Hike: 2019 Presi Traverse

July 20, 2019 · hiking

A few weeks before traveling out to California to complete our three-year section hike of the John Muir Trail, Jeff and I did a single-day Presi Traverse. It was Jeff’s first time doing a Presi, and though I had attempted it a few times I had yet to complete a single-day for my Northeast Ultra 8 list. The day started out cloudy, but cleared up by the time we hit Mount Washington.

Coming down Mount Washington toward Lakes of the Cloud there were some shirtless bros flexing in the trail. Since I was cruising, I hopped up on some rocks off the trail to get around them. When I jumped down to the trail again I rolled my right ankle, heard a pop, and collapsed to the ground. To their credit, the bros asked if I was okay. I mumbled I was fine, recovered and acted like I’d just walk it off. In truth I was worried about the pop and the amount of pain. By Lake of the Clouds I was thinking about possibly bailing or getting a rescue. But after stopping to take a load of ibuprofen and drinking a bunch of water, I was feeling like it would be possible to complete the hike, despite how quickly my ankle swelled up.

I grinded the remaining 9 miles of the hike, softening each step with lots of help from my trekking poles. I considered bailing again at Mount Pierce, which would still have been a full Presi Traverse. But at that point the pain was gone, so Jeff and I completed the traverse with Jackson tacked on. I just hoped that my ankle would recover in time for our JMT hike. Since it was hard to diagnose fleshy injuries from an x-ray, my doctor believed that I tore a ligament on the front of my ankle and suggested I stay off my feet as much as possible for the next few months. Of course I still went on our JMT trip.

ROUTE

• Dropped vehicle at Webster-Jackson Trail parking off Route 302 in Hart’s Location, NH
• Parked at Appalachia Trailhead parking off Route 2 in Randolph, NH
• Hiked Valley Way Trail to intersection with Watson Path
• Left on Watson Path to Madison summit
• Right on Osgood Trail to Madison Spring Hut
• Left on Star Lake Trail to Adams summit
• Left on Lowes Path to intersection with Gulfside Trail
• Left on Gulfside Trail to intersection with Mount Jefferson Loop Trail
• Right on Mount Jefferson Loop Trail to Jefferson summit and to intersection with Gulfside Trail
• Right on Gulfside Trail to intersection with Mount Clay Loop Trail
• Left on Mount Clay Loop Trail to Clay summit and to intersection with Gulfside Trail
• Left on Gulfside Trail to intersection with Trinity Heights Connector
• Left on Trinity Heights Connector to Washington summit
• Right on Crawford Path to intersection with Mount Monroe Loop Trail
• Right on Mount Monroe Loop Trail to Monroe summit and to intersection with Crawford Path
• Right on Crawford Path to intersection with Franklin Spur Trail
• Left on Franklin Spur Trail to Franklin summit and to intersection with Crawford Path
• Left on Crawford Path to intersection with Mount Eisenhower Loop Trail
• Right on Mount Eisenhower Loop Trail to Eisenhower summit and to intersection with Crawford Path
• Right on Crawford Path to intersection with Webster Cliff Trail
• Left on Webster Cliff Trail to Pierce summit and to Jackson summit
• Right on Webster-Jackson Trail to parked car

PHOTOS

STATS

Date: 20 July 2019
Distance: 20.0 miles
Moving Time: 09:55:35
Pace: 29:46/mile
Elevation Gain: 8831′

Tracing White Mountains Trails:
Watson Path
Star Lake Trail