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"Southern Presidentials in August" August 6, 2005 White Mountains (Jackson, Pierce, Eisenhower)
Trails: Webster-Jackson Trail to Jackson Branch Trail to Webster Cliff Trail to Crawford Path
Great weather and outstanding views prevailed in the Whites this weekend, but unfortunately I would only enjoy half of the proposed Presidential traverse Lumberzac and I planned. Grad school commitments forced me to shorten the trip and only hike on Saturday, but at least Mother Nature cooperated and is giving Zac another great day of weather for Sunday.
I pulled into the Appalachia trailhead to find Lumberzac already there talking with some folks. They turned out to be the infamous Bob and Geri, and it was a pleasure to meet them. Also there was Little Sister. It's nice to almost consistently run into hikers I know when I'm in the Whites. We chatted a bit, and then Lumberzac and I left for the Webster-Jackson trailhead. The Appalachia trailhead would be Zac's endpoint for the hike, so we left his car there.
We began the ascent up the Webster-Jackson Trail, and it took a few tenths of a mile for Zac and I to find our rhythms. I forget Zac's reason, but my legs were sore from the marathon training. Fortunately, that feeling would subside as I got warmed up and was soon just a mere afterthought. Along the way, Zac and I got caught up and traded various stories on a variety of topics.
We reached the summit of Jackson, Lumberzac's second NH48 peak! Cool temperatures and a chilly wind prevailed, and it was extremely pleasant. Also, the views were OUTSTANDING! I hadn't seen skies this clear since winter. The humidity was seemingly nonexistent, and there was very little haze to get in the way of seeing for dozens of miles in every direction. It was amazing.
We then descended down and made our way over to Pierce. Along the way, we stopped in the Mizpah hut and ate a quick snack, only to be driven out by two older people who were talking extremely loud. We probably would have left even sooner if weren't for a very attractive caretaker at the hut, but unfortunately she left for supplies. Now there really was no longer a reason to linger around, so off we went.
Soon after leaving the hut, the trail ascended steeply up to Pierce. We made good time up, and soon were at the top. Again, awesome views. We stopped and ate a snack and hung out on the summit for a bit, just soaking in the views.
After several minutes, we began the traverse over to Ike. This section of the trail is pretty much exposed, and we continued to relish in the outstanding visibility and views of the surrounding landscape.
The last hundred yards or so to the summit of Ike were pretty steep, and we had fun on the scrambles. We soon reached the summit, and once again ate a snack and took in the views. Several other hikers were also here, which wasn't surprising, given the awesome weather.
Soon it became time for me to head back and Lumberzac to continue on towards Monroe, Washington and beyond. I bid him farewell and headed back almost in the same direction we had come from, but opted to take the Crawford Path down for a change of scenery. The hike down was uneventful, yet pleasant. I was bummed that I couldn't continue on with Lumberzac. It's actually been a while since I've done an overnighter or multi-day trip, and I'm jonesing to do so. But alas, it was necessary to only go today in order to take care of work for my class. Still, one full day in the mountains is better than none, especially with the views we had. Also, my multi-day trip to Baxter State Park is just a few weeks away.
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