Mt. Adams via Subway, Great Gully, Chemin des Dames, King Ravine, Star Lake, & Lowe's Path (White Mountain National Forest)
Hike Type: Lollipop Loop (w/ bonus loopty loops)
Distance: 13.58 miles
Elevation: 6,801 feet
My Time: 11 hours, 12 minutes (9 hours, 40 minutes moving)
Book Time: 10 hours, 11 minutes
Parking: Plenty of parking at Lowes Store.
Hiking Challenges: 52 Hike Challenge 2026, Terrifying 25, Randolph Mountain Club 100, Operation Alaska Benchmark Challenge
The Hike
And now for of an example of: "have I lost my ever loving mind?" Emma and I had such a great hike from Jay Peak to the Canadian border yesterday, I was craving more! I had my sights set on King Ravine for a while now, and the weather was looking near perfect for it! I had concocted a crazy route that would hit four Terrifying 25 trails in one big hike, but I was hyper aware that that's a dream, not a goal, and possibly far from reality. I woke a little sore from yesterday's hike, but it was more of a tired than a sore. My alarm went off at 4:00am, which I think hurt more than anything, and I was out at 4:15am.
I stopped at TWO different Maplefields, and neither had breakfast out yet, which was very sad. The views from US-2 in the early morning twilight were absolutely stunning, and I had the pleasure of watching the first light turn into full morning throughout this drive. I made it across the New Hampshire border to that awful porta pottied rest area to take care of a code brown (this was a CLOSE call - my quesidilla and giant margarita did not agree with my stomach) at 5:55am. I successfully obtained a few breakfast sandwiches from the Maplefields in Littleton 10 minutes later - it was like a reward.
I landed at the trailhead at 6:45am, and there were already eight other cars (although I'm sure some, if not all were there from the night before. It was chilly out - 45 degrees - and the skies were crystal clear. I was still juggling with what my actual goal vs. dream was for this hike. I knew I definitely wanted to hit at least one T25 peak, and then I think either the summit or more peaks, with a crazy dream of all four trails plus the peak... We'll see!
[7:00am - Start of Hike]
I suited up and started my hike right at 7:00am. I carefully crossed NH-16 with my fleece and Nano Puffs on (which were so cozy). My tummy was already feeling quite upset, which was a huge bummer. I knew there were a larger group ahead of me already, but I'd rather them be ahead than behind when my tummy is feeling like this. There were a few early-autumnal reds along the road.
[7:02am - Lowe's Path]
I only walked along NH-16 for a minute or so before turning left into the woods onto Lowe's Path. I hiked through the woods for just anothe rminute before coming up to a slightly damaged sign for Lowe's Path with a trail kiosk just beyond.
"LOWE'S PATH
BUILT IN 1875-1876 BY CHARLES E. LOWE AND DR. WILLIAM G. NOWELL FROM LOWE'S HOME IN RANDOLPH TO THE SUMMIT OF MOUNT ADAMS [???] ONE OF THE OLDEST TRAILS IN CONTINUOUS USE IN THE WHITE MOUNTAINS.
THE STEWARDSHIP OF THIS HISTORIC TRAIL WAS PASSED TO THE RANDOLPH MOUNTAIN CLUB ON JULY 21, 1996 FOLLOWING OVER 100 YEARS OF MAINTENANCE BY THE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAIN CLUB. AN IMPORTANT FEATURE OF RANDOLPH SINCE ITS INCEPTION, THE PRESENT DAY LOWE'S PATH RUNS FROM ROUTE 2 ACROSS FORM LOWE'S STORE TO THE SUMMIT OF MOUNT ADAMS AND IS A PRIMARY ROUTE TO THE FOUR RMC CAMPS."
I hiked uphill for a bit, crossing an old road, and then finally found a safe spot to mark my territory (or expel poison from my body... or a demon...). I took care of business, fearing that would not be the last time, and then continued up to the Presidential Rail Trail.
[7:10am - Lowe's Path/Presidential Rail Trail]
I took my puffy off at the Rail Trail , enjoyed the meadowy flowers, and crossed a power cut just after, where I also removed my fleece. I was just loving the cool weather and my relative solitude!
Lowe's Path began to easily rise through the woods, crossing a few, mostly dry stream beds. The trail moderated around 0.75 from the car as I began to catch up to the group from the parking lot at an area full of rock steps. I passed them soon after - a group of five that were super nice and friendly. They had that group dynamic where one guy was much faster than the rest so he'd get ahead and wait over and over agian. My legs were feeling a little tired, but I also had an aura of strength around me which felt good!
