| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Boott Spur, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Old Jackson Road, Raymond Path, Tuckerman Ravine Trail, Boott Spur Link, Boott Spur Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, July 1, 2023 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
I got to Pinkham Notch Visitor's Center around 7:45 and a lot of spots were already taken. There were still open spots though. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Significant |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
The only ones of consequence were the two near the west end of Raymond Path, where the trail first crosses the brook that drains Huntington Ravine and then Raymond Cataract. The crossing of the brook that drains Huntington Ravine is sketchy, since, as the WMG mentions, it's at the brink of a waterfall. I could hear the brook from a significant distance away, so I figured the crossing might be tough. There were no exposed rocks to use - the ledges at the top of the falls had a couple inches of swiftly flowing water over them. I put on my waders for the crossing - they gave good grip on the rock, and the crossing itself only took (a nerve-wracking) 15 seconds. The crossing of Raymond Cataract soon afterward would be an easy rock-hop in low water, but the rocks one would use in that situation were underwater today. There were a few exposed rocks, but they were wet and slippery. Not wanting to risk falling in, I put my waders on for this crossing as well. All other crossings were easy. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
A few blowdowns on Raymond Path, including one where it's easy to hit your head on it (don't ask me how I know). All signs are in place (this area is signed very well), though some of the signs on Boott Spur Trail are easy to miss for descending hikers. Drainage is the big one here. Old Jackson Road had water running down it in a few spots, and a few muddy areas as well. Raymond Path had large sections of deep mud that is difficult to avoid. Boott Spur Trail had water running down it from treeline all the way down to the spur to Harvard Rock, and the entire section below treeline had very wet and slippery rocks that required major caution to descend. It also had a few mudpits. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Wouldn't recommend them. The water crossings on Raymond Path would be difficult for dogs right now. They'd probably also struggle on the very steep climb up Boott Spur Link. And the upper Boott Spur Trail has sections of rock that dogs would find uncomfortable. |
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 | Bugs: |
Surprisingly, very few for me today, anywhere on this hike. My first hike in over a month where bugs weren't an issue. Maybe bug season is finally winding down. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Found a snow basket on Boott Spur Trail that must have broken off someone's walking stick. I packed it out. If you think it's yours and it has value to you, let me know. |
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 | Comments: |
This was a very strenuous and, by my standards, a slow hike, but very rewarding. I wasn't originally planning to hike today, but I saw the brief window of good (or at least not terrible) weather on the Presidentials and jumped at the opportunity.
Old Jackson Road is easy - it was wet and muddy in a few places, but nothing too bad, and I was able to breeze through it. It was by far the fastest trail of the day. Raymond Path I was honestly not a fan of - it has a few nice sections, but also lots of very slippery rocks and roots, a bunch of large mudpits, and no views despite going across a fairly steep slope. It has a few steep pitches, but none of them go on for too long, and it has a few PUDs as well. The water crossings were the highlight of the trail - unless you plan on using waders (as I did), I'd recommend waiting until water levels are lower. The final section of Raymond Path up to Tuckerman Ravine Trail has a lot of larger rocks that make footing tricky since they were all wet and slippery. It was actually a relief to hop onto Tuckerman Ravine Trail for the final few tenths to Hermit Lake, since the rocks on Tuckerman Ravine were dry. Tuckerman Ravine Trail is closed going up the headwall, so hikers intending to summit Washington have to use Lion Head Trail instead. Perhaps for that reason, there were only a few people at Hermit Lake when I got there. I chatted with the caretakers and confirmed that the weather forecast was still good for a climb up to Boott Spur.
Boott Spur Link starts off gradual but rough, but then once it starts climbing, it really climbs. It probably climbed about 800 vertical feet in 0.4 miles, numbers that are comparable to Chemin des Dames in King Ravine. There are a few minor scrambles, but nothing is too technical, and it can still be done even when the rocks below treeline are wet. Experienced scramblers shouldn't have too much difficulty with the trail. It's just damn steep - sometimes there were views but most of the time there weren't due to the clouds. The above-treeline portion was nicely dry, and had some rock-hopping but nothing too out of the ordinary for steep, above-treeline trails. Eventually it becomes more gradual and then meets up with Boott Spur Trail. Boott Spur Trail from there up to Boott Spur had two easier sections - one just above the junction and the other about halfway from the junction to the top. The rest of it is steep (and, of course, entirely exposed). Footing is rough but not horrible - there were only a few places where you need to rock-hop the talus. There was a lot of loose rock on the trail though. There are a lot of cairns and the trail corridor is usually quite obvious, so unless the fog is REALLY dense you probably wouldn't lose the trail.
As I had lunch near the junction of Boott Spur Trail and Davis Path, clouds continuously blew by, sometimes revealing views. Washington was always in the clouds, but sometimes I could see Mt. Monroe across Oakes Gulf. It was an interesting optical illusion - Monroe looked higher than where I was sitting, however in actuality Boott Spur is higher than Monroe. Then came the long slog down Boott Spur Trail back to Pinkham Notch. The portion above treeline actually wasn't too bad, since the rocks were dry and I could get good grip on them. But as soon as I dropped into the trees, all the rocks became very wet and slippery, just like the trails I had hiked in the morning. There was running water down Boott Spur Trail from treeline all the way down to the spur for Harvard Rock. Below that, there wasn't much running water, but the trail was steep and the rocks and roots were so slippery, and the trail is very rough, that I had to slow down and place each step very cautiously. I averaged barely over 1 mph on the below-treeline descent. It seemed to go on forever, but my Alltrails kept me aware that I was making progress. Eventually, after struggling down endless wet, slippery rocks and trying to keep my balance on the heavily eroded trail, I got down the ladder, crossed John Sherburne Ski Trail, and popped out onto Tuckerman Ravine Trail. At this point, it was about 4:20 PM, and I attempted to talk a large group of beginner hikers out of heading all the way up to Hermit Lake - I wasn't sure if they understood how relentless Tuckerman Ravine Trail is and didn't think they had headlamps (I told the Visitor's Center front desk about this group - hopefully they turned around before reaching the lake and got out safely). Finally, I couldn't pass up a look at Crystal Cascade since it was right there, and it was ROARING! Very impressive.
This was a very tiring hike. The lack of easy terrain to recharge the batteries was difficult, and the wildfire smoke from Canada didn't help either. This hike redlined Raymond Path, Boott Spur Link, and Boott Spur Trail for me, and I can't say I'm exactly itching to do any of them again soon, but at least I got them done. The views and scenery, when they were visible, were superb, and it never got particularly windy on the Boott Spur ridge. Amazing day in the Presidentials. |
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 | Name: |
GN |
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 | E-Mail: |
ghnaigles@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2023-07-01 |
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 | Link: |
 https:// |
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Disclaimer: Reports are not verified - conditions may vary. Use at own risk. Always be prepared when hiking. Observe all signs. Trail conditions reports are not substitutes for weather reports or common sense. |
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