On the second consecutive beautiful June day, Carol and I took a ride over to Pinkham Notch to find a geocache on the Tuckerman Ravine Trail that she needed for a challenge she is working on. (Sort of a geocaching version of the Grid.) After that, she went back down to Rt. 16 for an afternoon of geocaching and I took a hike in to the floor of Huntington Ravine, checking out the Huntington Ravine Fire Road - which I had never walked before - along the way.
As is evident in this photo taken outside the AMC visitor center at Pinkham, I am not a member of the ultralight crowd.
There was still some danger of falling ice up in Tuckerman Ravine.
A must-read in winter and spring.
Crystal Cascade was in good flow.
Found the cache!
Tuckerman Ravine Trail. It is what it is.
A road less traveled.
Hopefully this sign has turned back a few potential rescuees.
A rough start, even if nearly level.
The Cutler River is a big rocky stream where the trail crosses.
Rocky mountain way.
I dropped down on Raymond Path to check out its crossing of the brook that drains Huntington Ravine, made at the brink of Vesper Falls. The crossing looked fine this day, but could be dangerous in high water. The Huntington Ravine Trail and Huntington Ravine Fire Road can be used to bypass this crossing if one is traversing the Raymond Path.
A bit farther along I walked a northeastern loop of Huntington Ravine Fire Road. In this section it has easy grades and much better footing than the hiking trail.
One spot on the Fire Road offers a nice view of Boott Spur.
The Huntington Ravine headwall is in sight ahead where the hiking trail and Fire Road coincide.
Bridge on the Fire Road where it diverges off to the southwest side of the hiking trail.
This section of the Fire Road is rough and rocky.
First aid cache on the approach to the floor of the ravine, dedicated to Albert Dow, a rescuer who perished in an avalanche during a search for two missing climbers.
Here there be giants.
A little scramble as the trail enters a boulder field.
With a careful scramble you can access the comfortable top of a huge boulder on the left side of the trail, and look back down at the trail.
This perch provides a dramatic view of the craggy headwall.
I hung out here for a while and watched the sun drop behind the pointy crag known as The Pinnacle.
The Pinnacle is on the left.
I heard voices up there, and spotted two climbers partway up, and a third leading the route much higher up.
I could also see where the Huntington Ravine Trail begins its ascent of the headwall, at the base of Central Gully, above the boulder field known as The Fan. The route heads up the right side of the smooth slabs at the left of center in the photo.
A wider view of the trail route, which angles up to the right.
Last sun on the north side of the headwall.
Don't fall into the crack when scrambling on and off the boulder!
Memorial plaque on a huge boulder a short way back down the trail.
On the way down I took the Fire Road back across to Tuckerman Ravine Trail. This section provides easy walkin'.
Along the way I checked out Harvard Cabin, open only from December 1 through April 1 for winter climbers. Camping is allowed here at tentsites during that period. Otherwise, the only place camping is allowed in the entire Cutler River drainage is at the Hermit Lake shelters and tentsites in Tuckerman Ravine, which are open year-round.
The Lion Head winter route (unsigned and closed in summer) starts across from this first aid cache.
One of three relatively new bridges on Tuckerman Ravine Trail.
A peek at Wildcats D and E on the way down Tucks.
No comments:
Post a Comment