The trail mellowed out after that first moderate push as I daydreamed of doing a single day Presidential Traverse - I think if I hit the dream hike (four T25 trails and the summit) that could be an indicator of how I'd fare. I also found myself thinking about how glad I was that the trail was delightful, beacuse no matter what I end up doing this will be my walk out.
The only sounds I heard were the occasional breezes, birds, and of course, crazy red squirrels. I noticed a right hip pain while driving and hiking yesterday, and I was slightly feeling it on this hike. It was actually less of a pain... more of a soreness under the butt shelf, but deep? [EDIT FROM THE FUTURE: This turned out to be the start of a sciatica flare up that would be on-and-off for a couple weeks, and then slightly debilitating for a while. I did not realize it was sciatica until we hit day three of debilitation]. Thankfully it was feeling mostly fine as I was moving.
The Lowe's Path went over some boards and up some stone stairs before turning and climbing up some more stone stairs - this was the first steeper pitch of the day, and I was absolutely delighted!
[7:53am - Lowe's Path/The Link]
Soon after that steeper pitch I hit the junction with The Link. I was very aware and had familiarized myself with the trails in the area, so I was trying to minimize phone use and just letting the day happen to me (also in hopes of preventing hurting my own feelings). Now that I was a little higher up, I could faintly hear NH-16.
I continued along Lowe's Path as the sun began to hit the treetops and I soon began to hear some more people ahead of me - hopefully they stay on Lowe's.
[7:57am - King Ravine Trail]
I reached the King Ravine Trail junction at 1.93 miles from the car. I could still hear the people ahead of me, tragically. I took a quick swig of water and continued on - 2.8 miles to the junction with the Airline Trail and many, MANY feet of elevation. The trailbed was narrower and steeper now, feeling much more wild as I would through the tighter trees. It smelled like a cloud in these woods - is that the smell of ozone?
I hiked through a beautiful flat stretch with yellowing birches and then traversed a boardwalk area covered in moss. I found the duo I heard from before - a couple of younger boys (late teens/early 20s?). One was dressed for hiking, one was in a hoodie and emo-style baggy jeans. Fastcinating!
These woods were a beautiful, mossy wonderland. I wrote in my notes "this flat stretch with this weather and the sun through the trees is a dream." After a bit of walking, I could begin to make out the Durand Ridge through the trees (FAR away!), and then I began to easily descend. After a while, I was somehow still descending. I could eventually hear people again and water, and then I came up to the water.
[8:20am - King Ravine Trail/Canyon Falls]
I easily crossed the brook at Canyon Falls and it was beautiful! The rocks made mossy ledges for the water to cascade over. They weren't enormous, but they sure were beautiful. After the falls, the trail was initially steep and then climbed moderately away. It was so sunny and beautiful - I kept whispering "wow" to myself!
[8:27am - King Ravine Trail/Pentadoi]
A few minutes later the King Ravine Trail rose to the Pentadoi, a fascinating five-way junction with a unique trail sign that looks more like a hyrogliphic than anything else. According to mountainwandering.blogspot.com, it is "the greek name given to the five-way intersection of the Randolph Path, King Ravine Trail, and Amphibranch." I caught up to another hiker at this unique intersection, but he took off once I was in view. I stopped for water and then continued on - 2.1 miles to Air Line!
My only complaint so far was that I could still hear US-2 - the hiking was simply delightful so far! A nice flat stretch led me into my third mile of the day, followed by another rise and fall towards the next batch of water. The trail became rougher as I descended, and I soon realized this must be the descent into the ravine. The wall of the Durand Ridge towered above through the trees, the sunny trail was now dark and shaded, and the temperature noticeably dropped. It was also pretty windy, too.
[8:48am - King Ravine Trail/Mossy Falls]
[8:52am - King Ravine Trail/Short Line]
I passed a shockingly passive grove of ghost pipes (like, at least a hundred, if not more). There was a new, cold breeze blowing as the trail turned to climb along the drainage before crossing it on a stunning mossy streambed, which I later learned was Mossy Falls. The sunlight on the walls on all sides of me was bright and SO high up, and it was still dark down here. I wrote: "we in here." The crossing below the falls did require 10% brainpower, but still was not much of an issue.
The King Ravine Trail followed the stream, which was now down on the right. The chilly breeze had me itching for the sun, which I would be seeing in due time. The trail easily fell again before making a steeper climb, crossing the Short Line junction somewhere in the mix. I managed to inhale and choke pretty impressively on a bug, which wasn't great. I did pass a cool rock cave followed by a neat overhanging rock, with WAS great!
