For various reasons, I have not had a chance to hike any Big mountains for many months, but was eagerly looking for a day when the weather, my schedule, and my friends would all converge. Today was that day – beautiful blue skies, crisp temperatures, and decent trail conditions. We followed the Glencliff Trail – which is part of the Appalachian Trail – up Mount Moosilauke. This is my favorite winter approach; despite it having the greatest elevation gain of any approach to the summit, it is the shortest approach in winter and allows one to traverse the beautiful ridgeline between south and north peak.
It is often said that Moosilauke has the best view of the high peaks in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, despite being only tenth in height. It offers sweeping views of Vermont’s Green Mountains to the west, and of the big ranges like Franconia and Presidentials to the northeast.
Today we were able to take all that in, as well as to enjoy the close-up views like the rime on the trees and 5″ frost feathers that grew overnight on the rocks.
For more photos, see the gallery.
Hike stats:
Distance: 11.70km
Time: 6h40m
Gain: 975m
David Kotz 