Late in the Day: Mt.Eisenhower and Edmands Path

The Presidential Range is climbed by thousands of people everyday, and it's no wonder why the range is so popular, as there's nothing like it. I've hiked throughout the Presidential Range many times over the years, and all of our excursions to the region have been full day experiences, usually hikes totaling ten miles or over. This isn't always the case, take for example Edmands Path and Mt.Eisenhower, a shorter and well built path that offers many beautiful views along it's journey.

Looking toward Mt.Washington from Mt.Eisenhower.

We started very late, the time when everyone was arriving back to the bottom. This wasn't bad planning, we simply wanted to do a hike later in the day. Edmands Path was well built, as it started flat and easily crossed three brooks, the last one having no bridge, but also being pretty easy to cross.

A bridge crossing.

The trail stayed flat shortly after, but soon began the climb. The path constantly went up the easiest route, never getting too steep. Eventually the trail wound around the side of the mountain, passing a waterfall which offered a beautiful view over to the Deception Range.

Edmands Path

The upper reaches of the path.

The path went up only to flatten out again, where there were remnants of snow. Through the trees could be seen Mt.Washington and Mt.Franklin. Eventually it opened up, where we were hit with an amazing view of Mt.Franklin. We could see the rest of the trail climbing the dome of Mt.Eisenhower, and with it getting late, we quickly finished the ascent.

Worst Weather in America

Looking up Edmands Path.

The view from the col.

The trail passed by Red Pond, then continued the climb up the rest of the mountain. We were the only people on the entire mountain, and the winds were howling, meaning the only noise we heard were the winds whipping through the trees. The summit was empty, aside from the iconic cairn atop the mountain.

Red Pond

Looking toward Mt.Franklin.

View from the trail.

The summit cairn.

From the top of the mountain can be seen almost every mountain in the Whites, including Burke Mountain and East Mountain in Vermont. Mt.Chocorua can be seen prominently to the south along with Kearsarge North and Mt.Carrigain to the southwest. Mt.Eisenhower towers over many of the surrounding Whites, making it appear you're on top the world, despite the fact Mt.Washington is right beside you.

The Northern Presidentials from the summit of Mt.Eisenhower.

The view toward the Deception Range. The Pliny-Pilot Range is in the far back.

Mt.Carrigain is in the center, with Crawford Notch to the right.

Looking toward the Bonds and the Twins, with Mt.Lafayette and Lincoln visible above.

The sun was getting low, and it was time to begin our descent. During our climb down, with it being even later, the sun created beautiful shadows along the mountainsides, and lit up every mountain on the horizon. We eventually found our way to the col, then entered the treeline.

The view down the trail.

Looking into the col.

Back to Edmands Path.

We made it back to the flat portion of the trail before the sun fully set, and at that point, it was beautiful. Orange light was coming through the trees, and the distant horizon was of the same color. Even after the sun went down, the moon was able to light our way back down.

On the trail during sunset.

Passing through the trees.

A beautiful forest.

Hikes like this may be inconvenient when it comes to time, but the views are like no other time of day. Sunrise and sunset can be quite beautiful, but to me, the best time of day to hike is the small mirror of time right before the sunset. Not only do you get down at a better time, but you also get the same shadows and soft light as you do from sunset.

Morning Colors from Mt.Jackson

It's December, and the snow is certainly coming down. The only thing that can break through the drab whites and grays of the winter are the colors of a sunrise, which takes work to achieve around this time of year, at least in New Hampshire. It can be done of course, people do it all the time, and it's much different than a sunrise in the summer. For our first winter sunrise, we chose Mt.Jackson, and it gave us a descent reward.

The fragile colors of the sunrise breaking through the clouds.

We got to the trailhead at three in the morning. Crawford Notch was beyond dim, and the sky was peppered with stars. Far across the field we could see the lights of Highland Center. We found the trailhead, and began up the trail.

This photo was taken after the hike, with sun drenched Mt.Tom as the backdrop.

The trail is packed well, but we still wore snowshoes. It was packed down all the way up Mt.Jackson, and it  looks like it was packed down going over to Mt.Webster as well. Everything was dark, so I have no good pictures. It was so dark and calming as we peered through the dark forest.

A piece of the packed-down path. The entire trail is like this.

We passed the spur trails to Elephant's Head and Bugle Cliff, two nice viewpoints that look into Crawford Notch. We stopped at Bugle Cliff on the way back down, and the view from the crag was delightful.

Crawford Notch from Bugle Cliff.

The path meanders up to the junction, and we continued up to Mt.Jackson. The snow got deeper and deeper, and there were several blow-downs. Just below the summit, the trail briefly disappeared due to snow drifts, as it was snowing the entire time we were out there. The summit was completely covered in snow, and the wind was monstrously strong.

The frozen summit of Mt.Jackson.

We were there to see a sunrise, but we got up there an hour early. We waited just below the summit on the Appalachian Trail, watching the sky get brighter and brighter as I nearly froze to death. After rushing back up to the windy summit, we viewed the somewhat cloudy view of the sunrise and it's vibrant colors.

The colors of the sunrise with a ridge in the foreground.

We didn't get any view toward Mt.Washington or Mt.Pierce, but we were able to see the ridges below the sun's colors. We could also briefly see the ridge over to Mt.Webster and the cliffs of Crawford Notch and Mt.Willard.

The cliffs of Crawford Notch can be seen through the clouds.