[8:58am - King Ravine Trail/Alpine Zone]
I soon reached the famous STOP sign at 3.78 miles from my car. "THE AREA AHEAD HAS THE WORST WEATHER IN AMERICA. MANY HAVE DIED THERE FROM EXPOSURE EVEN IN THE SUMMER. TURN BACK NOW IF THE WEATHER IS BAD." Spooky! This also was my welcoming into the Alpine Zone. I was thinking I would hike the Subway and Great Gully first so that way I could have a nice stretch of Gulfside to hike along before decided to get a victory lap of the ravine in or to just summit Adams and call it a day. The trail started to get bouldery as I felt the bug still wriggling around in the back of my throat.
The boulders went from small to medium to volkswagen-sized. It's happening! I was feeling hungry, but I knew I'd be out in the open soon and simply should be able to find a nice sitting rock. I passed a scrambly herd path on the right to the first view up to the ridge, but I continued along, ready to find my sitting rock.
The trail quickly became really, really cool. I wasn't fully in the open yet, but I was working my through a mangled mess of enormous boulders with views wayyyyy up to the ridge ahead. There was one tricky scramble that led to the first view out of the ravine and up the Nowell Ridge towards Crag Camp (I spent most of the hike thinking it was Grey Knob, but I later learned it was definitely Crag Camp.
I enjoyed a short, steep non-boulderous reprieve in the woods before continuing the scrambling - this was already easily the scrambliest trail I've ever done. There were also some impressively spooky holes between the boulders. I hit another stretch of woods before coming to the junction with Chemin des Dames.
[9:16am - King Ravine Trail/Chemin Des Dames]
I thought "I might be seeing you again soon" to the Chemin, as I walked just a few more feet down the trail to the junction with Subway.
[9:16am - Subway (inbound)]
The view here was CRAZY of the ravine floor and headwall. I ran into a duo at the junction who said "good luck" to me as I continued towards the Subway. I figured since I was feeling good I'd push through this mess before stopping for food. For the purposes of this entry, I will be referring to the Subway inbound (towards the headwall) and the Subway outbound (away from the headwall).
[9:18am - Break]
The trail immediately got to business, scrambling under some boulders. There were a couple faded orange blazes pointing me where to go. The first scramble alone was intense, and a loss of grip looked like it would hurt. Once up on the other side of the opening scramble, I simply could not figure out where to go. I couldn't find any more blazes, so I took my pack off and enjoyed a nice break! If I couldn't find blazes afterwards, I would call it and just hike King Ravine Trail. I had a breakfast sandwich and enjoyed the sun like a lizard. I could see people scrambling up the boulderfield of Chemin des Dames and wayy up to the Air Line Trail. It was such a crazy view!
[9:31am - Subway (inbound)]
I eventually grabbed my gear and started poking around. My rule was that I was not going to continue until I could see a blaze, cairn, or even just evidence of humans, becuase I did not want to get myself into any trouble. After poking around for a while, I found that after that first scramble the trail veered to the left. The blazes were a mix of white, yellow, and orange, and they were spare and hard to find.
After turning left I followed a very short footpath through some brush and got another couple of scrambles in. I had to stop for a few minutes every time I made it to a blaze just to find the next one - it was TOUGH. After the veer left, I stayed right and jumped onto a flat rock and hit another footpath that deposited me in a little nook underneath some massive rocks. Here, there was a teeny-tiny hole that I could not fit through and a rock wall on the left. I looked around, tried different approaches, but ultimately had to call it - darn! I did enjoy some sympathy blueberries from a nearby bush.
[9:46am - Give Up on Subway (inbound)]
Thankfully, I had wandered so much that I was now pretty familiar with the areas that I had been. I just wasn't feeling like taking more of a risk than I already was with my planned route. I ran into the duo from early on in the King Ravine Trail (with the one hiker with emo pants on), and they were having a similar tough time. They asked how it was, and I told them that I gave up, and all three of us bailed.
[9:49am - King Ravine Trail]
We said our goodbyes and then I blasted off on the King Ravine Trail, which climbed some more with reasonable footing to a sign showing the upper split (the King Ravine Trail that I just climbed between the two was comically called the "Elevated." I sighed, and turned back onto the subway, trying to tackle it in the outbound direction.
