In the great rainstorm of November 3-4, 1927, a large two-pronged slide fell off the south side of the Glen Boulder ridge and plunged all the way down to Route 16. In his memoir, Mount Washington in Winter: Photographs and Recollections 1923-1940, photographer Winston Pote included a photo taken in February 1928 that showed the two slides. “These slides were each over a mile long,” wrote Pote, “and huge, uprooted trees blocked the road for a week. The slides were visible for many years after.”
The thin parallel slides are prominent in a 1939 aerial photo (below) but appear to be largely revegetated in a 1955 photo. Gulf of Slides is in the top of the photo.
The slide was prominent enough to receive a detailed description in the 1929 Supplement to the AMC White Mountain Guide and in the 1931, 1934, 1936 and 1940 editions of the guide. The mention of "steep, bare ledges" and "interesting falls" was intriguing. It sounded like the nearly century-old slide track would be worth a visit.
I parked off Route 16 and started following the brook that drains the slide track.
Some nice open hardwoods on the slope away from the brook.
A debris flow levee deposited along the edge of the slide track.
Getting to the first waterfall required maneuvering through some rugged terrain.
I was puzzled by the presence of this board mixed in with some rocks. Did someone once have a crude shelter up here?
Top of the waterfall in sight ahead.
There it is!
Another board, and a down-look.
Smaller cascades just above.
Looking down from the brink.
A tightrope crossing along the top of the waterfall on dry grippy rock.
A bit of a view across the valley.
Heading back up.
It's a big drop.
A steep up and then down to find a better view of the waterfall.
Side view. There are several photos in the Appalachian Mountain Club archives taken along this slide track in 1928; one of them shows this waterfall as seen from the other side.
Looking up a small gorge above the waterfall.
Looking down.
Continuing up to a ledgy section of the track.
Yet another wooden board along the track. By now I had figured out that these must have been part of a destroyed bridge on the Avalanche Brook Ski Trail, far upstream.
Cascades.
Even in near-drought conditions, there was a good flow.
It looks slide-y here.
The cascades keep coming.
Approaching a scenic ledgy area.
This spot matches up with one of the photos in the AMC archives.
Water-sculpted ledge.
Interesting rock perched atop a cascade.
Approaching the tallest set of cascades.
The upper tiers.
Looking down.
Top level.
Peering down from the top.
Nice ledge perch for a lunch spot. A peek at Doublehead Mountain in the distance.
Nice scenery next to the perch.
As I continued up the slope towards Avalanche Brook Ski Trail, I found more pieces of the destroyed bridge.
Avalanche Brook Ski Trail. For expert backcountry skiers only.
Above the ski trail I got into some bad terrain of boulders with holes. Time to switch to the other side of the track.
A few more cascades to see.
And more.
One last spot before turning back.
Above here the terrain is steeper and more rough.
Plunging down off the heights.
This is the area where the old AMC guide description noted "a wide area of devastation."
It was raining lightly as I headed back down parallel to the slide track.
With the ledges now wet, this crossing atop the highest cascade set was a little trickier.
Back down through the hardwoods, moving slowly through a deep carpet of dry leaves.
Logging artifact not far in from the road.
Some kind of a stove?
Oilzum motor oil has been around since 1905. Not sure what vintage this container is, but likely much more recent than that.
Ridges of Wildcat from Route 16.
