MT CRAWFORD & STAIRS MOUNTAIN 7/14/12



The Summit of Stairs Mountain





Summit Mt Crawford



We hit the Davis Path at 8:30 Saturday morning, temps were reasonable and the sky was a beautiful shade of blue. My wife Karen's ankle was a little balky, forcing her to donn an ankle support during our hike. Along with our 2 dogs, Phil & Maggie we set out to summit Mt Crawford. The approach to Crawford kept us under thick cover, so we were the last to know that the temperatures and humidity outside the tree cover were becoming oppressive. The hike to Crawford is short in distance, only 2.5 miles from the Davis Path trail head, but the elevation gain of 2100 ft is accomplished in about a 2 mile swatch and with rising temps & humidity, the grade seemed steeper than it was. The Davis Path is well maintained, with many strategically located rock stairs and paths. At roughly the 2 mile mark, you hit some steep stone ledge, which could be tricky in wet weather. Fortunately for us the rock was bone dry. About a quarter mile or so from the summit there is a lovely ledge, exposing a wonderful view of the Prezi's. We stopped there for a cool drink and realized, it was getting hotter and hotter. The was a nice breeze blowing through the exposed area, but based on the dampness of our clothing, the humidity was definitely becoming a factor. We summited Crawford at approximately 10:30.



Off To Stairs Mountain

After a snack and some lounging, I asked Karen if she was up to continuing on the 2.5 additional miles to Stairs Mountain. She said her ankle was OK and off we went toward Stairs. The first 1.5 miles was on the flat side and the topography was pretty cool,  walking through dense forest, gardens of lichen and other interesting plant growth. The assent to the summit featured a wonderful rock scramble that forced us on certain sections to climb using both hands, feet, hoofs and paws.  After the scramble you wind up on a relatively mild ledge path and out of nowhere pop out to maybe the most underrated summit view in the White Mountains.




The Stairs summit is situated around sheer, steep and deep cliffs and valleys, surrounded by a panoramic view that takes your breath away. The summit cliff is not very roomy, you'd be crowded with 10 people around you, so I kept a keen eye on the dogs to make sure they didn't get excessively adventurous.

Karen, Maggie, Phil & I enjoy the beautiful summit of Stairs

After a quick lunch, we headed down though what had now become oppressive heat and humidity. Stupid me, I really didn't take sufficient water supplies and we began rationing in temps that you shouldn't ration in. Hence, our hike down the steeps of Davis Path took much needed leg energy from us and without proper hydration, the 4 of us labored down the mountain more than we would have otherwise.



Karen feeling the heat

We finished the 9.8 mile hike in 7 hours, quickly proceeded to the Crawford Notch General Store, when I bought a Nantcuktet Lemon aide, that I chugged so fast I got ice cream head in my esophagus! Dinner and a whirl in the hot tub followed what was another fantastic day in the White Mountains.

Footnote:  Phil must of ate something along the way he shouldn't have eatten and lets just say our forsight was righ- on when we decided to cover the backseat of the car with a sheet.  Maggie, the smart dog that she is bee-lined into the front seat where she rode the rest of the way home!

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