Tuckerman's Ravine

So we went up to Jackson, NH last weekend for a romantic escape from reality - something we've been dying to do for years now, but we've been prevented from doing by the military (logistically, anyway). For Labor Day Weekend in the White Mountains, traffic wasn't all that bad.

This is where we stayed: The Inn at Jackson The innkeeper, Don, was a really nice guy, in a laid back, non-sugary, not overdone kind of way. We definately plan on going back this winter, although I think I'll spring for a room that has a fireplace so all of our gear will dry out - probably better for both our gear and the room...

So on Sunday, it was a crappy day. Cold, rainy, windy; Former Hurricane Ernesto was coming through. What else could we do for fun other than climb the mountain with 'The Worlds Worst Weather'? I mean, its there, right?

So we did. We started late, around 11 a.m. - after, of course, a very large and filling breakfast at the inn (I had a huge omelette, toast, fruit, juice, coffee, and a muffin - but I didn't finish the omelette). We took the Tuckerman Ravine trail from the AMC visitors center at Pinkham Notch (Elevation: 2032 feet above sea level (ASL)), and climbed...up...

It wasn't too steep, but it was constant. Obviously it varied over the 4.1 miles or so to the summit. We veered off the Tuckerman Ravine Trail to get onto Lion Heads trail at about the 2.3-mile mark (elevation: 3825' ASL). The AMC guide had said it would take us 2 hours, 5 minutes to reach this junction - we had been climbing for 1 hour and 11 min. We thought we were in pretty good shape to shave an hour off that ascent. Its not that we weren't, but thats where the rapid progress stopped.

Once we got on the Lion Head Trail, the trail became much narrower, and much less user-friendly. K & distrated ourselves with discussing greek & roman mythology (which stemmed from a comment about how I was glad I married K, since he was the only person I had ever found that would do stuff like this with me - he said it was like stringing Ulysses bow - I'm still not sure if thats a good or a bad thing).

The Lion Head trail required much scrambling, and it seemed like it started raining harder the instant we stepped on the trail. At one point there was either a ladder or an extremely steep staircase- hard to tell which- bolted to a rock face. K made a comment that he would have used 6" lag screws instead of the 4" they decided to go with. I guess I did marry an engineer... At any rate, the ladder/stair held, although it was a bit slippery from all the rain.

Every rock was starting to get pretty slippery. It was getting noticeably cooler, as we were climbing more steadily. The views, although obscured by clouds and fog, were simply amazing, especially after the trail levelled off a bit and followed the ridgeline near Lion Head (elev: 4950' ASL or so). I'm sure we'll have to do it again someday, when it is clear, preferably during foliage season. But simply to be that high up, and have the valley below you dissappear into the fog was breath taking. When we got to Lion Head (an actual point on the map), I stood on a rock and peered over into Tuckerman's Ravine below, which was obscurred by fog/clouds. And I laughed and laughed and shouted. To be suspended above a ravine that steep in such bad weather was just really amusing for some reason. I couldn't see the bottom. I think if I had KNOWN what it looked like during good weather, I may have been nervous. As it was, K was worried about being blown off. But it was just really funny to me. In a crazy sort of way. In a 'I can't believe I'm doing this' sort of way.

Eventually, we rejoined the Tuckerman Ravine Trail near the summit of Mt. Washington (elev: 5675' ASL, distance: 3.8 mile. est time: 3h, 45 m. Actual time: approx 2.5 hr). At this point, the 'trail' became more like climbing a giant rock pile. K commented that this was NOT what he was expecting... Much more scrambling and picking your way across boulder tops than the word 'trail' connotates to us. But it was fine. Kind of slippery in the rain (which was coming down/coming across steadily now, and the wind had picked up to about 30 MPH- so it was blowing sideways, and the straps from the pack would hurt when they smacked into you). We had put on most of our clothes, and our gloves at this point. We were soaked to the bone, and I was starting to get tired.

Eventually we made it up to the summit. It was...windy- about 40 MPH; 40 degrees (F), and the rain was blowing sideways into us, through our rain gear & our clothes. Needless to say, there was no view :) Official summit elevation: 6288' ASL. Distance: 4.2 miles. estimated time: 4 hr 15 min. Actual time: 3.5 hr. We finished one of our water bottles and stuffed it in the pack.

We sat in the lodge/gift shop/observatory building and had a surprisingly NOT over priced chilidog & a hot chocolate. I seemed to get colder and colder just sitting there, inside. I assume they had the heat on in there, but maybe not. There were a whole lot of miserable hikers in there. After about half an hour of sitting, eating, and trying to warm up, we gave up and headed back down the mountain- after putting all of our wet gear back on, as well as our softshell jackets UNDER our rain gear. I was still cold.

When we left, there were two hikers behind us who left at the same time, and they were yelling like crazy into the wind like I had been earlier. We ended up splitting off the trail with them when they went down the way we had come up (via Lion Head trail - didn't envy them that). We went down Tuckerman's Ravine, just for the change in scenary. And because I did not want to go down what I had just come up- I was holding out hope that the Tuckerman Ravine Trail would prove to be a little easier because it was the more popular route.

I don't know that it much easier. It was down right scary at the headwall- the sheer drop combined with the slippery rocks... But the view, or what we could see & hear of it, was beautiful. Maybe it was more beautiful because of all the rain - the waterfalls were gushing right along. The wildflowers were also in bloom, and that, combined with the fog, the rain, and the waterfalls made it feel very close to eden. That, and when we got to the headwall, we were out of the worst of the wind.

There is a trail that branched off just before we got to the headwall; it was called the "Alpine Garden Trail" - it crosses from that point to the Lion Head Trail and to Huntington Ravine Trail and points beyond. That trail must be absolutely gorgeous, given its name, and what I saw of its beginning. Next time, I think I'd prefer to go UP Tuckerman's Ravine, and take the Alpine Garden trail over to Huntingon Ravine & down, or work our way down otherwise. From what little I got to see of the view from Tuckermans, I think the more ravines I can find, the better off I'll be :) And you can always drive up Mt Washington to see the view from the top. I've done that now & I'd like to explore a little more.

After the waterfalls & the floor of the ravine, the rest was just downhill. By this point, my knees were hurting pretty badly, and I just wanted to be done. I was tired & sore. When we finally got to the bottom, we heard voices behind us, and the same 2 guys from the top had rejoined our trail, so apparently, they survived the rock faces and the ladder on Lion Head, although it must have slow going- we stopped to enjoy the view frequently, and so did they, apparently. So I don't know about those time estimates in the AMC guide.

When we were unloading the pack (soaked) in the car, we pulled out one of the empty water bottles that we had stuffed in there at the summit. The bottle was all deformed and sucked-in on itself- apparently the air at 6,000-feet is less dense :)