[9:52am - Subway (outbound)]
To my DELIGHT, the outbound direction was much easier to follow, and really lived up to the subway name! I wiggled up, over, and through rocks, and had to take my pack off twice. At one sunnier spot I got a little stuck, but then I realized I was basically on the other side of the rock I got stuck at before. I carefully used a lot of strength (a surpring amount), and flung myself back up into the open, and I knew where I was!
[10:02am - Subway (outbound), Connected]
I was feeling incredibly pleased with myself for connecting these dots! The blazing in the middle of this "trail" is really poor. It seemed if I veered left at the end of that last footpath I would have been able to scramble over the rock wall and connect the dots. I had a delightful, pleasant romp out and back to the King Ravine Trail from here, since I had done it at least 500 times so far! That was the longest 0.1 miles I'd ever hiked!
[10:06am - King Ravine Trail]
[10:09am - King Ravine Trail/Subway (outbound)]
I had a nice time repeating myself on the Elevated and nodded my head at the outbound station as I continued on the steep, mossy King Ravine Trail toward the Great Gully, which started on the right soon afterwards.
[10:11am - Great Gully Trail]
I was feeling a little nervous (again) to be tackling my second Terrifying 25 trail of the day. From the turn off of King Ravine, the Great Gully trail initially descended into a mossy wonderland. My skin was hurting from all of the sharp rock scrambling/grabbing. I had a mere 0.9 miles to Thunderstorm Junction! The Subway took me so long that the sun was high in the sky now, and the headwall of the ravine was dauntingly high up. The trail easily rambled on a soft footbed lined in moss, lightly gaining elevation, until it wasn't...
The trail began ascending along steep, wet dirt, and later became scrambly. There were some tricky scrambles that required three points of contact, but there wasn't too much exposure so I was not spooked at all. There were mini deciduous trees shading most of the trail at this point, and I was surprised to hear voices ahead [EDIT FROM THE FUTURE: They were not ahead, but they were voices from the various other trails nearby, which is also crazy].
I eventually caught a great view of the ravine from the top of one of the scrambles as the Great Gully Trail approached a stream. There was an absolutely insane view down to the floor of the ravine from the crossing, which featured small cascades going up as far as the eye could see. I crossed again and the trail became STEEP steep. I wrote the word "steep" in my notes at least a dozen times.
I had to maneuver one tricky scramble that likely earned this trail's spot on the Terrifying 25. It was, to put it one way, a coffin-sized shimmy up through a little rock cave that's open on one side, and rolling over to that side would result in certain death. I felt safe the whole time, but the option was there, and that was spooky! The White Mountain Guide describes it as: "Great Gully Trail then passes under an overhanging rock on a ledge with a high, sheer drop close by on the left, forcing the faint of heart to crawl on their bellies, possibly dragging their packs behind them." I had to take my pack off and shove it ahead of me to get up.
I continued to climb steeply, and I noticed a faraway peak with something shining on top of it. I used PeakFinder to learn it was West Kennebago Mountain, and once I got home I learned that that mountain has communication towers and the works up top, so I guess I just caught it at the perfect time - it was cool to see!
[10:48am - Great Gully Trail/Upper Crossing]
I... continued to climb steeply, back in a land of tiny birches, and crossed the stream again much higher up. I noticed some yellow flowers, and apparently they're like, a thing. According to the White Mountain Guide, "It crosses the brook above the cascade at a spot where Arnica mollis, an herb of the Aster family sought by Henry David Thoreau on his trips to the mountains, grows in profusion."
After this crossing, I could see across the ravine to the Chemin des Dames trail sign at Air Line, which was really cool. The trail was noticeably more wet after that crossing but equally as ridiculously steep. At times I had to use my hands, which was quite unpleasant on the wet... everything. After a bit, it became scrambly again, but thankfully I could see the ridge up to Mt. Madison. The views were just stunning.
The Great Gully Trail transitioned from the steep, wet climb to Rock Hell, the classic trail condition of the Northern Presidentials. I was carefully stepping from rock to rock, hoping it was secure, and trying for my life to follow the cairns. The hard part was that I was hiking directly into the sun, so it was hard to see... anything! The views in every other direction were absolutely unreal, though.
I could now see Madison's summit and the Crag Camp again. One of Mt. Adams's sub peaks soon came into view too. The trail started to pretend to round the shoulder and flirt with calming down as I could see people hiking in from Air Line along the Durand Ridge. I then noticed people going up Madison, then along the Gulfside, and then even scrambling up King Ravine. God, it was so insane up here.
As the trail eased it became significanly windier and colder, but it was just spectacular. The rocks calmed down as the trail began to cut diagonally towards Lowe's Path and Thunderstorm Junction. I had a few more blueberries as I traversed some more rock hell, and then I made it to Gulfside!
