The Winter "Open Hut" Solo Traverse

The Route:

Carter Notch Hut to Zealand Hut to Lonesome Lake Hut

After mulling over and rehearsing different route options for the key first leg of this route (designed with the valuable input of some friends), I decided that the most aesthetic and efficient route connecting Carter Notch Hut to the remainder of the route would be as follows: From Carter Notch Hut, descend Nineteen Mile Brook trail to a point where it's possible to cross the brook and access the Aqueduct Ski Trail leading from the brook to Great Glen. This is directly across the highway from the Mount Washington Auto Road, which leads for slightly less than 2 miles to the Raymond Path, connecting to the Huntington Fire Road within a stone's throw of the Winter Lion's Head Route. The route continues up the Lion's Head to the Alpine Garden Trail, then left to the Tuckerman Ravine Trail and on to the Tuckerman Crossover Trail, which leads to the Crawford Path just above Lake of the Clouds Hut. From this point on to the finish at Lonesome Lake, the route follows the standard combination of the Crawford, Avalon and A-Z Trails, the Twinway, the Garfield Ridge Trail, the Old Bridle Path, and the Lonesome Lake Trail.

Overview:

Start Time: 12:00 am February 29th, 2003 Carter Notch Hut
Finish Time: 6:58 pm February 29th Lonesome Lake Hut
Total Time: 18 hours 58 minutes
Total Mileage: 42.1 miles
Total Elevation Gain: 14,150 feet
Support: 3 self-support roadside caches. The Huts were used for water only. No support team was used, but my car was spotted for me.
Gear Carried: No overnight or cooking gear was carried. Total pack weight was about 18 lbs. Snowshoes and crampons were carried and used.
Conditions: A light snow year and an amazingly clear stretch of recent nice weather allowed many of the trails to become well packed, although snowshoes were required from Guyot to treeline on the North shoulder on Lafayette. 95%+ of the route was on snow and ice

Maps:

Map 1 - Carter Notch to Alpine Garden Trail
Map 2 - Alpine Garden Trail to Mizpah Cutoff
Map 3 - Mizpah Cutoff to Zealand Hut
Map 4 - Zealand Hut to below Garfield
Map 5 - Garfield to Old Bridle Path
Map 6 - Old Bridle Path to Lonesome Lake

Elevation Profiles:
(click to enlarge)

Carter Notch To Crawford Notch


Crawford Notch To Lonesome Lake

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Winter "Open Hut"
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Winter "Open Hut"
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