Need advice! New Hampshire (Mt washington) hikers

[CraigKap]

I wanted to plan a hike up Mt. Monroe to Mt. Washington summit by way of the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail sometime the end of April. I don't know the area and would like any information on lodging, difficulty, and duration of the full day's hike. It states that it can be done in 8 hours and is strenuous. I'm coming from NJ so if you have any suggestions I would greatly appreciate it.

Below is a link to what I've found, but I still feel lost.

http://www.northeasthikes.com/hike-mt-monroe-and-mt-washington-via-the-ammonoosuc-ravine-trail/

Thank you,

Craig

[sarahtied]

Hi Craig!

Fellow Jersey resident here!

From what I understand, Washington is still really cold right now and snowy, so keep that in mind (you might not have a clear summit!)

The Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail is pretty tame. From my research, it was the easiest and shortest route to Washington. The first mile or so is pretty flat, and then you start the climb. I wasn't in the best of shape at the time so I stopped frequently...I'm also wary of heights so that made it difficult as well. There's a fair amount of scrambling, but nothing major. I saw kids (who flew by me) as well as a woman in her 70's. We didn't reach the trailhead until 1PM, so we only had time to make it to Monroe. After stopping for lunch, we made it to Monroe at about 5:30. We reached the car at about 7:30-8.

As far as lodging, I don't have much to suggest. We stayed with family in Nashua.

If you have any other questions, or would like me to send you pictures and video of the hike, I can do that. I know before I hiked it, I was worried sick of what it would be like. Keep in mind though- I went in the summer and it's totally different at that time of the year.

[CraigKap]

Thanks for the info. I was thinking of going the end of May, but noticed the temp is still in the 40's. I'll contact someone at the visitor's center to confirm. Might have to push it up until June. I'm just concerned about the bugs and weather. I'm taking my girlfriend and don't want her stuck out in the cold wet weather without shelter. I can handle it, but her on the other hand.

So you were only able to reach Monroe by 5:30? What time did you start? It says it's a 9-10 mile round trip or 8 hour hike. I wanted to start in the early A.M. to make it there and back before nightfall. Then check into a hotel. I'll do more searching. Thanks again.

[sarahtied]

Yeah, June might be tough with thunderstorms. We got really lucky- we had a clear day.

I think we started at the trailhead at about 1:30 and got to Monroe at 5:30. We were stopping often. We also stopped for about 40 minutes for lunch at the hut. I wasn't in the mood to hoof it, but had we kept a better pace, we could have done it quicker and maybe made Washington. I'd start at sun up to be sure.

[tomcat]

It has been a snowy year in New England with lots of late snow. Ammo will probably be with snow and lingering snow patches above tree line. I live in Maine. While the low lying areas are snow free the woods still have up to two feet. The upcoming rain will knock it back some. Water can also be a problem on Ammo this time of year from excessive snow melt making crossing streams a challenge. Lingering snow bridges can be a problem on that trail, I'm not sure what the status on that is right now.

Late May is not too bad, yes it's chilly but even July, 50s on the summit is fairly common and the wind almost always blows hard. I have hit sleet in July my first time on Washington. If you can allow a few days for your hike since cloudy summits are pretty common. Hike a lower trail if the higher summits forecast isn't favorable. mountwashington.org will give you the weather for recreation, higher summits, and even backcountry conditions. Newenglandtrailconditions.com will give you users comments on specific routes. Your route is popular and should be on there by someone recently and is a good resource.

[CraigKap]

Thank you all for the info! I made my decision to climb June 7th which is a week from Friday. Temps should be bearable both warm and cold for my taste. I'm not use to wet weather hikes, but have watched enough Les Stroud to understand how keeping dry in cold wet conditions is key to survival. My biggest worry is my girlfriend. It's not just the climb, but she may panic from the severe weather if and when it comes. I want everything to be perfect, but I know this isn't the mountain to do it. Hopefully a half hour to an hour is all I would need for some good photos so God if you are listening please clear the clouds for me. Mt. Monroe will be an iffy depending on how the day turns out. Can't wait to scarf down a burger from Fabyans when we are done.

[CraigKap]

We did it! Took us 7 hours to summit. We stopped at the hut for a break and snack. Let me tell you that anyone we passed on the trail said 15 minutes to here or there didn't know how to judge hiking distance. It was ridge over ridge that kept coming up. We never thought we would reach the hut let alone the summit. My girlfriend was pretty exhausted physically and mentally. To make a note there is a sign outside the hut that says, "Mt Washington 1.4 miles." Well after a 1/4 mile past that there was the same exact distance on the next sign. Weather was perfect and didn't rain once. We literally spent 5 minutes on the summit to take a picture by the sign and had to pay $90.00 to ride the Cog down. What else could we have done? If there is a next time or my advice to anyone trying this hike you should camp out half way to rest and to not rush it. I posted photos on my profile if interested. And yes, we got engaged!

[Aaron Zagrodnick]

Congrats! (And nice photos, definitely looks like a great hike)

[Bobo Uzala]

Congratulations on the hike and your engagement :~)

[sarahtied]

Aw that's so great! I'm glad you guys made it up there and had a clear day! Congrats!