[11:22am - Gulfside]
It was insanely and comically windy on Gulfside. I had my windbreaker and Pit Vipers on. I tried to have my windbreaker hood up, but the sonic booms of it whipping in the wind was going to make me go deaf. The views up here were just spectacular (if I hadn't already mentioned). It just feels like another planet every time. I was still unsure of what my plan was.
Gulfside started as more Rock Hell, but slowly transitioned into some nice sidewalk walking. It was absolute insane to see the whole drainage, from the Nowell Ridge down to the floor of the ravine and over to the Durand Ridge. I was losing steam during Rock Hell, but came right back to life once the sidewalk started. I might go crazy? I crossed paths with the first people I'd seen in a hot minute, including the duo with the emo pants!
[11:40am - Gulfside-Air Line]
[11:41am - Air Line]
I made the call - Iwas going to be crazy. I hit the junction with Air Line, and instead of being normal and climbing up Adams, I turned left and started to descend the Air Line trail towards Chemin des Dames. There were some BIG gusts coming out of the ravine, enough to push me over a couple of times. I somehow lost my cheap anemometer, which was a bummer, but I'd guess the gusts were at LEAST 35mph, if not more.
[11:43am - Air Line/King Ravine Trail]
[11:51am - Air Line/Air Line Cutoff]
Air Line descended easily to the Gateway to King Ravine and then medium steeply down towards the junction with Air Line Cutoff. It was fun to see the top of the King Ravine Trail... Hopefully I'll see it again soon! My feet were hurting and I had an occasional knee pang, but I was still feeling strong, which was a good feeling. I was obsessed with how pretty the knife edge of the Durand Ridge was looking.
The rest of the Air Line towards Chemin des Dames was easier, with just a few down-scrambles on the way. I passed a nice trio of guys, and when I got to the Chemin, I found a nice sheltered spot overlooking King Ravine for my next break.
[12:01pm - Break at Chemin des Dames]
My break spot was warm and lovely and I was just obsessed staring into the ravine. The ravine itself was not as much of a talus field as Castle Ravine was/is, but it was ridiculously scarred and torn up. I could hear the wind funneling and whipping through the ravine. I had some food while I mentally prepped for the next few hours, which I knew were going to hurt. I reminded myself to be slow, steady, and intentional. I was unsure if my plan was a great one or a stupid one, but it was happening! I would decide if I was going to summit once I finished the climb (in and) out of the ravine.
[12:17pm - Chemin des Dames]
I took my poles out to give myself a fighting chance. It was fun, yet daunting to be staring straight down at the pile of boulders that made up the Subway. The initial descent was along steep, loose rocks, but my poles helped immensely. That was, until just a couple minutes had passed, and the trail became scrambly again and the poles were deemed useless - away they go! Naturally, my hands immediately got covered in tree sap, but I guess sticky hands are good? The trail went from trees to boulders then steep-steep then more trees, and it kept going!
I wiggled through a little hole that was another pack-off moment, and I was feeling very silly going down this trail! The trail kept alternating between open boulders and woods, and it was always steep. My hands were feeling RAW.
Eventually, the trail opened up to a huge boulder field - the same one I watched people climbing up from my first break spot along the Subway. I could see people all the way down there, which was fun! I was feeling as graceful as a newborn deer, but I was moving slowly and steadily along. The tiny people in the distance slowly grew in size as I maneuvered over some surprisingly loose rocks.
At one point along the boulder field, I hit a cairn and could not see any more visible blazing. I stayed left, which was the right move. Eventually, the trail hit the bottom of the ravine and traversed a very short section of flat dirt, which, to put lightly, felt euphoric on my feet. I did have to hit a couple of scrambles and a few leaps of faith that I did not care for, but I got another handful of blueberries as a reward. I enjoyed seeing waterfalls all around the ravine as I had one final pull-up scramble to the junction with King Ravine and the outbound Subway platform!
[12:52pm - King Ravine Trail]
[12:52pm - King Ravine Trail/Subway (inbound)]
[12:57pm - King Ravine/Subway (outbound)]
[12:59pm - King Ravine Trail/Great Gully Trail]
I loved looking back at essentially the whole Chemin des Dames, King Ravine headwall, and Great Gully Trails from this junction. I hiked along the Elevated again, waved to the inbound terminus, and went a little too fast towards the junction with Great Gully, beacuse my heart rate was through the roof for a moment there! I nodded my head at the Great Gully, and continued onto new territory.