We didn't stay for long on the cold peak of Mt.Jackson. It was so cold it felt like the wind was whipping through my coat. The descent was tiring, as neither of us slept the previous night, but we still finished the hike. As a side note, I will have at least one sunrise hike every month until next November. This is because my dad is turning fifty next November, so I promised him we would do a sunrise every month until then. Not only will we enjoy the hikes, but you can as well through the blog. If you have any recommendations for a sunrise, leave it below, or just comment anyway. Also, be sure to check out my last two blogs, as I really enjoyed them, and I think you will too!

Mt.Adams via Kings Ravine

Mt.Adams has a variety of different routes that can be taken to ascend it. The Randolph Mountain Club controls quite an extensive trail system on the northern side of the mountain. Some of these trails  happened to be on the Terrifying 25 list, a list of 25 hiking trails in the White Mountains that are known for being difficult/exciting. On this trip, I planned to ascend Kings Ravine and descend using the Airline Trail, while revisiting the summit of Mt.Adams. The last time I was on the summit of Mt.Adams was actually when I finished the New Hampshire 48.

A view of Mt.Madison and the Mahoosucs to the left.

Instead of taking the quickest route to the top, my dad and I chose to visit some waterfalls on the way up. We went up Snyder Brook, which is home to three waterfalls. These falls include Gordon Fall, Salroc Fall, and Tama Fall. Tama Fall is the tallest, at 35 feet.

The 12 foot drop of Gordon Fall.

A portion of Salroc Fall.

The 35 foot drop of Tama Fall.

After visiting the falls, we hooked onto Randolph Path, which obviously doesn't get as much use as other trails as it leads from the falls to Short Line Trail. We followed Short Line Trail from here to the base of Kings Ravine and Mossy Falls. Though obstructed a bit, Mossy Falls was yet another beautiful site along our journey.

The lower portion of Mossy Falls.

The upper section of the falls.

From here, Kings Ravine Trail starts a boulder filled ascent to the alpine zone. As we reached the rocky ravine, we achieved some great views looking north at Mt.Randolph and the Pilot/Pliny Range.

Looking north, with Mt.Randolph to the right and the Pilot-Pliny Range to the left.

After a while, we reached the junction with Chemin des Dames (Trail of the Ladies) and the Subway. The Subway and Kings Ravine Trail are both on the Terrifying 25 list, and there's good reason for this. The Subway branches off the Kings Ravine Trail, and it winds through many caves and boulders. We took it, and it was a real treat.

From inside the Subway.

From atop the Subway.

There are some tight squeezes in the trail where my dad had to take off his backpack and pass it to me so he could fit through the caves. Some of the crevasses in the caves were filled with ice from the past winter. The Subway itself is quite short, but if your nervous in certain sections or wearing a big pack, it may take longer then expected.

One of the tight squeezes.

Probably the tightest of all the spots.

Once we had passed through the entirety of the Subway and hooked back onto the Kings Ravine Trail, we came across the Ice Caves. We were going to go through them, but since there was still a ton of ice and slick rocks inside, we didn't go through.

Looking into the ice caves of Kings Ravine.

The trail starts a steep and rocky ascent up Kings Ravine. The lower portion includes large rocks and great views looking back down to the Subway and Crag Camp up above the ravine. We could also see the remaining portions of snow lying high above on the ridge.

Kings Ravine, as it rises above us.

Now the upper portion of the ravine is different. The trail ascends a gravely slide with very poor footing. We were able to climb up the large rocks alongside the slide, but even this was loose. As a warning, if there are people behind you, be aware of dislodging rocks. Many large cliffs also rise up around the trail at this point, and there's a nice display of flowers.

The Kings Ravine Trail.

More of the trail.

We reached the Airline Trail and followed it to the summit of Mt.Adams. As I said in the beginning, Mt.Adams is where I finished the New Hampshire 48 last year, so of course the mountain is important to me. From the summit, we could see Mt.Cabot, the Carter-Moriah Range, Mt.Washington, Mt.Carrigain, Mt.Jefferson and even Burke Mountain all the way in Vermont.

Wildcat Mountain, with the Doubleheads and Kearsarge North behind it.

Mt.Washington, Mt.Clay, and Mt.Jefferson, with Crawford Notch visible in the background.

The summit was pretty crowded due to the beautiful weather. Many people on the summit began to head down to Madison Spring Hut, so we eventually got the summit all to ourselves. We began our descent on the Airline Trail, another trail on the Terrifying 25 list. The trail was pleasant. as it traveled atop the cliffs above Kings Ravine.

The cliffs of the Airline Trail from Kings Ravine.

On the trail, we had a great view looking back to Mt.Madison and Madison Spring Hut. Many cliffs and overhangs hovered above Kings Ravine. The trail is very scenic, and it's clear why its a popular trail. 

Looking up the Airline Trail.

Once we dipped back into the trees, we passed through several areas that could use some work, as many trees had toppled over onto the trail. The caterpillars were also butchering the trees, and they were practically carpeting the ground with all the chewed up leaves.

GALLERY

Notice Crag Camp on the ridge, high above the ravine.

Above the Subway.

A waterfall alongside the ravine.

This is where the Subway comes out. Can you tell?

Mt.Madison and Madison Spring Hut.

Looking north. The mountain along the ridge with the talus field is Mt.Cabot.

Mt.Madison and the Carter-Moriah range to the east.

Looking down Airline Trail!

Overall, it was a very scenic day. We were staying in Attitash at the time, and I wasn't able to write this blog until now, so sorry if it sounds a bit too third person. It was definitely an exciting day full of thrills and great views. Also, being able to knock off three Terrifying 25 trails was quite thrilling. I should have many new blogs coming out very soon!