hyperlink: dixonheadingwest
http://dixonheadingwest.blogspot.com/
This is what I call "The Northeast Group" (the Presidential Range on the left/center, and the Carter-Moriah Range on the right). Today's peaks (Thursday, August 27, 2015) - Mount Monroe and Mount Washington - are in the purple circle:
x's through Mounts Willey, Field and Tom means that I did them (last July); and I've done Jackson, Webster, Moriah, Adams, Madison, Jefferson, Wildcats A and D, and Mounts Isolation and Davis earlier this summer.
The Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail trailhead parking area is 5 miles up Cog Railway Base Road, off 302 (just before the Mount Washington Hotel) - up 93, around/east on 3, then south on 302. Cog Railway Base Road goes up alongside the beautiful Ammonoosuc River:
Looks like it is going to be a BEAUTIFUL DAY! (Ah, but looks can be deceiving)
The first part of the Trail is pretty flat and goes through lush forest:
After about a mile we go up along the Ammonoosuc River:
and this is where I saw (TWICE) a Great Blue Heron flying up the river! I was soooo quiet, but never saw him again.
There is a beautiful area as you cross over the River - this is Gem Pool:
And then, at 2.3 miles, take a little (unmarked) side-trail to the right, and see the tallest waterslides I have seen in the White Mountains - according to the AMC Mountain Guide, these two brooks fall 600 feet, at an angle of 45 degrees:
and, yes, it has started to rain/get misty.
This is my first view of the AMC Hut up at Lakes of the Clouds:
Yes, it sure is "of the Clouds"!
I made my way south, up to the top of Mount Monroe:
This is back down at one of the Lakes of the Clouds
Pretty cool, but not much of a view.
Of course, we have to have the prerequisite "Danger Sign":
Let's see - how "bad" do you think "Bad Weather" is?
This is the trail (Crawford Path), on the right, that leads up to the Mount Washington summit (this is all above the tree-line):
Two selfies in the howling wind and rain:
The weather for Mount Washington was listed
let's see - Max wind speed: 53 mph; temp ranged between 41 and 45, and the weather was listed as Fog Reducing Visibility to 1/4 Mile or Less. I'm in no mood to go back there anytime soon!
Following the cairns going down the Gulfside Trail, I heard this roaring, which was different from the wind howling - it was the Cog Railway crossing my path straight ahead:
like some Giant Beast roaming the Mountains.
I then took Jewell Trail 3.7 miles down to the parking area. It was beautiful as I started coming down out of the clouds:
And I was able to stop and finish my sandwich with a fantastic view:
The last two miles of Jewell Trail were very very pleasant - just a super nice walk-in-the-woods:
I have been wanting to do this hike for at least the past 3 years - in June 2012, our church hiking group went up the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail to the Lakes of the Clouds. It was a great hike (I wrote a blog about it here). Unfortunately, I was the only one who wanted to scamper up to Mount Monroe (on that beautiful clear day), or even up to Mount Washington ("the trail's RIGHT THERE!"). But everyone said No Thanks, so we just went back down.
So I'm really glad that I could get this under my belt, even if the weather and the views were not-good at the tops. Thank you God for another Excellent Adventure Day!
Thursday, August 27, 2015 (left Boston at 9 AM, home at 10 PM)
180 miles -- Boston up 93, around/east on 3, then south on 302 (3 hours)
11.78 miles -- hiking (5 hours 45 minutes)
3 1/2 hours -- Subway coupon, gas fill-up, home at 10 for hugs/kisses/and a hot bath
I switched to my purple nano, but continued to listen to all my songs, in alphabetical order. I listened to 82 songs
After dropping Deede off at Logan Airport to return to California, I started with a great live cut:
Carry On 14:19 Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young 4 Way Street (2 cds) 1970
through
Crazy For You 3:44 Madonna 13 Going On 30 2004
Carry On 14:19 Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young 4 Way Street (2 cds) 1970
Cars Hiss By My Window 4:59 The Doors L.A. Woman 1971
A Case Of You 7:04 Diana Krall Live In Paris 2002
Casino Nation 6:57 Jackson Browne The Naked Ride Home 2002
Casino Nation 3:53 Jackson Browne Solo Acoustic, Vol. 2 2008
Castellorizon 3:47 David Gilmour Live In Gdansk 2006
Catch The Sun 3:46 Jamie Cullum Catching Tales 2005
Caught By The River 5:54 Doves Music From The OC: Mix 1 2004
Caution (Do Not Stop On The Tracks) 4:39 Grateful Dead Europe '72 (Live) (2 cds) 1972
Caution (Do Not Stop On The Tracks) 1:44 Grateful Dead Europe '72 (Live) (2 cds) 1972
Cemeteries Of London 3:21 Coldplay Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends 2008
Century City 3:45 Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Damn The Torpedoes 1979
Chain Lightning 4:44 Steely Dan Marian Mcpartland's Piano Jazz 2005
Chandra 9:22 Keith Jarrett At The Deer Head Inn 1994
Change 4:03 Aaron Espe Songs From A Small Town 2008
Change My Way Of Living 6:15 The Allman Brothers Band Where It All Begins 1994
The Changeling 4:25 The Doors L.A. Woman 1971