The King Ravine Trail stayed beautiful and mossy with some really neat teal-ish lichen. I eventually crossed paths with the crew from the parking lot again, and the guy who was ahead of everyone before said "Wait, didn't we see you this morning? Is this your second lap??" to which I exasperatedly explained my stupid route. I was more surprised they were traveling down this trail - the White Mountain Guide says: "this is not a good route to descend due to its steep, rough, slippery footing, and hikers should allow extra time in either direction for the roughness- and for the views."
We said our goodbyes and I continued onward and upward. I was back in the land of difficult route finding and really challenging scrambles, challenging enough that King Ravine took the first drop of blood of the day! I must have pulled myself up and scraped my shin on a rock, because the blood was bleeding for sure! Not enough to warrant a band-aid, but outch!
[1:11pm - King Ravine Trail/Ice Caves Loop]
I hit a surprise junction with the Ice Caves Loop, which I know nothing about. I also did not see the upper junction (or the lower junction, I'm not sure which one I did see). I made my way through another tight squeeze and fought through some more HARD scrambles.
The Trail slowly opened up to a boulder field, which was actually much easier to climb because the rocks were smaller. I passed the duo I saw eating lunch on the Subway when I was descending along Chemin des Dames. As I suffered up, I found myself whispering out a LOT of f-bombs, but I was also tired from all the climbing. To be clear, though, I was having a freaking blast!
The trail narrowed around some more tricky scrambles and briefly went back into the woods, where a tree shoved a twig into my ear, which was uncomfortable to say the least. This trail was kicking my butt, but thankfully there was an incredible view behind me every time I looked. I did drop plenty more f-bombs, though. Back in the open, there were a few orange blazes and some cairns to guide me, but I found that staying on the intended route 100% of the time to be difficult, and I really was just going straight up until things didn't look right, and then found a blaze or cairn to course-correct.
I made my way higher up then Chemin des Dames - I wrote "progress is progress, I might croak though." I made my way onto a horrible pitch of gravel and scree - every step involved some sliding. I crossed paths with someone coming down this stretch, which also felt crazy? I wouldn't want to go down this trail... ever. It was a really active area, and a few larger rocks were also loose, and I simply wanted off!
I got back into Rock Hell higher up, and I felt like the trail was more of a suggestion, but as long as you're traveling up you're fine. I could soon see the Gateway, my ears popped, and at 2:02pm, I had officially hiked all four Terrifying 25 Trails in King Ravine!
[2:02pm - Air Line]
To say I was proud of myself would be an understatement. That route was stupid but so freaking rewarding, and the views were simply other-worldly. Each of the four trails were so different, and I'm grateful to have gotten to experience each of them on such a beautiful day, and I'm grateful I've worked towards having a body that can tackle them with only one in jury so far!
[2:04pm - Gulfside]
From the Gateway, I flew towards Gulfside and essentially hang-glided down to the hut, passing a couple of hikers that did not want someone passing them. The trail got a little muddy in the trees but I simply did not care about anything anymore. I found it comical that after all of that, I decided to still take the harder route up Mt. Adams... the hut was enticing!
[2:15pm - Star Lake Trail]
[2:16pm - Madison Spring Hut]
I turned onto the Star Lake Trail and made it to the Madison Spring Hut just a minute later. It felt GOOD to sit. I got some figure-four stretches is, had a snack, CHUGGED some water and refilled a couple bottles. I was equally feeling as tired as I was strong, which was a wierdly good combo. There were a good amount of people in the hut, but sitting outside was pretty nice. I debated just going back towards Thunderstorm Junction and out, but going up Star Lake to Mt. Adams would only be an extra 500 feet... so I'm going to go for it!
After 10-ish minutes, I started to get a bit chilly. I used the bathroom, washed off my face, and refilled one more water before packing up and blasting off!*
* In this case, blasting off means walking comically slowly and maintaining that comically slow pace for the forseeable future.
[2:33pm - Star Lake Trail]
[2:38pm - Star Lake Trail/Parapet Trail]
The journey's not over! I was restocked and (slightly) rested and ready to keep on moving. The Star Lake Trail continued past the hut towards Star Lake. The footbed was rocky and wet and climbed at easy grades to the junction with the Parapet Trail. I could see a family ahead with a bunch of kids at the lake, I slowed down to hopefully let them get ahead.
