Mount Monadnock (New Hampshire, 11/26/'16)
Nov 28, 2016 10:46:10 GMT -5
Post by GaliWalker on Nov 28, 2016 10:46:10 GMT -5
Mount Monadnock, located in southern New Hampshire, is considered to be New Hampshire's most popular hike. So, of course, it was one of the first options to pop up when I began to look around for a 'turkey burn' hike that was reasonably close to our Thanksgiving basecamp of Massachusetts. With a high point of 3,165ft and a 4-5mi roundtrip distance, all I was hoping to get was some exercise and a few views of the (potentially) pastoral variety.
Mount Monadnock was a 1.75hr long drive away for me, but thick fog slowed my progress down considerably. Despite that I was at the trailhead a little after 6:00am, to a surprisingly empty parking lot. Yay, no crowds!
Route: Take the White Dot trail up to the summit. Return via the Smith Connector, Cliff Walk, Lost Farm and Parker trails.
The White Dot trail began benignly enough; a wide, moderately steep path made for straightforward progress, despite having to use the headlamp for the first 15min or so. The way up led through a mixed spruce/hardwood forest. The hardwoods were bare of leaves and these coated the trail in a thick rain-wet carpet, making the footing quite slippery.
The easy going ended abruptly, about 0.8mi into the hike. From this point up to the summit the trail was a semi-scramble on granite slabs. Unfortunately, all the rocks were wet from recent rainfall, as well as some spots of snowmelt and stream run-off. Due to the chilly conditions all of this wetness had turned to ice. It was fun going, but spicier than I had anticipated. I found my spikes essential footwear.
A little further up I broke out of the trees and began to get the first views, right as an overcast dawn was breaking. The valleys below were cloaked by the cloying embrace of a cold fog. To the east, however, golden sunlight glinted off the top of the blanket of fog, providing the hope of some warmth.
The enjoyment quotient was in overdrive by now. Mount Monandack was surpassing all expectations. An extensive rock garden of granite slabs, aesthetically painted with swaths of snow and dotted with pools of ice, lay between me and the summit. Hoarfrost, as well as full-on ice sheets, made every rock surface glitter. Swirling mist, glowing in the morning sunshine, made even the atmosphere scenic. Woof!
I made my way to the summit, where I was joined by a couple of other hikers. Knowing that the hordes would soon be upon me I exited stage right: I began by descending a short bit along the White Dot trail, but then took the Smith Connector trail to depart the summit amphitheater. My plan was to take this trail to the sub-summit bump of Bald Rock.
A steep descent through a pretty spruce forest took me down to Bald Rock. This sported some nice views of Mount Monadnock's summit and the valleys.
I continued to drop down steeply, now hiking along the Cliff Walk trail. Instead of taking this one all the way down to the Parker trail, I decided to tuck in one more, the Lost Farm trail. I'm glad I did, because after only a few steps along the Lost Farm trail I was treated to a lovely view of the valley below: clearing fog and candlestick spruce trees made for an ethereal sight.
The Lost Farm trail meandered its way through a hardwood forest, before intersecting with the mostly flat Parker trail, which I used to return to my car. Yup, the parking lot was overflowing by now.
Hiking/photography stats: 5mi, 2000ft elevation gain, 4.5hrs
Mount Monadnock was a 1.75hr long drive away for me, but thick fog slowed my progress down considerably. Despite that I was at the trailhead a little after 6:00am, to a surprisingly empty parking lot. Yay, no crowds!
Route: Take the White Dot trail up to the summit. Return via the Smith Connector, Cliff Walk, Lost Farm and Parker trails.
The White Dot trail began benignly enough; a wide, moderately steep path made for straightforward progress, despite having to use the headlamp for the first 15min or so. The way up led through a mixed spruce/hardwood forest. The hardwoods were bare of leaves and these coated the trail in a thick rain-wet carpet, making the footing quite slippery.
The easy going ended abruptly, about 0.8mi into the hike. From this point up to the summit the trail was a semi-scramble on granite slabs. Unfortunately, all the rocks were wet from recent rainfall, as well as some spots of snowmelt and stream run-off. Due to the chilly conditions all of this wetness had turned to ice. It was fun going, but spicier than I had anticipated. I found my spikes essential footwear.
A little further up I broke out of the trees and began to get the first views, right as an overcast dawn was breaking. The valleys below were cloaked by the cloying embrace of a cold fog. To the east, however, golden sunlight glinted off the top of the blanket of fog, providing the hope of some warmth.
The enjoyment quotient was in overdrive by now. Mount Monandack was surpassing all expectations. An extensive rock garden of granite slabs, aesthetically painted with swaths of snow and dotted with pools of ice, lay between me and the summit. Hoarfrost, as well as full-on ice sheets, made every rock surface glitter. Swirling mist, glowing in the morning sunshine, made even the atmosphere scenic. Woof!
I made my way to the summit, where I was joined by a couple of other hikers. Knowing that the hordes would soon be upon me I exited stage right: I began by descending a short bit along the White Dot trail, but then took the Smith Connector trail to depart the summit amphitheater. My plan was to take this trail to the sub-summit bump of Bald Rock.
A steep descent through a pretty spruce forest took me down to Bald Rock. This sported some nice views of Mount Monadnock's summit and the valleys.
I continued to drop down steeply, now hiking along the Cliff Walk trail. Instead of taking this one all the way down to the Parker trail, I decided to tuck in one more, the Lost Farm trail. I'm glad I did, because after only a few steps along the Lost Farm trail I was treated to a lovely view of the valley below: clearing fog and candlestick spruce trees made for an ethereal sight.
The Lost Farm trail meandered its way through a hardwood forest, before intersecting with the mostly flat Parker trail, which I used to return to my car. Yup, the parking lot was overflowing by now.
Hiking/photography stats: 5mi, 2000ft elevation gain, 4.5hrs
