Copy/Repost Hike

After spending a cold night camping at the Tally Ho Campground in Twin Mountain, I drove over to the parking lot off of Mt. Clinton Road to meet up with the other guys (Eric, Tim and John) for the hike over the lower Presidential Range...from Eisenhower to Jackson.  We were a little late starting out, as Eric was running behind, but we knew that and waited.  At about 8:50AM we were all together and we carpooled up to the Edmands Path Trailhead further down the Mt. Clinton Road.  By 9AM we were finally off!

The day started out on the raw side...chilly and the valley was totally fogged in.  The trail started out pretty easy and gradually steepened to a more modest grade.  For the most part it was a nice woods walk.  By about 10AM, the sun was starting to stream through the clouds and about 40 minutes later we were treated to the first of many views with a nice cloud/fog cover trapped in the valley below.  Mts. Jefferson, Washington and Monroe were all clearly visible during our ascent to the trail junction with the Crawford Path (and the Eisenhower Loop).  We reached this junction by about 11:15AM and then headed up to the summit...steep and rocky in sections.  We arrived 15 minutes later.  Initially there were only a few others on the summit, but this quickly changed and soon the summit was pretty crowded.  We ended up taking an extended break here to take in the amazing views.  At noon it was time to press on...we all agreed that Pierce would be a good spot for lunch.  As we headed across the ridge, the clouds were breaking up on the Bretton Woods side, while they remained thick over Pinkham Notch.  The views of Mt. Washington persisted, except for brief moments when the low laying clounds would sweep over it and cover it up.  We made good time across the ridge, where the trail ascends and descends, but nothing too serious.  By 1PM we had reached the summit of Pierce...it was a great time for lunch! 

After a nice half-hour break we continued down the other side on our way over to Jackson.  This was steep at times, but there were ladders and boardwalks placed in the tougher sections, which helped out.  As we descended we found ourselves breaking below the fog/cloud layer again.  When we arrived at the Mizpah Spring Hut, it was pretty foggy, but this was a great place to replenish our water and take another break...while Tim played with a Grey (Canadian) Jay that was perched nearby.  By 2:15PM we continued onto Mt. Jackson.  This was mostly a good trail, which meandered across the ridge through pine and a bog area, until just below the summit, where it steepened.  We popped out on the summit at 3:15 and while it was socked in with fog, it provided a much needed break.  While we were here, the clouds started to break up slightly with limited views down Crawford Notch...some of the summits to the south were visible, but hazy.  Mt. Carrigain was most notable in the distance with its distinctive ridge and hump.  At 3:30 we began our descent back to Rt. 302.  The trail off of Jackson was very steep for the first 0.5 mile or so and then moderated somewhat.  The distance back to Rt. 302 was only 2.3 miles, but it still took us a little over 2 hours.  We emerged from the woods by 5:30 and walked back along Rt. 302 and Saco Lake to our cars on Mt. Clinton Road, which took another 15 minutes.  While John and I went to get the other car, Eric and Tim entertained themselves.  Afterwards all of us (except John), drove down to Fabyans for a nice meal to cap off the day's hike.

It turned out to be an amazing day with the low cloud/fog layer below...the views of the Presidential Range were spectacular.  Thanks to Tim, Eric and John for joining me on another great hike in the Whites...it was alot of fun with all of you!

Added by mtnman7...

The morning was cold and gray and it seemed like we were in for a dreary hike...until we got above the clouds where it was sunny and warm with no wind and spectacular views of Washington from Eisenhower.  Thanks to Stephen for posting one of best hikes of the season!

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