After the Parapet junction, the views from the lake began to really materialize. Looking from the lake, Mt. Madison was standing strong (the famous view), and working clockwise I could make out Mt. Washington next, then of couse the sub-peaks of Mt. Adams. It was spectacular, to say the least. The water level in teh lake was low and the rolling clouds made for interesting lighting, but man, was it beautiful.
[2:44pm - Star Lake Trail/Buttress Trail]
Just after the lake I passed the junction with the Buttress Trail and then entered into the Great Gulf Wilderness (I think my first official time in this wilderness area, minus the small bit along Mt. Clay). The Wildcats came into view, and later the Carters with the Chandler Ridge/Mt. Washington Auto Road. Moriah was next on the far left with Mt. Madison and Star Lake getting smaller with each step I took.
As the grade increased, I took off my windbreaker and scrambled up through a little wet spot. I was very much back in Rock Hell, but I didn't care becuase the views were absolutely spectacular. My plan was to go slow and steady and just take it all in - also because the family was keeping a good pace and spacing ahead of me and I did not care to close the gap. I had to keep reminding myself that children experiencing joy in the mountains is a wonderful thing... that was until they started screaming at me at least 0.1 miles away trying to get my attention - let me be in my own void!! I wrote in my notes "little do they know I am a walking corpse."
This trail was definitely steep and there were a good number of scrambles, but it was absolute child's play compared to what I had already hiked today! Looking back I could see people on top of Mt. Madison looking like little ants. I can't stress now beautiful this view is - it's definitely my new favorite way up Mt. Adams.
Once I cleared the summit elevation of Mt. Madison, the wind began to pick up and the temperature began to drop. The trail became slightly trickier to follow, but similar to the top of King Ravine - up was generally the correct direction. Mt. Washington eventually came back into view on the left as I started my final push, which was more of a scramble.
[3:38pm - Mt. Adams Summit]
I delayed hitting the summit by a few minutes becuase the children were being absolute mances, and thankfully the view was no different from a bit further below. This simply must be my favorite view in the White Mountains - Mt. Washington, Mt. Clay, and Mt. Jefferson surrounding the expansive Great Gulf is such a breathtaking view. In the later-day lighting the mountains were near-golden.
[3:38pm - Lowe's Path]
[3:47pm - Lowe's Path/Israel Ridge Path]
I booped the summit, politely nodded at the parents, and then started my LONG journey down on Lowe's Path. My windbreaker was back on and the birds were literally hiding under the rocks it was so windy out - definitely worse than before! I absolutely gawked looking back at the Great Gulf as I carefully skipped down Rock Hell, passing Mt. Rachel McAdams (my own name) and then the Israel Ridge Path junction. My nose was running like a faucet as the trail slowly descended towards Thunderstorm Junction.
[3:51pm - Lowe's Path/Thunderstorm Junction]
[3:53pm - Lowe's Path/Spur Trail]
I hiked past the rotary that is Thunderstorm Junction, continuing on Lowe's Path, and then after Spur Path soon after. The footbed was momentarily nice and then we were right back to Rock Hell, and then another, longer moment of dirt between two sub-peaks, which was a DREAM.
Only bummer was that Lowe's Path went up and over one of the sub peaks, which realistically was so small, but the steep uphill got my heart rate UP. There was a great view back to Jefferson and to the mountains of the Pemi, though, so I guess it's fine.
This next stretch felt long. It was beautiful, but it was LONG. I loved paralleling the Castellated Ridge and hiking through the vast grasslands of the Nowell Ridge, but I was looking forward to being back in the trees. The clouds were becoming more abundant now, which made for some chilly moments. There were some steep spots, but they were always short, and I simply couldn't believe how high up I still was!
The trail began to approach the scrub and mildly approve in quality-of-life. I had a protein bar in this stretch to help pass the time. Each time I went out of and into the scrub the trees got just a little taller. I eventually took off my sunglasses and windbreaker before fully leaving the Alpine Zone. Not to repeat myself, but it was so ridiculously beautiful up here.
[4:38pm - Lowe's Path/Alpine Zone]
[4:38pm - Lowe's Path/Grey Knob Trail]
[4:39pm - Lowe's Path/Quay Path]
I eventually dropped down to the Alpine Zone Stop Sign, with the Gray Knob Trail junction just after. Another minute later was the junction with Quay Path - I noticed it said Gray Knob Cabin was only 100 yards away from here, but I simply could not mentally afford any more side quests. Onward!
Right after Quay Path was a lovely view, called the Quay, and then I went right back into the trees where I would stay for the rest of the day. This stretch had a lovely bit of flat dirt that me feet were enamored with, but like all good things, it didn't last for long, and I descended moderately to the Forest Protection Area.
