Run The Whites Blog

Presidential Traverse (Early Season)

View from Pierce looking back on the Presidential Range. I can't recall the last time I hiked / ran a Presi Traverse (last time was on skis). Early season conditions pose their own issues — snow and cold weather. This year the snow hasn't been much of a problem but the weather was a bit raw for my liking. I started late, around noon, in hopes of catching a sunset on my way out. Conditions down low were cool but comfortable, spring is setting in at the valley floor with trilliums in bloom and other greenery starting to fill in. As you ascend though, you quickly fall back into stick season and eventually evergreens take over. My route was the traditional Valley Way approach. I'd prefer Howker Ridge, Daniel Webster Scout, or even Osgood for a true traverse, but early season trail conditions are all over the map with the main concern being blowdowns. VW was in great shape and easy going. I arrived at the Madison Hut, which was still boarded up with no water. I expected that and continued up Madison for the first summit of the day. There were a handful of people out and I was just happy to gain the ridge. Over on Adams I encountered another couple and their dog — those would be the last people I'd see until another couple at Lakes. It was such a quiet day in terms of foot traffic. There was only a tiny section of snow on the VW and everything was smooth sailing on the ridgeline. I encountered one significant patch of snow heading up the shoulder of Jefferson before the over-summit junction. Everything else was business as usual. I only brought a liter of water and was getting quite thirsty, so I had to head to the Clay Springs for a refill. It's less than 10 minutes out of the way and was flowing well enough that I didn't bother to filter. I backtracked to head over Clay and peeked into some of the ski lines. It's getting thin but airplane definitely still goes. The cog headed downtrack as I headed up to the summit of Mt. Washington at 5pm. The summit was very windy, gusting to 45mph. I think the windchill that day was around 0°F. Not unusual but also not ideal. I donned my waterproof shell for the entire day with a midlayer and that was perfect. I quickly headed down to Lakes of the Clouds (also closed) and enjoyed calmer winds and sunshine. The southern Presidentials are easier in every way compared to the northern range. The rest of the traverse was uneventful. I encountered monorail sections in the woods between Eisenhower and Pierce, and a bunch more on the first half mile of the descent down the Crawford Path (which was very wet but in excellent condition — they had recently cleared all the blowdowns). I finished around 8pm, which was the goal for the day. A good opener for a season with many more days in the high alpine. Adjusting my shoes at the Tip Top House (Historic old hotel built in 1853). Taking a moment to enjoy this perfect 20 foot stretch of perfect singletrack.