Mt. Adams via Kings Ravine

The weather was bright blue skies with a high of 36 degrees, breezy with a north wind of 20 mph and relatively cold. Perfect visibility.

Was an incredibly epic day on the trail!

It had been quite some time since we hiked King Ravine. If you liked climbing trees and jungle gyms as a kid, King Ravine Trail is the route for you. The highlight of the day was definitely wandering through the boulder fields in the bottom of King's Ravine. Ice caves and the Subway were cool too!

Subway had a few spots where we had to stop and think. No problems navigating them but we had to contort ourselves into some weird angles.  What fun! :)

King Ravine headwall lived up to expectations, very steep and wild, hiking over large boulders!

Footing is stable until the very top, where it is more loose rock and gravel but still pretty good. From the foot of the King Ravine headwall, it took us over one hour to get to the ridge.  The views were spectacular today!

Met many hikers today. Was quite sunny and cold today--glad to have hat, gloves, and insulated layers this day. Descended via Airline. The section on the knife-edge crest of Durand Ridge had magnificent views!

Overall an amazing day. Everyone seemed quite happy with the weather despite being cold on the summit. Good to have so many GO members join us today!! The GO hiking community is wonderful! 

Mike and Jon

FUN hike up one the most spectacular trails in the White Mountains to this 5,000 footer in the Presidential Range! 

Mt. Adams, [5,799'] is the second highest mountain in Northeast but there is also nothing else second-rate about this ruggedly spectacular mountain! Some say that it's the most interesting of all 4,000 footers. We will ascend through King Ravine, the most spectacular route to Adams, especially combined with a return down Durand Ridge on the Air Line. Traverse of King Ravine involves rough and difficult scrambling over boulders and ledges.

We start using the Short Line up the valley of Cold Brook into lower area of King Ravine reaching the King Ravine Trail at 2.7 miles. The ascent will then become steep and rugged up through the floor of ravine amidst scrub growth and huge boulders, with several fairly challenging scrambles; there are several narrow passages through caves that may make some hikers uncomfortable. After the very steep, rough ascent of the headwall, we’ll follow Air Line 0.6 mile to the summit of Adams.

We’ll descend using the Air Line that provides maximum views with its traverse of the exposed Knife Edge on upper Durand Ridge; the looks into King Ravine are especially dramatic!

Round trip distance: 8.9 miles

Vertical feet: 4,500

Approximate time: 9 hours

It's easy to maintain social distancing on the trails as everyone hikes at their own pace but for the initial meet and greet, please have a face covering with you until we get started. Also, please respect each other’s space. When we pass other hikers put your face covering back on and move off the trail. As with all places nowadays, please stay home if you're sick or have been around anyone sick.

What to wear/bring: Wear clothing suitable for the hike in layers...no cotton or blue jeans. Have a rain jacket in the event of inclement weather. Don’t forget your gloves, warm hat and insulating layers. Bring along plenty of water (at least 2 liters), lunch, snacks and anything else you may require for a day hike. Contact us if you have any questions.

Afterwards: Everyone is welcome to join us back at our house in Waterville Valley to relax by our fireplace [BYOB and bring snacks] followed by one of Jon's delicious dinners. We ask $10 per person to help pay for our food costs. Showers are available so bring a change of clothing to make your visit with us more comfortable.

Lodging Option: Bunk beds are available at our house [with Wi Fi] near Waterville Valley, NH for Friday and/or Saturday nights. It's $25 for Friday night, $35 for Saturday that includes dinner or $60 for the weekend. Coffee/bagels each morning and linen/blankets/towels are provided. Space is limited so email ASAP to reserve a bunk!