[4:44pm - Lowe's Path Departs FPA]
The rest of my hike would feel very long, but there were landmarks every ~15ish minutes to keep me moving. The woods in here were absolutely stunning. Later, I could see the Cherry Mountain complex from a fir wave before the trail started to steeply descend (I wasn't mad becuase the footing was good and there was soft dirt to step on). I caught up to another descending hiker, a hiker who I saw HOURS earlier up near King Ravine, who was clacking his poles and said he thought I was an animal - gave us both a nice laugh.
I could hear US-2 as I navigated some slippery slabs, including one butt scootch. I didn't take the highway noise as a positive, though, because I knew I was simply still so high up.
[5:03pm - Lowe's Path/Randolph Path]
[5:03pm - Lowe's Path/Enters Log Cabin FPA]
I passed the Randolph Path and entered the Log Cabin Forest Protection Area as the grade momentarily chilled. There were some delightfully impressive new rock stairs lining the way down to the Log Cabin, which I could just make out through the trees.
[5:12pm - Lowe's Path/Cabin-Cascades Trail]
[5:12pm - Lowe's Path/Log Cabin]
I thought about paying the cabin a visit as I passed the junction with the super short access path and the Cabin-Cascades Trail, but I stuck by my "no side quests" policy! The trail steepened again after the Log Cabin, which simply just hurt (my body, my soul, and partially my ego too). There was another new rock staircase before Lowe's Path left the Forest Protection Area.
[5:21pm - Lowe's Path/Departs FPA]
After the Forest Protection Area sign the grade finally began to mellow out - that was a long, rough stretch of trail! The few staircases were wonderful changes, though. I hiked across some flat dirt with a smile on my sagging face. I hiked through a stretch full of nice, new steeping stones and stairs. there were some signs saying "This project partially funded by the New Hampshire Recreation Trails Program - Federal Highway Administration - A Federal, State and Local Partnership."
[5:33pm - Lowe's Path/King Ravine Trail]
[5:36pm - Lowe's Path/The Link]
I GASPED few minutes later when I saw the sign for King Ravine Trail, and I took that as a sign to stary flying down the trail! I remembered the first part of my hike being a delight, so I was ready! My new goal was to be at the car by 6:15pm.
I passed The Link soon after, got bit by a bug, and simultaneously heard a loud snap - nothing I could see - I bet sasquach. I caught up to a group of teens and thankfully they let me pass becuase I was CRUISING! I passed two backpackers and US-2 really started to roar. The power cut was next with what sounded like a symphony of crickers chirping, and then it was the Rail Trail!
[6:06pm - Lowe's Path/Presidential Rail Trail]
I passed the Rail Trail, took a nod as I passed the scene of the crime earlier today, and passed the large trailhead sign. I (this is probably a lie) had never been so excited to be finishing a hike like this! I could see the road!
[6:08pm - End of Trail]
I turned right onto US-2 and carefully crossed when I had a window. I got back to my car, which was one of very few left in the parking lot (and also not my car... I still had the silver Accord from Parkway Honda). I finished my hike with four minutes to spare!
[6:11pm - End of Hike]
I didn't feel comfortable doing my quick change without a towel on US-2, so I climbed into the back seat of the car to change. That part went great, until I realized the child locks were on... My final scramble of the day was carefully wiggling myself up to the front seat to escape the Accord!
I had a nice, easy drive home with a few stops for fuel (for my body) to keep me going. Hopefully I will have my CRV back soon!
Step-by-Step
- Park at Lowe's Store.
- Carefully cross and turn right onto US-2.
- At sign, turn left into woods onto Lowe's Path.
- At jct., turn left onto King Ravine Trail.
- At jct., continue straight/right/down onto Subway.
- Get stuck on Subway, turn around and give up.
- At jct., turn right onto King Ravine Trail.
- At jct., turn right onto upper end of Subway and try again.
- Succeed! At lower terminus, turn right back onto King Ravine Trail.
- At jct., turn right onto Great Gully Trail.
- At terminus (Thunderstorm Junction), turn left onto Gulfside (AT).
- At jct., turn left onto Air Line.
- At jct., turn left onto Chemin des Dames.
- At terminus, turn left onto King Ravine Trail.
- At terminus, turn right onto Air Line.
- At jct., turn left onto Gulfside (AT).
- Break at Madison Spring Hut, then turn left onto Star Lake Trail.
- Summit Mt. Adams, then turn left onto Lowe's Path.
- Follow Lowe's Path all the way down to the car.
