Catching up on several treks in late October, a quiet time in the mountains.
OLD BRIDLE PATH
Made a trek up this old favorite to check on the latest improvements for the upcoming new edition of the AMC White Mountain Guide.
A nice graded footway on the lower section of Old Bridle Path.
Some of the hundreds of cut rock steps along the lower 1.5 miles of the trail. This multi-year project has been a cooperative effort of the White Mountain National Forest, Appalachian Mountain Club, World Trails Network, NH State Parks, and private trail building contractors. The lower section on Franconia Notch State Park land will be worked on over the next couple of years.
Where the trail reconstruction ends at 1.5 miles, the trail reverts back to its old rocky and eroded persona.
This wooden staircase was recently constructed at what was a fairly tricky, eroded ledge scramble.
Looking down the staircase.
The classic view of Franconia Ridge from one of the three outlooks around the two-mile mark.
Looking up the ridge to the Agonies.
Mount Lafayette and the headwall of the north branch of Walker Ravine.
The notoriously slippery gully known as Red Rocks.
Mount Lincoln and the slide leading up to "Lincoln's Throat."
Long view to the south from one of the upper outlooks on Old Bridle Path.
Mounts Lafayette and Lincoln from Greenleaf Hut.
North Peak of Lafayette.
Lafayette and Eagle Lake.
Greenleaf Hut.
The new boardwalk by Eagle Lake. I had a late start and it was cold and windy above treeline, so no visit to Lafayette's summit on this hike.
View to Camel's Hump from Sunset Rock, reached by a side path a short distance below the hut along Greenleaf Trail.
A rough and rocky section on upper Bridle Path.
Kinsmans and Lonesome Lake.
The "Trident Slide" under Mount Truman (aka North Lincoln).
The Dry Brook amphitheater, with Guy's Slide on the left and the New York Slab (so-named by the late Guy Waterman) on the right.
Parting shot of the ridge.
PASSACONAWAY CUTOFF TRAIL WORK
Fall maintenance trip to the adopted trail of the AMC Four Thousand Footer Committee. Many thanks to Committee member Fred Parmenter and his friend Jen Curro, who came along to help out.
Blowdown.
Cleared.
Late October bronze along the hardwood section of the trail.
Cascade on west branch of Oliverian Brook.
Maybe tackle this tricky one in the spring, when the days are longer.
The bulk of the day's work was cleaning the 58 drainages (Jen kept count) along the trail, which protect the footway from erosion.
Top of the trail.
A job well done - thank you!
Mount Passaconaway is a looming presence along the upper part of the trail.
Heading out.
LOW'S BALD SPOT LOOP
I hadn't been to the wonderful viewpoint in Pinkham Notch known as Low's Bald Spot for 20+ years. Time for a re-visit, making a loop using Old Jackson Road, a short bit of Madison Gulf Trail, Raymond Path, and Tuckerman Ravine Trail.
Setting off from AMC's Pinkham Notch Camp.
Deep, dry leaf cover obscures rocks and roots.
This waterfall on the left side of Old Jackson Road was just about dry.
Hardwood corridor.
Great name for a trail.
Nice walkin' along a saddle between the Saco and Androscoggin drainages.
Rock staircase at a left turn in the trail.
An interesting little scramble.
Ragged ledges in what was once an old gravel pit.
Crossing the Mount Washington Auto Road to Madison Gulf Trail.
In we go.
The side path to Low's Bald Spot starts with a steep ledge scramble.
I had forgotten about the scrambles.
Heading up to the main view ledge.
The Bald Spot's classic view of Mount Adams and Mount Madison.
Madison Gulf.
Looking up towards Nelson Crag.
Long view to the north, reaching as far as Mont Gosford on the Quebec border.
The Mahoosucs.
Carter Dome.
Middle and South Carter.
On to the Raymond Path, one of the older trails on Mount Washington.
It is a pleasant and lightly-used trail, originally opened in the 1850s to provide a route from the Mount Washington Carriage Road to Tuckerman Ravine.
Grades are easy to moderate as it makes its way across the slope.
Mossy.
Partway along it crests a small ridge, and just to the left of the trail is a ledge with a fine view up to Boott Spur and Lion Head.
A good angle on the long and steep Hillman's Highway slide on the flank of Boott Spur.
For many years Raymond Path has been admirably maintained by Dr. Peter Crane, Curator for the Mount Washington Observatory and a well-known figure in the White Mountain hiking community. I could see that Peter had been out doing the fall cleaning of his drainages. Thank you!
Nelson Brook, where the trail crosses.
Junction with Huntington Ravine Trail.
The trail drops steeply to cross the brook that drains Huntington Ravine on ledges at the top of Vesper Falls. This is tricky in high water or if the ledges are icy, at which times it can be avoided by going up Huntington Ravine Trail and making the crossing on a bridge on Huntington Ravine Fire Road; the road can then be followed back to Raymond Path. The crossing was easy on this low-water day.
One word for descending lower Tuckerman Ravine Trail: tedious.
Crystal Cascade, always in good flow.
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