Path. A snowy, but nice day on the Presidentials.
| Hike Ratings |
|
Getting To Trailhead: |
Easy |
| Destination: |
Mt. Washington |
|
Length: |
Moderate |
|
Steepness: |
Difficult |
|
Navigation: |
Moderate |
|
Views: |
Excellent |
|
Crowds: |
Minimal |
| Destination: |
Mt. Monroe |
|
Length: |
Moderate |
|
Steepness: |
Very Difficult |
|
Navigation: |
Moderate |
|
Views: |
Excellent |
|
Crowds: |
Minimal |
| Destination: |
Mt. Eisenhower |
|
Length: |
Difficult |
|
Steepness: |
Difficult |
|
Navigation: |
Moderate |
|
Views: |
Excellent |
|
Crowds: |
Minimal |
| Destination: |
Mt. Pierce |
|
Length: |
Difficult |
|
Steepness: |
Difficult |
|
Navigation: |
Easy |
|
Views: |
Excellent |
|
Crowds: |
Moderate |
|
| Hike Stats |
|
Date Hiked: |
Thursday, December 31, 2009 |
| Hike Commenced: |
7:23 AM |
| Parking Elevation: |
2,700' |
| Destination: |
Mt. Washington |
| Ascent Commenced: |
7:25 AM |
| Summit Reached: |
10:18 AM |
| Time Elapsed: |
02:53 |
| Trailhead Elevation: |
2,740' |
| Summit Elevation: |
6,288' |
| Vertical Gain: |
3,678' |
| Destination: |
Mt. Monroe |
| Ascent Commenced: |
10:24 AM |
| Summit Reached: |
11:38 AM |
| Time Elapsed: |
01:14 |
| Trailhead Elevation: |
6,288' |
| Summit Elevation: |
5,372' |
| Vertical Gain: |
390' |
| Destination: |
Mt. Eisenhower |
| Ascent Commenced: |
11:40 AM |
| Summit Reached: |
12:56 PM |
| Time Elapsed: |
01:16 |
| Trailhead Elevation: |
5,372' |
| Summit Elevation: |
4,780' |
| Vertical Gain: |
480' |
| Destination: |
Mt. Pierce |
| Ascent Commenced: |
12:57 PM |
| Summit Reached: |
1:58 PM |
| Time Elapsed: |
01:01 |
| Trailhead Elevation: |
4,780' |
| Summit Elevation: |
4,310' |
| Vertical Gain: |
420' |
|
|
| Hike Ended: |
3:07 PM |
| Hike Time Elapsed: |
07:44 |
| Hike Vertical Gain: |
5,048' |
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The trailhead for the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail connector near the Marshfield Base Station
Looking at the Carters and Wildcats from Mt. Washington
Looking up the tricky Monroe Loop trail
Looking at the Southern Presidentials from Mt. Monroe
The Crawford Path on the way to Mt. Eisenhower
Looking at Mt. Franklin from Mt. Eisenhower
The drifted Eisenhower Loop on way to Mt. Pierce
Looking at Mt. Eisenhower from Mt. Pierce
Directions to trailhead: To get to the Crawford Connector parking area, Take Route 302 West from Bartlett into Carroll. Just after Saco Lake, take a right onto Mt. Clinton Road. Shortly thereafter, take a left into the WMNF fee parking area driveway and Crawford Connector trailhead. To get to the Cog Base Station in winter, take 302 West from Crawford Notch, then take a right onto Base Station Road. In winter 2009-10, there was plowed parking available at the Cog Base Station. Looking up the mountain from the parking lot, the spur trail to the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail begins up the hill to the right, a bit below two cabins.
Back to Mt. Washington Profile
Back to Mt. Monroe Profile
Back to Mt. Eisenhower Profile
Back to Mt. Pierce Profile
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