North East Adventures
Mount Jefferson 6-4-17
Adventure called again, this time it was Mt Jefferson. Located in New Hampshire at 5,712 feet tall, it is the 3rd highest mountain in New Hampshire. Venturing solo this time on this warm sunny day. I would start close by the Cog Train rail station. After parking at the Jewell trailhead I loaded my backpack and I was on my way. The beginning of the trail was very nice and peaceful, I hadn’t run into anyone on the trail just yet. Every once and awhile I could hear the cog train tooting its horn and bringing passengers up the trail to the top of mount Washington. As I was making my up the trail I could see views finally coming into view. There was green all around me as I looked at the view that I was presented with.
Clouds were scattering in the valley. I could see the clouds covering the trail I would soon be on. As I moved up in elevation my visibility quickly dropped. The trail was an absolute beauty. There was nothing better than solid rock steps not having to worry about loose rocks yet. I soon linked up the Gulfside trail which I took until i hit the junction to Mount Clay. I took the slight turn up to Clay. The wind started picked up pretty good as I was reaching the flat top. I took a quick break and was passed by 2 groups of Appalachian thru-hikers. We shared some quick greetings and stories and even names. After a short chat they went on and we said good bye. After my break I continued to Clay , I was soon greeted by the summit marker which was a cairn. The minute I hit the cairn the winds picked up and we were swallowed by the clouds. After a quick picture I trekked on to Mount Jefferson.
The short trek down back to the gulfside trail was a cloud soaked. I was stuck with no views until the clouds finally broke. The trail was started to get busier as I started to see more hikers. With no view around me I continued on the gulfside until I hit the trail to Mount Jefferson off of the gulfside trail. The wind had died down and the clouds were beginning to open up a bit. I was getting some views after being in the clouds for awhile. Glimpses of the surrounding area were starting to appear through the parting clouds. I savored the view. Almost to the top of MT Jefferson I pushed on. I made it to the summit and took a quick break just listening to the sounds of the mountains. No one passed me or came up while I was taking my break.
After the quick break I started my way back down via the Gulfside trail. I continued to pass hikers as I made my way down. As I started to descend and get out of the clouds, the views started to get more magnificent. I saw the Cog train go up one more time before I found myself back in the trees. I enjoyed the rest of my trek down until I got back down to the trailhead.
