We started a Gunstock Mountain Resort, up to Mt. Rowe. We did an out-and-back to Piper and Whiteface before descending to Round Pond. We then we up Mt. Klem, out-and-back to Rand Mt., tagged Mt. Klem, then over to Mack. We then snaked across Anna, W. Quarry, E. Quarry, N. Straightback and S. Straightback before finishing on Mt. Major. Trailhead to Mt. Major summit was in 8:01, trailhead-to-trailed was 8:46.
We started in the mist up Mt. Rowe, got socked in by the time we tagged Gunstock, and it stayed that way for several hours. We had some rain, lots of mud, and slick roots and rocks, The temp dropped severely by the time we hit Round Pond, but started to rebound by the time we hit Anna. The spur trail between Klem and Rand is gnarly, and I would not do it as an out-and-back again. From Anna, we took the marsh trail to bag W. Quarry, which is another trail involving lots of scrambling up rock slabs. This section was very steep as well, very slow going. From W. Quarry we went over to E. Quarry. and then over the two Straightbacks. By then the sun had really started to break through the clouds, which lightened our moods significantly. The jaunt over the Mt. Major was delightful in the sunshine, and what an awesome reward the summit of Mt. Major is! Incredible views. From there we again avoided the steep slabs on the descent back to the car and took the green trail down. We then shuttled the cars back to Gunstock. An amazing day!