Huntington Ravine (Terrifying 25) July 26, 2020

July 26, 2020 Sunday Tuckerman Ravine, Huntington Ravine, Alpine Garden loop. 8.3 miles, 3400 feet, 8:45 hours.

We arrived at Pinkham Notch 6:45a. By the time 0700 had rolled around, all members were present. Our group consisted of our Redline Guiding guides, Ken Hodges and Nico Dubois, and Eryn, Evelyne, me, and Bill. At 0720 we headed up the Tuckerman Ravine trail, a wide and rocky path with a gradual but steady incline. At 0800, we had gone 1.3 miles to reach the Huntington Ravine trail.

Huntington Ravine trail is described as one of the most difficult trails in the White Mountains. The first part of the trail however is also a gradual climb and narrows to give a cozy feel. Soon we encountered our first of several water crossings. At Ken’s urging, we unclipped our packs and traversed them easily but with care. At 0830 we arrived at the intersection between the trails Huntington Ravine and Raymond Path where we took another short break. We continued along the floor of the ravine and then encountered our first glimpse of the headwall we were to climb.

We stopped at the Albert Dow first aid cache which highlighted the fact that many people have died or suffered along this route. As we entered the boulder field another plaque commemorated 2 lives lost in a 1964 avalanche. We sat on a rock the size of a tiny house, respectfully admiring our next objective, the Fan & Headwall. As we squirmed, hopped and shimmied our way through the boulder field, I caught a glimpse of a snow patch deep in a crevasse. The trail was blazed and easy to follow. As we climbed and looked out of the ravine, the clouds were swirling into interesting patterns. To our left was the Pinnacle, a vertical rock climbing destination that several people were headed to. At the top of the Fan, the wind began to pick up, so I had to store my cap in my pack. At the top of the Fan, we took another break before tackling the Headwall. The first section of the Headwall is described as the “crux” of the climb, with few hand holds and smooth rock. I stayed to the left of the yellow markers and the tread on my boots gripped the slab so well that I never felt insecure. We clambered up the slab on all fours. Evelyne was clearly the fastest of us all, earning her the trail name Arachnid.

The second part, was just steep hand and foot climbing. We encountered a boulder jutting out which required us to carefully hug and swing our legs closely around it while gripping near the top of it. The rest of the climbing was relaxed and there was a lot of chatter along the way. There was a flat section where we took a short break before tackling the final and most challenging part, The Chimney. From down below it looked intimidating but as soon as I began climbing it, there were lots of hand and footholds. I used the stemming technique (using the hands and feet in oppositional force to shimmy up) a lot during this climb which helped a lot. Never at any point did I feel frightened during the ascent and I was sad it was over. At 1125 we were at the giant cairn marking the junction of Huntington Ravine and the Alpine Garden trails. The Terrifying 25 trail, Huntington Ravine, was done!

At this point the winds were blowing and we were surrounded by clouds so we decided not to head to the summit. Instead we wanted to check out the Alpine Garden. First we walked to the edge so we could peak down into the Ravine from which we just came. We carefully rock hopped our way back to the Alpine Garden Trail to avoid stepping on any of the fragile vegetation. Tiny yellow, white, and purple flowers dotted the grassy landscape. The clouds obscured the summit of Washington but we still heard the occasional blare from the Cog Railway which reminded us we weren’t far from the tallest peak in the east coast.

At 1220 we had reached the edge of Tuckerman Ravine. We stopped to briefly reflect on a scary event that had happened there to Eryn and Evelyne a few months earlier. However they didn’t want to dwell on the past so we continued to admire the views into Tuckerman Ravine. I had a hard time imagining that people ski down that steep slope. There were a few lingering collapsed snow caves and beautiful cascades along our descent of the Tuckerman Ravine trail. The trail was wet in spots so I took my time as I didn’t want to slip and fall. We reached the flat area with another first aid cache at 1345 and took a break. We made it to Hermit Lake Shelter at 1430, ate a snack and used the (flush!) toilets. We made it back to the junction of Huntington Ravine at 1515 and continued out the way we had come in. We made a brief stop at Crystal Cascades to break up the monotony of the descent. We made it back to Pinkham Notch at 1600 delighted from another wonderful time spent in the mountains. What a wonderful way for me and Bill to celebrate our 26th anniversary.

Music: Silent Wings, Moving, Make a Wish, and Illumination

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