Presi Days are Must Go Days

Stop what you're doing and go hiking on Presi Days

Mountain folk in New England regularly track 2 weather forecasts, their local conditions & the Mount Washington summit. The MWOBS higher summit forecast gives a good idea of the conditions on the Presidentials & the surrounding ridges. While the weather may be fair in the valley, above tree line in the White Mountains is an entirely different world. I've seen 70F and calm on the drive up through Lincoln become 45F and 50 mph winds on top of the Franconia Ridge. Once in a while though the conditions in the higher peaks are perfect; warm, clear, & light breeze. Those days are called "Presi Days" since they are the best chance to climb the Presidentials.

over the brook on the Amonoosuc Ravine Trail

My son, his best friend, & I had just finished backpacking the Carter-Wildcat Ridges over 3 days on Tuesday. But the weather forecast from MWOBS for Saturday was almost perfect, low 60's & 10 mph wind on the summit. It looked like a model Presi Day. Three days out I planned a short hike to Mt. Jefferson via the Caps Ridge Trail. Then my wife said she might want to come so I figured she could shuttle the car and I could hike both Jefferson & Washington with the kids. But on Saturday she was not feeling up to it, so we decided to hike both on our own. It would be the kids longest day hike & biggest day above tree line ever.

Last mile to Mt. Washington

We got to the Cog Railway parking lot a little past 8 a.m. I decided to pay for a parking spot rather than have the kids hike an additional 1/3 of a mile on each end. This turned out to be a very good choice. In fact the regular Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail parking area was already full. I expected the smaller Cap Ridge trail head would be the same. Presi days bring out everyone who loves to be in the high mountains. We passed over a dozen other hikers as we ascended the first few miles of the Ammonoosuc trail. Though plenty of folks headed out this day we did not feel crowded on the trails. Past the Gem pool the humidity & ascent made me drip sweat. But the kids just hopped up the steep sections like little mountain goats do. We stopped in at Lake of the Clouds hut for a quick break. The kids lingered looking through the log book and new decor on the walls. Several day hikers were also resting there. But again it was not crowded. We passed a few more heading up the last mile to Mt. Washington.

the Cog heading back from the summit

The rock pile on a fair weather day can be overwhelming. Coming around the towers and into the visitors center is a shock in high season, going from an alpine trail to civilization in just a few steps. We got to the top before noon, but there was already a small crowd, a 10 minute line to take a picture with the Mt. Washington summit sign. The first Cog railway trains had unloaded and the auto road was open. Tourists in designer clothes & flip flops were lined up for selfies. While the top was not packed yet I want to move on. The kids however got lost in the gift shop searching for trinkets. Eventually I managed to collect them, fill up on water, and head off from Mt. Washington.

heading down the rock pile to Mt. Clay

The Great Gulf view of the northern Presi's

Once we were half a mile down the scree field the crowd at the top was forgotten. Again we passed a dozen or so other hikers but not so many that we felt hindered. The views into the Great Gulf from the saddle between Mt. Washington and Mt. Clay were spectacular. We scrambled up to the summit of Mt. Clay for lunch. We almost had the top to ourselves but a young couple were also enjoying a sit down against a boulder. We scrambled down the Gulf Side Trail after lunch toward Mt. Jefferson. The 35 miles in our legs for the week was starting to wear. Each of us could only hike our own pace not slowing or speeding up to match another. Yet we climbed up to the summit cairn within reasonable distance of each other. We took a long rest at the top. It was good to be in the sunshine above treeline on such a fair day.

packing up on Mt. Jefferson

starting the long walk back down

Happy as we were to be on top of Mt. Jefferson, I knew we had a long walk back to the car. Even though we would go around Mt. Clay on the return there was still a bit of climbing up the side of the rock pile. We turned onto the Jewel Trail just behind several groups of older hikers. The kids skipped ahead of them while I begged their forgiveness. Although the Jewell trail is considered the "easier" way down from Mt. Washington, there are no truly easy hikes in the Presi's. The first mile down this trail is steep and rocky. I caught a toe stepping down a boulder section and nearly tumbled to tree line. Luckily a few scrapes was all the damage done. After a short sit we were back to hiking. The last two miles were a slog. The kids were at the limit of their endurance after 6+ hours of hard terrain. We sang made up songs, discussed Harry Potter plot points, and nibbled at our remaining snacks to keep moving. After 7 hours of hiking time and 9 hours total since leaving the car we rock hopped over the brook and back to the Cog base station. All I had to show for it was sore legs, a slight sunburn, and the mile wide smile from spending my 1st Presi Day with my son. I can't wait for the next one.

back to the Cog Railway Station and done for the day