Mount Washington: Avoid the Crowds and Take-in Two Consolation Peaks

/ Andrew Szalay / 2 Comments

Last week I covered an ambitious hiking route to the summit of Mount Washington (6,288 ft./1,917 m.) in the White Mountains of New Hampshire from the eastern flank and south along the Presidential massif.  It was not the common way up, but it gave the hiker a lot of terrain above treeline and the potential for an epic adventure.

Another way to get up to the summit is by using the Caps Ridge Trail from the west and bagging two other peaks via the Gulfside Trail.  These paths avoid the two more commonly traversed hiking ways to the weather observatory (and the gift shop), the Jewell Trail and Ammonoosuc Trail.

While the Ammonoosuc Trail is a nice route and brings hikers to within spitting distance of Mount Monroe, and even offers some light scrambling, so does the Caps Ridge Trail.  Plus it is steeper and exposed longer.  This is because the trailhead for the Caps Ridge Trail is the highest trailhead off of a public road.  The trail is steep and portions are made up of narrow ledges for excellent scrambling (if I sounded excited, I could not help it).

This trail is not suitable as an escape route in degrading weather, however.  The warnings I provided last week apply here too.  Bring the Ten Essentials plus a full rain suit, gloves and a wool hat.  If things get dicey (or just breezy) you won’t regret the extra weight in your pack.

In good conditions, and before the ice and snow make it a traditional mountaineering “problem,” the way up is an exciting jaunt up the slope.  Just two-and-a-half-miles distance from the trailhead and a mere 3,000 feet higher, the summit of Mount Jefferson (5,716 ft./1,742 m.) is reached.  In good weather this will provide good views to Mount Clay (5,533 ft./1,686 m.) and Mount Washington to the south, as well as the Great Gulf, the east’s largest glacial cirque to the east.  From Jefferson, travel south on the Gulfside Trail, over Clay, and on to the summit, a total of 5.2 mi./8.4 km. from the elevated trailhead.

  • Roundtrip to Mount Washington: 10.4 mi./16.8 km.
  • Total elevation gained: 3,700 ft./1,128 m.
  • Roundtrip to trip to Mount Jefferson alone: 5 mi./8 km.
  • Total elevation gained: 2,700 ft./823 m.
  • Best Map: AMC White Mountains Map 1 of the Presidential Range

Of course, this route can always be cut back if the gift shop and Niagara-Falls tourists on the summit of Mount Washington are what you are seeking to avoid.  The summit of Jefferson is still a great objective, but if some other peak-goals are in order, then head north on the Gulfside Trail and take a quick detour to Mount Adams (5,799 ft./1,768 m.) and perhaps even Mount Madison (5,366 ft./1,636 m,).  Both peaks and the routes between them are also exposed above treeline.  Happy scrambling!

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Keep the Parks What they Are — Parks

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Karl Stevenson of the Vancouver Sun wrote a brief opinion piece on the proposal to permit business enterprises to operate within provincial park boundaries.

I agree with Karl.  I also agree with Bill Bryson.  In his book A Walk in the Woods he explains how America’s parkland is always complaining of being under funded.  It would mean that trails cannot be maintained and visitor facilities may lack some conveniences.

But he and I also worry about overfunding the parks.  If they had too much money I would hate to see the number of building projects that would be launched across Yosemite or Glacier or provincial parks like Garibaldi.  I fear for large, modern parking garages and visitor centers and new roads.

Jimmy Chin LIVE

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It was not entirely what I expected, though the slide show was fantastic!  As I announced last week, I went to see adventure photographer, skier and mountaineer Jimmy Chin present at the National Geographic Society.  I would have gotten my photo with him and displayed it in this post, but considering the makeup of the crowd, I decided against it. 

After a “champagne reception” (odd for these events), Chin told a story of how he got to be the adventure photographer he is known for, and also about some of his current work.  He was born in peakless Minnesota, where he said he built up the tolerance to be an alpinist: “The coldest I’ve ever been was when I was waiting for the bus,” then he added, “wearing a jean jacket.”  After attending a “normal” four-year college he took a year off to get his new climbing hobby out of his system.  It lasted longer than a year and he never looked back, though his parents had doubts about his pursuits after he was living out of his car for several years. 

Jimmy explained that after earning the rite of passage through a couple of years of sending in Yosemite, he and some friends looked toward the other big walls and mountains of the world.  He eventually ski descended Everest and started “shooting” pictures everywhere along the way. 

The presentation on his attempt to summit the perpetually unclimbed Shark’s Fin route on Meru in Northern India was the real highlight.  He interspersed comments throughout a film made by climbing partner Renen Ozturk.  It was similar to this one of Jimmy on El Capitan:
http://vimeo.com/8370536.  They planned for an eight-day climb and ended up being on the mountain for 20 days.  And no matter what happened Jimmy had a good sense of humor. 

The crowd at the NGS event surprised me the most.  I’ve seen a number of other authors and adventurers in the climbing community present in and around Washington, DC, but never with an audience like this.  Usually these talks attract other climbers or people knowledgeable with the subject.  It felt more like a Faith Hill concert.  There were at least two girls for every dude present.  This was all thanks to his sponsor… which makes designer sunglasses. Jimmy, it sounds like you’ve got a good gig!

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This Day in 1936

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Mountain exploration has come a long way in less than eighty years.  A significant milestone was reach on August 29, 1936 when a group of four American climbers and four British mountaineers, including legendary Englishman Noel Odell, reached the summit of Nanda Devi (25,643 ft./7,815 m.).  It would be the highest peak ascended by man until the French reached the top of Annapurna in Nepal.

Peak Baggers’ Integrity

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Yesterday, it was reported that South Korean mountaineer Oh Eun-Sun was denied the right to have the title as the first woman to have ascended all 14 of the world highest peaks.  According to the Korean Alpine Federation, there were doubts as to whether her final summit of the circuit, on Kanchenchunga (28,169 ft./8,586 m.), were true. 

Whether her ascent was genuine or fabricated, the integrity of what people consider success in hiking and climbing is closely guarded by associations like the KAF and other national alpine organizations.  Does it matter to the rest of the world whether Oh actually climbed all 14 peaks?  It does to the next guy, and certainly to the next woman, who is trying. 

Records of our ascents made, trails hiked and distances kept are important if you are trying to develop a list of accomplishments; if we are going to tout it, we better be ready for the audit.  The validity of climbing and hiking records are often scrutinized similar to a golf score: If you moved the ball, even if nobody saw it, would you call a penalty stroke on yourself? 

I have kept terrible records of my hikes and climbs, but it might not matter for me.  I hike and climb for myself and my closest friends.  I enjoy my friends’ and acquaintances’ eyes going wide when I tell them about the conditions I traversed and what I saw.  The actual experience was personal, but the stories – and the reactions – are a source of satisfaction. 

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Forbidden Climbs: Afghanistan

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Jimmy Chin’s slide show and talk was good, but I was surprised by the crowd that attended the event.  I’ll tell  you more about it on Monday, but I wanted to share this with you first…

The BBC reported yesterday on Alan Halewood’s first ascent of an unnamed peak in the Wakhan Corridor of Afghanistan.  This is a place known for its remote location and political dangers in Greg Mortenson’s book Stones Into Schools.  Few westerners venture here and many of the peaks have not been climbed.  When more stability is reached, climbers are going to be sending up these walls in droves.