Gray Knob/Great Gulf trip report

“The weather forecast was calling for a front to move through New England on Saturday and Sunday, so not wanting to cancel my trip, I decided to keep a close eye on several different weather sites in hopes that the front would move through faster than predicted. When I arrived in New Hampshire I immediately checked the weather channel and as luck would have it the front was not expected to hit until 3:00pm on Saturday and pass through quickly that evening, so Sunday looked like it would be a great day. I called John and we decided to forgo setting up our tent at the Perch and instead opted to stay at Gray Knob, a high hut on Mt. Adams run by the RMC (Randolph Mountain Club).

I met John at his condo around 6:00am Saturday morning and he followed me to Pinkham Notch where I dropped my car before we both headed to the Lowe's Path on route 2 in Randolph NH. We arrived around 8:00pm and started our hike with the weather being chilly but dry. The Lowe's Path is a nice leisurely trail until you reach the Log Cabin, a shelter run by the RMC. After that the trail becomes a little steeper, but nothing to sever to warrant concern. Although the weather forecast called for the front to move through around 3:00pm, it started to sprinkling at 10:00am causing the rocks to become a little slick.

We arrived at Gray Knob around 11:00pm and were met by Matt the caretaker. There was only one other person in the Hut, so we were relieved that there was enough room for both John and I. Experience has taught me not to be too confident that a space will be available even on a wintry day. If, however, the hut was filled, we could have always head over to Crag Camp or back down to the Log Cabin, and if all else failed, we could always hike back out.

After changing out of our wet clothes we settled in for the day. We had thoughts of hiking up to the ridge, but the weather started getting worse and once you are warm and dry, the prospect of going back out into the rain/sleet/snow did not seem all that appealing. We chatted with Matt and briefly chatted with the other hiker who soon headed out into the elements on his way to Mt. Washington or to the Mizpah Hut as he mentioned. John and I both looked at one another and looked at our watches and just shook our heads. It was 1:00pm the weather was getting worse and Mt. Washington was at least 5 miles away. I wanted to say something, but he didn't look like the type who would take too kindly to someone second-guessing his decision, so we wished him good luck and he headed out the door.

John and I made some soup and chatted with Matt about his life as a caretaker. Around 2:30pm four more hikers arrived who were already staying in the hut, but just went on a hike of the ridge. They were four French Canadians, three girls and one guy. In a former life I would have been psyched to share a hut with three attractive women, but the passage of time had erased any realistic thought of having a flirtatious evening with these ladies, so instead John and I turned our attention to the bottle of cognac that I had brought.

The next morning the Canadian contingent started packing up at 6:00am, which woke up John and I, so after they left we got up and packed our gear as well. After a quick breakfast, water run, and saying our goodbyes to Matt we headed out. Rather than head straight to the ridge via the Lowe's Path, Matt suggested that I take the Gray Knob Trail instead. After saying goodbye to John I headed towards the ridge.

The trail had a thin coat of ice and snow, which caused me to slow my pace so as not to slip and fall, which is the last thing I would have needed given I was the only one heading to the ridge. The clouds were hanging over the summits thus reducing visibility so spotting the cairns became somewhat difficult. Occasionally the clouds would part and I would get a glimpse of the valley below awash in the colors of autumn. I could see the Lowe's Store where John had parked the day before and wondered if I was doing the right thing. The summits were socked in and visibility was poor at best with no sign of improving while the wind was increasing and as it started to snow. Since my car was at least 8 hours away, I had no other choice but to keep going.

After hiking for nearly two hours, I finally reached the Edmonds Col where I was faced with a decision. Should I push on to Mt. Washington in the high winds and deteriorating visibility or opt to head down to the Great Gulf. The distance to Pinkham was about the same whether I went over Mt. Washington or down Six Husbands, so I figured by going down Six Husbands I would be out of the high winds faster and have an easier hike in the Great Gulf than if I continued over Mt. Washington. I knew that Six Husbands had a reputation for being a difficult trail to descend so I wasn't making my decision lightly. I figure I would head over to Six Husbands and make my final decision once I made it through the col. If the trail looked too daunting, I could always hike back up and continue to Washington.

The hike through the Col was interesting because the cairns were not as prominent as they were on the ridge, so spotting them among all the other rocks was a tad difficult. The clouds would occasionally lift thereby giving me a nice view of Jefferson's Ravine so I had some perspective of what I was about to hike down. I sat on the last "step" of the Six Husbands Trail just before heading down and had lunch while watching the cars going up the auto road. It was a strange sensation to look over and see the cars yet also knowing that if something happened you were beyond assistance. It was only you sitting on a side of a mountain with no possibility of rescue. Since I needed to be back in Thornton by 7:00pm, the window of opportunity to hike back up to the ridge and head over to Washington was closed so I put on my pack and headed down.

I followed the trail until it came to the last hump before snaking its way down the side of the mountain. I briefly looked over the side and estimated that it was about a two hundred foot drop to the valley below. The rocks were slick and the small scrub trees were soaking wet, this was definitively going to be an interesting trail. My first challenge came almost immediately when I had to slide down a ten-foot slab. I dropped my pole and gloves and inched my way down the slab on my stomach. One after another I was confronted with a challenging descent causing me to question my decision yet I was well beyond the point of no return so I just had to suck it up and keep going. I kept going through the trail description in my head and knowing that I would eventually reach some ladders. After what seemed like an hour, I finally reached a section that I had no idea how to negotiate. I was about to attempt my descent when I remembered a trip report where someone said they descended a section only to discover the ladders after reaching the bottom, so I decided to do a little exploring and sure enough I found the two ladders.

The rest of the trail was more annoying than life threatening especial the section where I had to take off my pack and drag it through a boulder cave or lower my pack and then swing down holding onto a small root. After hitting two more ladders, I finally reached the bottom of the trail. Although I would like to do this trail again, I think I might opt for an ascent in dry weather with a daypack.

The hike through the Great Gulf was enjoyable until I slipped on some wet roots and did a face plant into a pile of rocks. Luckily nothing was broken and I was able to continue my hike towards the Madison Gulf Trail and eventually Pinkham. I tried to keep my pace up since I was fighting the clock and needed to be out of the woods by 5:30pm at the latest. I had never hiked in the Great Gulf before so I had no way of gauging how long it would take to traverse any given section of the trail. I just put one foot in front of the other and kept hiking until I finally reach the auto road where I met some nice day hikers out for an afternoon stroll. At this point I was only 1.9 miles from Pinkham and it was 3:00pm, so I knew I would make it well before 5:30pm. An hour later I made it to my car.

Although it was a long hike out, 8 hours to be exact, I did have a rewarding hike. I got to hike the ridge during wintry conditions, descended a killer trail and survived, and completed my goal of hiking through the Great Gulf. As always, I learned a few things about hiking in adverse conditions that will help guide me on any future trips.”

“Nice report. That area is near the top of my "wannago" list.”

“Here is what the ridge looked like that day taken from the perspective of two other hikers.

photo 1

photo 2”

“nice pic, Mad. It looks like some ominous weather was rolling in...”

“Runs off Mt.Adams and eases into
the Great Gulf.
nice trail.”