May 31 and June 1, 2011 -  A trip to climb the highest peaks in New
Hampshire's White Mountains had been in the works for three years.



At long last, a weather window opened and our schedules cleared enough
to allow us - Mike Monyak, brother Don, and myself - to head to New
Hampshire on Memorial Day.  Arriving at dusk at the parking area for the
Great Gulf Trailhead we quickly readied our gear and headed off with
headlamps at twenty minutes before nine to hike the first three miles of 
the trail in the dark to set up camp at an area known as "the Bluff".

A SLIDE SHOW of the start of the hike up to base camp can be viewed by
clicking the red link.  Map 1

The initial hike was moderate in grade as it took us up and away from the 
river, but was wet from recent rains and the remnants of spring runoff.
After about an hour and twenty minutes we arrived high and dry at our
primitive camp site at ten p.m.  Quickly setting up camp, we secured our 
food in a convenient locked bear box provided by the Forest Service,
unwound a bit, and settled in the sack by eleven.

The ground is always hardest on the first night of camping.  No one
slept well, but at least the temperatures were probably no lower than
sixty degrees and Mike was able to see a couple shooting stars from his
perch on a large boulder.  Out of the sack by 0530, we were on the trail with 
our day packs and enthusiasm an hour later, first easily boulder-hopping 
across Parapet Creek before beginning our ascent of Mount Washington 
along the West Branch of the Peabody River.

There are many ways to climb Mt. Washington.  Most are short and steep,
and frequently crowded.  We chose to approach from the north through the
Great Gulf Wilderness, a basin carved out during the ice ages of the past
quarter million years to form an impressive cirque with a headwall that
climbs 1600 feet in the final 0.8 mile of the climb.  From our base camp the
climb would cover a distance of 5.2 miles, taking about four-and-a-half
hours.  The trail was wet and rocky, carved through the thick undergrowth -
not a good place to bush-whack.  We spoke to a trail maintainer at the Six
Husbands Trail junction, but saw no one else on the ascent.  Only one other
tent was set up along the trail.  An occasional moose track and droppings
reminded us that this trail was theirs; we were just visitors.

A SLIDE SHOW of the Great Gulf Trail to the summit of Mt. Washington at 6288'
can be viewed by clicking the blue link.  Map 2
We hung around at the top for half an hour to recover from the effort up the
headwall.  The consensus of opinion was that this was more of a climb than
any of us had imagined.  The Rocky Mountains have nothing on these hills.
After a bite to eat and refilling water bottles we proceeded south to
conquer the next peak - Mt. Monroe at 5371'.  We dropped down the
opposite face of Washington for about 1300 feet to the Lake of the Clouds 
Hut, one of a series of hikers' huts on the Appalachian Trail (which we were 
now hiking on).  The trail was still rocky but relatively easy with switchbacks.
After filling up again with water at the Hut we climbed Monroe for a brief
view back at the domineering Mt. Washington, before again retracing our
steps and climbing back up over Mt. Washington.

A SLIDE SHOW of the climb down Washington and up Monroe can be viewed by 
clicking the pink link.  Map 3

From the other side of Mt. Washington we continued to follow the 
Appalachian Trail, coinciding with the Gulfside Trail, as we proceeded
along the ridge in pursuit of further summits.  A decision was agreed to
that we would summit Mts. Clay and Jefferson and then downclimb
on the Six Husbands Trail to get back to camp by dark, leaving any
remaining peaks for the next day.  Biting insects were beginning to be
a nuisance with temperatures somewhere around eighty degrees.  Tired
bodies and sore feet cemented our decision to end the day after Jefferson.

The hike along the ridge over Mt. Clay at 5533 feet and Mt. Jefferson at
5712 feet was without much strain, other than my right hand becoming
exhausted from swatting blood-sucking mosquitoes.  We hung out a few
minutes on Jefferson before beginning our descent on the Six Husbands 
Trail.  (If there was a certain woman who loved this trail and insisted that
her husband accompany her frequently on her hikes, I can see how she
could go through six of them.  There has to be a good story with a trail with
a name like this.)

The hike down started gentle enough through the treeline before
crossing a long snow field.  Mike tried to glissade on his butt, but the warm
temperatures had made the snow rotten enough that he didn't get very 
far before just sliding down with the rest of us on our feet.  Six Husbands 
was pretty much straight down to the creek below.  They must not have 
invented switchbacks when this trail was made.  Had I had a hang glider I
would have jumped, in retrospect.  We managed to get down with lots
if careful foot and hand placements and finally were able to follow the 
footpath along the stream back to camp.

A SLIDE SHOW of the ridge hikes to Mts. Clay and Jefferson with the down
climb on Six Husbands Trail can be viewed by clicking the purple link.  Map 

Don and I made it back to camp by a quarter to nine in the evening before
the need for lights became necessary, though we carried flashlights.  Mike
preceded us by a half hour, then came back to share the last few hundred
yards together.  After fourteen hours of humping the hills for approximately
fifteen miles we were all quite spent, but managed to grab something to eat
before hitting the sack for a much deserved repose.

