I wanted to go hiking this weekend, ideally somewhere new — but had little time. So I picked Mount Tecumseh, the shortest of the 48 NH peaks over 4,000 feet in elevation, because it is relatively close to home and only 2.5 miles from trailhead to summit. I had not been there since 1995, so it felt like a new hike!
As always, it’s a good day to be out… read on.
It was a worthwhile outing, although the rain and clouds joined me once more. The rain was not bad – I put on my waterproof cap, covered my pack, and just kept on chugging up the trail, my body heat drying my shirt as quickly as the rain wet it. Like last week, the tree cover let me avoid the worst of the drizzle.
This trail is relentlessly steep, climbing 2,200 feet in 2.5 miles. In places it is washed out, badly eroded… but for many long stretches it is a series of expertly built stone steps. An incredible amount of work went into these steps, and for those trail-workers I am very grateful.
The photo at right gives you just a brief sense of the beautiful stonework… in some sections, it went on for a quarter mile or more.
There were no real views to be had today, with the clouds clinging to the peaks and even to the valleys. About halfway up, the trail snuggled close to the grassy slopes of the Waterville Valley Ski Area, which offered a bit of a view across the valley.
As you can see in the photo at the top of this post, there was barely any view at the summit. Indeed, when I arrived and snapped that photo, a small group of other hikers (who had arrived earlier) remarked that the clouds had just parted and that was first they’d seen other than clouds!
So today was a day for close-up views. There were some pretty stream crossings, and some very cool (and brightly colored!) fungi growing on the stumps and logs near the trail. Check out the gallery for more!
Hike stats:
Distance: 4.75 miles (though the book says 2.5 miles each way)
Time: 2h28
Gain: 2,073′
David Kotz 