Also on this trip

Trails Used

cog, gulfside

Trail Conditions

Notes

Slept poorly and woke up early enough to leave southern NH around 3am. Arrived and was moving by 0500 at cog hiker parking area. Got up to Jefferson over clay in short order though my calves and achilles began to get pretty tight. Hit some vitamin I & slowed my pace a bit. After tagging Jefferson came back over Clay & started up the cog. Ended up taking gulfside up when the train came up next to me and emitted a huge nasty black cloud which, not only do i not want to breath in, but made it more challenging to move up along the tracks. I think they should retire that method of fueling the train.... but anyway hit the summit & ate my lunch as at that point I was feeling not so much up to the task of going down to Lakes and then coming back up to get the 7K vertical gain i was seeking. Headed down to the hut and stopped just before the hut at lake of the clouds. A SAR team was passing by (without someone) and it appeared they were gathering around the hut. I wanted to keep to myself so i turned before getting to the hut & it had been a long day. When i got back to the top of washington, i decided to buy a one way cog ticket down to save my knees from the descent that is never great. All in all a great summer day.

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Caps Ridge Tr., Gulfside Tr., Mount Clay Loop., Trinity Connector Tr., Jewell Tr., Boundary Tr., Jefferson Notch Rd

Trail Conditions

Notes

Near perfect weather conditions today above tree-line. Met two different groups doing a traverse and two who had just completed the Great Gulf Tr for their 20th of the T25. The Boundary Trail was an absolute pleasure as a way to connect this loop back to Jefferson Notch Road. Lined with moss and ferns, bridged through some wet mossy areas and passing through a beautiful mixed forest with huge old Silver Birch. The Boundary Trail was a pleasant surprise to round out this 12 mile loop with 4550 gain, on an absolutely spectacular day.

Parking

About 6 cars on arrival at 9am and cars were pulling in as I hit the trail. About 5 cars on return at 5pm.

Water Crossings

Boundary Trail had a couple small bridges and the largest crossing was not bridged, but easily crossed.

Wildlife

Only at the TH and several of them (black flies) made the 2.5 hour trip home with me riding on the inside of the windshield.

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Jewell Trail, Gulfside Trail, Mt. Clay Loop

Trail Conditions

Notes

Had a great hike going up and down on the Jewell. Used Gulfside to summit Jefferson, then backtracked to Mt. Clay and used the Clay Loop to summit Clay. I had never done clay so I figured while I was just bagging Jefferson on the day I would. It's a nice hike up with some awesome views into the Great Gulf of Washington. Awesome views of Adams as well! Not a lot of mud but it's there. Mostly on the lower sections of the Jewell but very avoidable. Lots of people out today enjoying themselves. Shared the summit of Jefferson with about 15 other people at its max, including Adam Hoyt, White Mountain Youtuber. Real friendly dude, and he makes very cool videos, and for me as a mostly solo hiker, its helpful to have an idea of what I'm hiking into. All in all the trails in the Presidential Range are gonna be in good shape until Sundays rain. Enjoy!

Parking

Plenty of parking at the bottom of the Cogg lot. It's $5 to park. Bathrooms available here. Jewell starts across the street.

Water Crossings

Only crossings of note have bridges.

Wildlife

The beginnings of swarms are starting to form where the mud is staying wet on Jewell.

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Cog Rail Trail, Gulfside Trail, Mt. Jefferson Loop Trail, Mt. Clay Loop

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

Up and down the cog to Jefferson. On the way back, I went over Clay (bypassed it on the way to Jefferson). Spikes from the trailhead to about 4,000, where I put on crampons. The section up through Jacob’s Ladder was, like last weekend, icy enough that I definitely wanted crampons. Once I got to the top of the steeper portion, spikes went on and stayed on the rest of the day, including the descent down the cog. Above tree line is a mix of rocks and frozen granular. In general there’s more rock than not, but I definitely wanted spikes. There are a couple of quite impressive snow fields on the east side of Clay. They’re supportive for now but will likely soften up. No more need for snowshoes if you’re going above tree line and taking the cog both ways. Spikes and crampons only. IMHO an ice axe is overkill but I did see some people carrying them past Jacob’s Ladder.

Parking

Parked at cog. $10.