Seek the Peak '06 Mount Washington/Boott Spur 7/22/06
Boott Spur 5500' to Lion Head 5100'
8 Miles 3550' Elevation gain
Kevin, Judy and Emma
This climb was for the Mount Washington Observatory's annual fund-raiser hike-a-thon known as "Seek the Peak". It marked the fifth STP for Emma and I, Jude's third. Our goal was not necessarily to reach the summit and as it turned out we didn't as the weather turned for the worse as the day progressed. Wanting to cover some new ground and avoid the crowded Tuckerman Ravine and Lion Head Trails as much as possible, we had planned beforehand to climb the Boott Spur Trail.
Starting out from Pinkham Notch, which is always bustling on a Saturday most anytime of the year, we followed the legions, some faster, some slower, along the Tuckerman Ravine Trail. Just past the Crystal Cascade, about 15 minutes into the hike with a mere 4/10ths of a mile and 250' of elevation behind us, we got to break away from the crowd as we came to the Boott Spur Trail which broke off to our left (south). Soon the trail curls back to the west and generally climbs in a southwesterly direction to the summit of Boott Spur, the shoulder on the southeast arm of Mount Washington.
At 1.7 miles from the start of this trail we stopped for a break at Harvard Rock which sits 4046' above sea level and offers spectacular views of both Tuckerman Ravine and Lion Head. At this point we have climbed 2.1 miles and 2000' from Pinkham Notch, or about 100' elevation gain every 1/10th mile. 300' and 3/10ths of a mile above Harvard Rock is Split Rock, a large glacial erratic seemingly split in two from some giant's battleax. 2/10ths of a mile and 350' above this is the junction with the Boot Spur Link which leads down towards Tuckerman Ravine Trail, intersecting just below (east) of Hermit Lake Shelter. On a previous climb we descended this trail and found it to be quite steep. I would suggest it only for those comfortable with rock-hopping on very steep trails.
I would say it would be a poor choice for descent in bad weather unless your gear was at Hermit Lake. The steepness and lack of protecting trees, not to mention wet slippery rocks would make this trail quite treacherous in a downburst. I suppose the short distance to shelter at Hermit Lake trumps these other factors, but use caution. Climbing this trail is an altogether different proposition. I'll let you know if I ever try it. 7/10ths of a mile and 800' above this trail junction lies the summit of Boott Spur, named for Dr. Francis Boott, a physician and botanist who explored the Presidential Range in the early 1800's with Dr. Jacob Bigelow.
From here we followed the Davis Path northwest 1/2 mile to its junction with the Lawn Cut-off. Descending now for 4/10ths of a mile to Tuckerman Junction. Here we turned east and descended the Tuckerman Ravine Trail for 2/10ths of a mile to where the Alpine Garden Trail breaks off to the northeast. We took this trail for 3/10ths of a mile to the intersection with Lion's Head Trail where we again turned east and began the descent from Lion's Head. At 1.1 mile this trail takes a sharp turn to the south and descends rapidly to the Tuckerman Ravine Trail, about a 10th of a mile east of the Hermit Lake Shelters.
From here we took a good soaking on the 2.4 mile trip back down to Pinkham Notch. Thankfully the rain held off until we were off of Lion Head, though the fog up there was thick as pea soup as the photos show. Despite the weather, it was still a great trip and paid off at the after hike cookout where Jude won a door prize of an AM-FM CD player. Just another great day on Mount Washington.
Read More8 Miles 3550' Elevation gain
Kevin, Judy and Emma
This climb was for the Mount Washington Observatory's annual fund-raiser hike-a-thon known as "Seek the Peak". It marked the fifth STP for Emma and I, Jude's third. Our goal was not necessarily to reach the summit and as it turned out we didn't as the weather turned for the worse as the day progressed. Wanting to cover some new ground and avoid the crowded Tuckerman Ravine and Lion Head Trails as much as possible, we had planned beforehand to climb the Boott Spur Trail.
Starting out from Pinkham Notch, which is always bustling on a Saturday most anytime of the year, we followed the legions, some faster, some slower, along the Tuckerman Ravine Trail. Just past the Crystal Cascade, about 15 minutes into the hike with a mere 4/10ths of a mile and 250' of elevation behind us, we got to break away from the crowd as we came to the Boott Spur Trail which broke off to our left (south). Soon the trail curls back to the west and generally climbs in a southwesterly direction to the summit of Boott Spur, the shoulder on the southeast arm of Mount Washington.
At 1.7 miles from the start of this trail we stopped for a break at Harvard Rock which sits 4046' above sea level and offers spectacular views of both Tuckerman Ravine and Lion Head. At this point we have climbed 2.1 miles and 2000' from Pinkham Notch, or about 100' elevation gain every 1/10th mile. 300' and 3/10ths of a mile above Harvard Rock is Split Rock, a large glacial erratic seemingly split in two from some giant's battleax. 2/10ths of a mile and 350' above this is the junction with the Boot Spur Link which leads down towards Tuckerman Ravine Trail, intersecting just below (east) of Hermit Lake Shelter. On a previous climb we descended this trail and found it to be quite steep. I would suggest it only for those comfortable with rock-hopping on very steep trails.
I would say it would be a poor choice for descent in bad weather unless your gear was at Hermit Lake. The steepness and lack of protecting trees, not to mention wet slippery rocks would make this trail quite treacherous in a downburst. I suppose the short distance to shelter at Hermit Lake trumps these other factors, but use caution. Climbing this trail is an altogether different proposition. I'll let you know if I ever try it. 7/10ths of a mile and 800' above this trail junction lies the summit of Boott Spur, named for Dr. Francis Boott, a physician and botanist who explored the Presidential Range in the early 1800's with Dr. Jacob Bigelow.
From here we followed the Davis Path northwest 1/2 mile to its junction with the Lawn Cut-off. Descending now for 4/10ths of a mile to Tuckerman Junction. Here we turned east and descended the Tuckerman Ravine Trail for 2/10ths of a mile to where the Alpine Garden Trail breaks off to the northeast. We took this trail for 3/10ths of a mile to the intersection with Lion's Head Trail where we again turned east and began the descent from Lion's Head. At 1.1 mile this trail takes a sharp turn to the south and descends rapidly to the Tuckerman Ravine Trail, about a 10th of a mile east of the Hermit Lake Shelters.
From here we took a good soaking on the 2.4 mile trip back down to Pinkham Notch. Thankfully the rain held off until we were off of Lion Head, though the fog up there was thick as pea soup as the photos show. Despite the weather, it was still a great trip and paid off at the after hike cookout where Jude won a door prize of an AM-FM CD player. Just another great day on Mount Washington.
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