Mount Eisenhower and Mount Monroe, September 15, 2013, Presidential Range, White Mountain National Forest

View of Traverse towards Mts. Eisenhower, Monroe, and Washington, from Mt. Pierce Cutoff

Over the last few years, it has become an annual tradition for my brother and I to make a trip up to the Whites and tackle a few more mountains on our respective 4000-footer lists. Down to a mere handful on his countdown, he has been kind enough to join me on a few jaunts that have him reclimbing some of the toughest. For this trip, we decided on a hut-to-hut traverse over the Presidential Range. For me, it would mean knocking off six peaks. My brother had been up there a few times before, but had missed both Eisenhower and Jefferson. So the traverse idea had equal appeal to him.

On a beautiful, early Autumn day, we stowed a car at Appalachia and took the AMC shuttle to Highland Center where we spent the night. Breakfast, we learned, would be at 6:30 AM... far too late by our standards. We awoke early but were rebuffed in an attempt to jump into the breakfast buffet before 6:30 sharp. Forced to hit the trail at 7:00, we spent the morning lamenting the "hiker-unfriendly" policy of starting breakfast so darn late.

Mt. Eisenhower Summit Cairn

Lost in our complaints, we made quick work of the Crawford Path - the oldest continuously maintained hiking trail in the mountains - and reached 4000-foot elevation by mid-morning. After admiring a great view of the traverse route north to Mt Washington from the Mt. Pierce cutoff, we continued along the Crawford Path to Mt. Eisenhower. A lone American flag had been planted on the summit cairn, left from the previous day's "Flags on the 48" memorial hike - an annual event commemorating 9/11 in which flags are flown simultaneously on all 48 4000 footers.

Pressing on, we crossed 5000-footer Mt. Franklin and climbed up and over Mt. Monroe. Our destination, Lakes of the Clouds hut, sits on the shoulder of Mount Washington in a col between the highest peak in New England and Mt. Monroe. We quickly descended and arrived at the hut in time for lunch and passed the afternoon resting, conversing with arriving hikers, and exploring the immediate vicinity. I thought about running up to the summit of Mt. Washington but figured that we could hit it first thing the next morning...

... but White Mountain weather would render that plan impossible.

Arriving at Lakes of the Clouds hut, ominous clouds in the distance

Peaks: Mt. Eisenhower and Mt. Monroe 
Elevation: 4,760 and 5,372 feet (Gain: 3,450 feet) 
Distance: 7.0 miles 
Route: Traverse, via Crawford Path from Highland Center to Lakes of the Clouds Hut
Conditions: Mostly sunny, 55 degrees F