"Ike, Monroe, Washington and Thunderstorms"

June 11, 2005 White Mountains (Eisenhower, Monroe, Washington))

Trail:  Edmands Path to Crawford Path to Great Gulf Trail to Gulfside Trail to Jewell Trail

Elevation of Peaks:  Eisenhower (4761'), Monroe (5382'), Washington (6288')

Elevation Gain: 5080'

Miles:  14.1

When approaching the treeline on the Presidentials, there are signs sternly warning you that the area has the worst weather in the world.   To read that is one thing, but to experience it is another.  Many of us have hiked in the hurricane force winds on the summits and experienced its bone-chilling temperatures, but during the warmer months another real danger also lurks:  Thunderstorms.  The mountains are tall enough to make their own weather systems, including storm cells that can pop up with very little warning, and being caught in one while exposed above treeline can be disastrous. 

That Saturday morning, Mother Nature gave us all of the indicators that such a thing could happen.  Temperatures were expected to climb well into the 80s at the lower elevations, and the air was sticky with ultra-thick humidity.  In anticipation of the potentially bad weather, my friend Hannah and I got a relatively early jump on hiking up Mt. Eisenhower and Mt. Monroe via the Edmunds Path to the Crawford Path.  We figured we’d be able to safely bag those two before the afternoon thunderstorms kicked in, and if the weather held, we’d do Mt. Washington as well.   

As we began the ascent up Edmunds, the rising sun turned the damp atmosphere into a steamy sauna that rivaled the humid summer days of Florida.  Micro-beads of sweat the size of pinheads condensed on the hairs on my arms and breathing in the thick, moisture-laden air only provided misery.   But when we finally reached treeline, a mountain breeze combined with the cooler air of the higher elevation provided very welcome relief.  In addition to the better weather, we were also nicely surprised at the number of alpine flowers that blanketed the shallow soil.  It made for a very pleasant experience, giving us a second wind as we pushed on and summited Eisenhower. 

Haze and clouds obscured most of the views from the top of Ike, but we hung out and chatted with some other hikers on the summit while we ate a snack.  Our stay was brief though, as we needed to get going in order to bag Monroe and maybe even Washington before the seemingly inevitable thunderstorms started. 

As we approached Monroe, the clouds that had previously surrounded us had begun to break away and we were afforded glimpses of the summits of Monroe and also Washington with greater frequency.  We were also able to better assess what the weather was doing around us.  Billowing towers of cumulus nimbus clouds had already begun to form, but they still looked like they were at least a few hours away from dumping rain or charging the atmosphere with lightning strikes. 

We reached the top of Monroe, my 38^th peak of the 48 over 4000’ in the Whites.  Just ten more to go!  To help celebrate, swarms of stink bugs crawled all over us.  We didn’t appreciate their party, so we descended down to the Lake of the Clouds hut to reassess if bagging Washington was a viable option.  It should be noted that there were still a few patches of snow in this area, though their days are no doubt numbered. 

After talking with the caretaker and reexamining the weather at the hut, we decided to go ahead and climb the old rockpile.  It would be my third time reaching the top of Washington, but Hannah had never been there.  So off we went.  We passed several groups of other hikers along the way, including a group of surly, young teenagers who obviously thought they could pass us back.   They were wrong, and the last time I saw them they were gasping desperately for air, and they were soon out of sight altogether.

The weather looked like it was holding, and we hung out on the summit for a bit and took in the limited views.  The stink bugs were also out in full force here, and it didn’t take long before several dozen of them were crawling all over us again.  Seeking refuge, we ducked inside the summit hut and each ate a slice of pizza.  We also looked at the trail map and decided to take the Jewell trail down to where we had shuttled Hannah’s car. 

We began the rocky descent and took note of the views down into the Great Gulf Wilderness, an ominous section of forest where strange events such as disappearing hikers and encounters with the supernatural have allegedly happened.  Soon afterwards, the skies darkened and we heard the first crack of thunder.  It was around this time that we ran into a couple of others hiking in the opposite direction and discussed the weather situation with them.  They decided to end their hike early and head down.  After a few minutes, one of them asked if I was Jamie, and I said yes.  It turned out he was Mike (aka Sapblatt) from Views From The Top.  We had exchanged e-mails in the past, but it was the first time I had met him face-to-face.  He and his friend Erick were very cool guys, and I’m glad to have met them.

It didn’t take much longer for the skies to open their bomb bay doors and send large raindrops to the ground.  We quickly donned our raingear while cracks of thunder continued to boom nearby, making for a menacing situation that left us feeling uneasy.  We were an easy target for lightning strikes, and that weighed heavily on all of our minds as we scrambled down quickly to the relative safety of the forests below. 

All of us were quite thankful to reach treeline, and soon afterwards, the thunder and rain gave way to partly cloudy skies.  This lifted our spirits, and we happily chit-chatted as we continued to make our way to our endpoint.  We encountered a stream crossing, where someone constructed a half a dozen or so cairns in the shallow water near the water’s edge.  They were constructed quite creatively, and had brought a smile to our faces. 

It didn’t take long after that for us to reach the trailhead.  We happily agreed to give Mike and Erick a ride back to their car, and as we pulled out on to the road, I noticed what I had thought was a dog walking along the side of the road and warned Hannah to be careful.  As we got closer, we saw that it was a very beautiful red fox.  Hannah slowed down to a stop and I had begun to open my door to get out and get a closer picture, but the fox had turned toward us a little bit.  Mike had warned that the fox could be rabid since it was fearless, which was enough for me to stay inside and take a picture from the window.   The fox sighting was a great way to end a great day.  Just ten more mountains and I’ll be done with the 48!  Woohoo!