The Six Husbands Trail was quite a severe downclimb, testing legs and 
mettle the whole way.  With several ladders one could say it was an
American version of "via ferrata" climbing.  I personally enjoyed the 
demands of free climbing, splayed across open rock faces, hanging on
by fingertips and the tips of sore toes, all the while not thinking too much
about the exposure and what "could" happen with a slip.  We all made it 
without incident to the bottom of the climb. The rigor of this downclimb is
rare on the fourteeners we have experienced in Colorado.  In terms of
classification, many pitches were above 5.0, while exposure never really
exceeded 3.  I didn't think any climbing the next day could be as
challenging - I was wrong.

The night passed comfortably without any precipitation.  We arose with the
expected soreness, but not quite as early as we had the day before.  The
sun was already shining over the peaks and the day looked like it would
be better weather than forecast.  Yesterday was as perfect as it gets on
Mt. Washington.  One climber we spoke to said that for all the times he had
climbed in the White Mountains, yesterday was the first clear day he could
remember.  We had picked a perfect day - warm with no wind to speak of.
Could it be that the second day would be as pleasant???

Mike and I planned to go for Mts. Adams and Madison while Don decided
to hike closer to camp, but not climb all the way up.  Another hiker
told us he had seen a bear on a trail above our camp just the day before,
so we were all vigilant for bears and moose as we headed out on the
Osgood Connector Trail.  The weather changed quickly as we hiked only
a mile before lightning and thunder accompanied a good downpour, 
turning us back to camp to hole up for the time being.  Rain turned to a
pelting hail storm before it was over.

It wasn't a half hour after returning to camp before the sky cleared and
what portended to be a continuing storm abated for the time being.  I made
a judgement call to go for it again, as I couldn't see any point in climbing into
my small tent to hang around all day.  Mike and Don said they were staying 
behind.  After reviewing my wet maps I decided to take the Madison Gulf
Trail up to the Madison Hut, evaluate the weather there, then make a plan
of action as to what to climb.  

I headed up Madison Gulf solo, suspecting that Mike would follow at some
point, probably up the Osgood Trail.  The weather looked promising with
the sunshine, but I knew it can change on a dime, so I was always
watching.  The trail quickly climbed a hogback ridge between two 
streams with lots of cascades and water crossings.  I felt good, climbing
about 1300 feet in the first hour.  At 4000 feet the trail hit a plateau for
awhile before going into a precipitous climb straight up a stream bed 
over boulder fields that were anything but a trail.  I watched closely while
crossing braided streams because it was not clear whether the trail crossed,
whether it followed the stream up, or whether it cut back against the 
stream.  I often had to pause to ask where I would build a trail.  Somehow
I figured correctly, but it sure wasn't obvious.  Again, I got into Class 5+
four-point climbing with some healthy shin-ripping exposure - nothing
too dangerous, I guess, but then I never look down until the top.  This climb
was every bit as severe as yesterday's downclimb, and I was relishing the
opportunity to solo up such a challenging trail.  Given the challenges,
however, I would not want to descend this route, especially with a pack.

I got up to the ridge where the Madison Hut is located in two hours of
sustained free climbing and was feeling pretty good about things.  I could
feel yesterday's effort in my legs, but was aiming to do both Adams and
Madison after filling up my water bottles at the Hut.  I could see a front of
thunderclouds to the northwest, coming out of Canada, so I asked some
of the volunteers at the Hut what they heard about the  weather.  The
consensus was that another serious light show was on its way.  Figuring I
didn't have time to safely do both Adams and Madison before scooting back
below treeline, I opted to bypass Adams and quickly summit Madison and
make it a short day.

It was no surprise to run into Mike atop Mt. Madison at 5367', arriving from
opposite directions at the same time.  It was still great to share the moment,
however brief, before hobbling down the long ridge on the Osgood Trail
to gain cover before the approaching storm.  Winds were at least 40 mph,
with gusts of at least 70 mph, in contrast to the day before.  The sun was
intermittent and the clouds were gaining the upper hand. I am terrified of 
lightning when exposed in high country and was anxious to get down.
Mike descended to the Madison Hut, collected some water, then circled 
Madison to catch me on my descent on Osgood.  The hike back took longer 
than the climb up.  My feet were sore, but I thoroughly enjoyed getting high 
in the Whites one more time.

ASLIDE SHOW of the climb up Madison Gulf Trail to Mt. Madison can be viewed 
by clicking the orange link.  Map 5

   
          The graphic above is a good relief of the altitude variations we encountered.

We bugged out after we returned from Madison, hiking back down the trail
to the car, then driving home, knowing we were probably in for a wet night
and a colder day tomorrow.  The mosquitoes were harvesting too much of
our good climber's blood so it was time to go.  We were lucky to have 
met with such fair weather.  Only a day later Mt. Washington would have 
sustained winds over 100 mph, temperatures no higher than 37 degrees, 
complete cloud cover, and a trace of snow.  Good timing was everything.  
The climbing expedition was a success in that we summited five of the
highest peaks east of the Rockies, crossing off another dream from our 
bucket lists, and no one got hurt.  The climbing was a preamble for Mike
and I as we prepare for our Colorado adventure in August.  It should be 
easier going than New Hamphire, all things considered!  But I'm not counting
on easy, or I wouldn't be heading back to the mountains!