Ammonusuc-Jewell Loop July 31, 2004

A thrill always pulses through me as I park at the Ammonusuc trailhead.....not sure why, I've done this many many times, but still, that thrill is there. AR starts off nice and easy, flat with some muddy spots right off at the beginning. There were some nice Lupines

It was a beautiful late July day, really later than I would have liked to start (12Noon.) Having dropped off my wife and relatives at Soulfest in Lincoln (a concert) I had the rest of the day and evening to myself. I thought about them at the concert, wall to wall people, music blaring and was glad I was here in the quiet woods.

I was moving quickly and with the late start a benefit was that I shared the trails with nobody. You could call my pace a "power-walk" I guess, not quite a jog. I passed the pipe thing that is nearby a stream, crossed a couple of small brooks, the Herbert sign and started to climb a little more moderately. AR passes along the left side of a pleasant stream that are the headwaters of the Ammonusuc river.

I drank on the run, I snacked on the run, pretty much everything was a blur, I was at the Gem Pool in 45 minutes from the trailhead. In 2.1 miles though I had only gained about 600 feet of elevation (if that.)

Now lets hold on here for a minute. Gem Pool is an incredible little pool. Water cascades off the rocks into a peacock green pool of water. These are the headwaters of the Ammonusuc river where snowmelt and natural springs spill from the gorge above (a much more impressive spectacle of power) and then trickle from ledges near the top of the ravine. On this day I barely glanced at the sign pointing right….been there, done that!

AR trail goes left and climbs some rock steps. It continues fairly steeply to the sign pointing to the Gorge (see above.) Lets go! I moved, sometimes slower, sometimes quicker but never stopping for more than 30 seconds. Sometimes my heart was pounding so hard that a 30 second break was for breathing only.

Most everybody was heading down, I passed lots of people heading down, I wonder if they thought it strange that I was getting such a late start. I passed a few on their way up also, especially on the upper ledges. I felt amazingly great; breathing hard I reached Lakes in the Clouds hut at 1 hour and 45 minutes, a full hour and 5 minutes faster than book time.

I refilled my bottle containing now diluted Gatorade and moved towards Monroe. The weather worried me, T-storms were predicted for the afternoon. The short jaunt up Monroe was easy, maybe easier than I ever remembered it. I was there at 2PM, 1 hr and 55 minutes climbing time total………elevation is 5,384. Elevation gain was about 2,800 so far. I was soaked, tendrils of fog and cloud closed in and erased all views and I took two pictures and headed down.

I reached the hut in less than 15 minutes and sat for 5 minutes to eat some crackers and drink. It was 2:20. A large group left just as I sat down, mostly teenagers. I thought, well I’ll never catch them…… Crawford path starts off winding along the little lakes and then climbs a shoulder with a nice view back to the hut. At this point the clouds had lifted a bit and I could see the summit of Monroe which I’d fallen so short of back in February. Bagged in 04 anyway, YES!

I passed one slow moving group and then another before catching up with the group of teens. Stayed with them for a bit one of the leaders called for her group to pull aside to let me pass. I did so and wound my way up to the summit cone. Washington has a HUGE summit cone by the way.

It startled me to find that I’d already hiked .9 miles and at this point I passed another group. Most everybody was wearing jackets, some even were wearing gloves, I looked pretty pitiful in my old torn shorts and soaked cotton t-shirt. I reached the wind-breaks near the summit and could hear the wind roaring through the antennas on the summit. Clouds grew thicker and thicker until you could barely see to the next cairn. The wind was refreshing and blowing at my tail giving me an additional boost. It was 3:10pm and I wanted to break my own personal record of 2:40 from road to summit (2001.) (Note this was from the road to Washington summit only, not including Monroe.)

By deducting the time spent going from “Lakes” to Monroe and back I figured I was going to do it. It was 3:17pm when I stood on the true summit, just 3:12 hiking time to do the fourth highest and highest peak in New England. Washington is 6,288, elevation gain about 4,000’ total to this point. My record now stands at 2 hours and 32 minutes! Of course this is a summer ascent and from the West. That coming winter it would take me about 5-1/2 hours to climb it from the East!

Winds were blowing up to 45mph and it was around 50ish so now I was wet, clammy and cold. I hurried inside the observatory to eat my lunch and to put on my fleece jacket. The building was packed with tourists and hikers alike, a father and son sat down nearby after a 5 hour hike up Tuckerman’s Ravine. After lunch I went over to the Observatory to find out what the forecast was for the afternoon, it was quarter to four and she said there were some bands of thunderstorms heading through in approx 2 hours. So I gathered up my stuff and headed out. I still had plenty of water so I didn’t refill at the summit. For the first time ever I didn’t go up on the observation deck I headed down Crawford.

I had a decision to make here, I could head down Crawford to the Lakes Hut and down Ammo or I could go Gulfside and down Jewell. I chose the later despite the weather threats. In all my hikes on the western approach of Washington I’ve avoided descending in the ravine. I still felt great as I wound along Gulfside, I crossed the Cog tracks just before the train slowly rumbled by. I took a picture of the “phantom train” as it passed.

It seems longer than the posted mileage at the signs you pass, I did get a few views of the Northern Presidentials. At the junction of Mt Clay (Reagan) and Gulfside I decided to hit the peak, I’d never climbed it before, so why not. It was an easy hike up and over the false summits and then back down, I was glad I did it, Mt Clay is over 5,500 feet high and usually offers nice views down into the gulf and the northern presidential range, not bad this day either.

Coming down Washington towards Jewell on a nice day

As I hiked the final few hundred feet to the Jewell trail I noticed lots of people were hiking in this area. That surprised me as the threat of storms was imminent. I quickly passed the area I will only call toilet rocks and leave it at that, people can be so disgusting.

I gained on and passed several groups on the way down, some stayed just ahead and some were hiking faster. Jewell upper slopes are a bit tricky, lots of rocks, some loose. Descending into the trees and scrub I was moving faster again. I still felt great; a slight twinge in my knee but the pole did help.

I passed some oriental tourists, some going up, some going down, none looking prepared for the open alpine rocky slopes. For the first time on this day I was passed by two guys hurrying down trying to beat the rain. I quickened my pace as the rain began to fall, I heard the rumble of far off thunder.

It seems like the final stretch takes forever, down over a brook and then up over a ridge in the last climb of the day. I got to base station just as it began to rain steadier. I put my jacket back on and walked the final mile or so back to the AR trailhead where I’d parked. The rain didn’t really start bad until I got into my car with a dry shirt and shorts on.

Total elevation gain around 4,500 feet, miles traveled 12 or 13 and time spent hiking, less than seven hours with plenty of breaks after Washington.

So nothing more adventurous than a few claps of thunder, some slippery rocks but I felt this was an important hike for me. I love hiking solo, like somebody said, if you’re not the lead dog the view never changes.