Chap Stick, Chapped Lips, and Things Like Chemistry 3:11 Relient K Two Lefts Don't Make a Right... but Three Do 2004
Charade 2:37 Si Zentner Ultra-Lounge, Vol. 8: Cocktail Capers 1964
Charlie Brown 4:45 Coldplay Mylo Xyloto 2011
Chasing Cars 4:28 Snow Patrol Eyes Open 2006
The Cheater 2:42 Bob Kuban And The In - Men 25 Beach Music Classics 2003
Check it Out 7:44 Karmadelics Goodsongs 2000
Checkin' It Out 3:31 Van Morrison Wavelength 1978
Cherokee 4:19 Michael Moore And Gene Bertoncini Two In Time 1989
Chestnut Mare 5:11 The Byrds Untitled / Unissued [Disc 1] 1970
Chicago 2:09 Count Basie & Tony Bennett Basie Swings Bennett Sings 1958
Chicago 3:11 Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young 4 Way Street (2 cds) 1970
Chicago 2:54 Graham Nash Songs For Beginners 1971
A Child Is Coming 6:22 Jefferson Starship Blows Against The Empire 1970
Child's Song 4:13 Tom Rush Tom Rush 1970
Children 3:08 America America 1972
Chinatown 4:08 Joe Jackson Night And Day 1982
Chinese Checkers 2:29 Booker T. & The MG's The Very Best Of Booker T. & The MG's 1965
Chopin Prelude Variations / Django 2:17 Michael Moore And Gene Bertoncini Two In Time 1989
Christmas Lullaby 4:09 Songs for a New World Songs for a New World 1996
Chrome 4:22 Joe Jackson Volume 4 2003
The Circle Is Small 3:29 Gordon Lightfoot Back Here On Earth 1968
City 4:36 Connor Garvey Songs Sung In Small Rooms 2006
The City 2:55 Mark-Almond All Day Thumbsucker Revisited: The History Of Blue Thumb Records 1995
The City (extended) 10:19 Mark-Almond Goodsongs 1971
Clandestine 9:09 Charles Lloyd Acoustic Masters I 1993
The Clap 3:18 Yes The Yes Album 1971
Clarice 4:01 America America 1972
Close To The Edge 18:14 Yes Yessongs [Live] (2 cds) 1978
Closer To The Bone 4:13 Louis Prima Ultra-Lounge, Vol. 5: Wild Cool & Swingin 1996
Cloudy 2:25 Simon & Garfunkel Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme 1966
Club Can't Handle Me 3:53 Flo Rida Feat. David Guetta Goodsongs 2010
Cold Hands From New York 5:19 Gordon Lightfoot Back Here On Earth 1968
Collecting Things 1:14 Jon Brion Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind 2004
College Kids 3:28 Relient K Two Lefts Don't Make a Right... but Three Do 2004
Color Him Father 3:06 The Winstons 25 Beach Music Classics 2003
Colorblind 3:23 Counting Crows This Desert Life 1999
Colors Of The Sun 3:52 Tom Rush Tom Rush 1970
Colossus 6:44 Afro Celt Sound System Volume 3: Further In Time 2001
Coloured Bedspread 4:31 Annie Lennox Songs Of Mass Destruction 2007
Come Around 3:40 Ian Murray Waiting For The Wind 2005
Come Dance With Me (Sugardaddy Remix By Tom Findlay & Tim Hutton) 4:41 Shirley Horn Verve Remixed, Vol. 3 2005
Come Go With Me 2:08 The Beach Boys Sounds Of Summer 1978
Come Here My Love 2:21 Van Morrison Veedon Fleece 1974
Come On Eileen 4:13 Dexys Midnight Runners Goodsongs 1982
Come To Me Softly 3:14 Jimmy James & The Vagabonds 25 Beach Music Classics 2003
Comfort You 4:28 Van Morrison Veedon Fleece 1974
Comfortably Numb 9:22 David Gilmour Live In Gdansk 2006
Coming Up (Live Version) 3:29 Paul McCartney & Wings Wingspan: Hits [Disc 1] 1980
Common One 6:39 Van Morrison Astral Weeks: Live At The Hollywood Bowl 2008
Complicated Melody 3:14 india.arie Voyage to India 2002
Constant Craving (kd lang) 4:28 k.d. lang The Very Best Of MTV Unplugged 2002
The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill 3:06 The Beatles The Beatles (White Album) [2 cds] 1968
Contusion 3:46 Stevie Wonder Songs In The Key Of Life (2 cds) 2000
Cool Jerk 2:42 The Capitols 25 Beach Music Classics 2003
Cortez the Killer 7:31 Neil Young- Crazy Horse Zuma 1975
Cosmopolitan 4:38 Joe Jackson Mike's Murder 1983
Couldn't I Just Tell You 3:23 Todd Rundgren The Very Best Of Todd Rundgren 1997
Country Fair 5:39 Van Morrison Veedon Fleece 1974
Cousin Dupree 5:28 Steely Dan Two Against Nature 2000
Cowgirl In The Sand 3:59 Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young 4 Way Street (2 cds) 1970
Crawling King Snake 5:01 The Doors L.A. Woman 1971
Crazy 2:43 Patsy Cline Top Hits Of The Sixties P- Amazing Hits 1961
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend 3:08 Miranda Lambert Crazy Ex-Girlfriend 2007
Crazy For This Girl 3:23 Evan & Jaron Songs From Dawson's Creek Vol. 2 2000
Crazy For You 3:44 Madonna 13 Going On 30 2004
The list can be accessed here
Highlights include:
Chinatown by Joe Jackson
2 versions of "The City" by Mark-Almond. This was the band formed by Jon Mark and Johnny Almond after working with John Mayall on his The Turning Point live album (1969) (I saw John Mayall at the Boston Garden in March 1970, along with Steve Miller and The Moody Blues). But back to Mark-Almond - they did a radio show/broadcast on WMMR in Philadelphia my Freshman year at Penn (70/71), and it has a warm place in my memory.
The morning ended with the live version of "Close To The Edge" by Yes, so I was able to have that running in my head for my hike.
I started my evening drive with "Close To The Edge", and I loved (almost) all the music coming home: Club Can't Handle Me; Come On Eileen; Comfortably Numb; Cortez the Killer; Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
woohoo! congrats!
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