Mount Monroe

Trail: Edmands Path, Crawford Path, Eisenhower Loop, Monroe Loop, Gulfside, Camel Trail, Davis Path, Boott Spur Trail, Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail, road walk

Conditions: Dry Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable

“Friday was just one of those days above treeline where you HAD to spend more time up there, if you were able (and prepared, of course). While on Monroe, the comment of "oh Boott Spur doesn't actually look that far away" came up, and thus a map and a plan come up to make the trek over to Boott Spur. Lots of folks up in the Presidentials really having a great day. Lakes of the Clouds was busy with day hikers and overnighters. Nothing super noteworthy other than I think what many others have commented about the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail reroute. It's muddy in spots, even with very little rain. It also meanders... a lot. I'm not exactly sure how long the section was that they rerouted, but the new section of trail seems to last forever. There's also a gravel-ish path that goes back to the Cog Railway hiker lot, but it's not marked and doesn't have any signage (at least not that we saw). The roadwalk from the Cog hiker lot back to Edmands Path lot is about 2.7 miles on the road. Mt. Clinton road is all fully repaved, so it was easy, smooth walking.”

Trail: Caps Ridge Trail, Gulfside, Westside Trail, Crawford Path, Monroe Loop, Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail

Conditions: Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant

“When a friend asks you to join them for a special anniversary to mark exactly one year since they hiked their first 4K in the Whites, you always say yes. We put together a plan to grab Jefferson for my G2 and then make our way over to Monroe for his anniversary hike but bypass Washington because I was dying to check out the Westside trail. It was a most excellent plan. Caps Ridge was dry for our ascent. The winds really picked up at the summit and it began to rain. We said goodbye to 2 of our crew at that point and the 3 of us continued on. Gulfside was mostly dry as the rain was light and the rocks were still grippy. By the time we hit the Sphinx Col, the rocks were wet. We were cautious ascending and going around Clay. The rain stopped again as we reached the Westside Trail junction. This was the jewel of the day. We saw no one and the views were endless and the winds were enough to push us around without knocking us sideways. Once we reached Crawford Path the rain began again and the trails were much busier. The footing was still good and there were only a few slips on the wet rocks. We quickly grabbed Monroe with a stop at the hut. The rain picked up again as we descended Monroe and by the time we were headed down Ammo, it was raining harder and everything was very wet. The rocks and slab were super slippery and required careful footing and slow going. We made it the Gem Pool in one piece. The remaining portion of Ammo to the parking lot was a mud fest. The mud was deep in places and incredibly slick. We all agreed we missed the old Ammo trail a lot today. The re-route has terrible footing and seems to take forever. Fortunately the company was great and we laughed and told stories and it was a great day despite the tough conditions and the weather. I am so grateful for good friends who can embrace the suck for these kind of days.”

Trail: Caps Ridge Trail, The Cornice, Gulfside, Jefferson Loop, Auto Road, Crawford Path, Monroe Loop, Eisenhower Loop, Webster Cliff Trail

Conditions: Dry Trail

“Well we wanted to get sunrise but also get back to where we left off the day before. So back up caps and the cornice where colors started around 4:15 am. Up to Jefferson we got to see sunrise around mt Adams. Thankful for the no breeze and comfortable temps. Over to washington and on the summit, barely any people as it was before the cog and the road opened. After we left… the flood of people from the huts were let out. We left our packs at the junction and went up and down Monroe quick. We hit Franklin on the way and continued to Ike and Pierce where all the people were again. Made it down and the car read 79! Lovely time!”