Mount Cabot and The Horn

After bagging some of the more prominent New Hampshire peaks three days ago – in the Pemigewasset Wilderness, at the heart of White Mountain National Forest – I was still itching for another hike on this long holiday weekend. So early today my son and I headed back north, through the fog lining the Connecticut River Valley. We passed through the Sunday-morning quiet in small towns like Groveton and tiny towns like Stark, ending up on a remote gravel road leading to the New Hampshire Fish Hatchery near York Pond. As the sun struggled to beat back the morning fog, we dove into the damp, green forests below Mount Cabot. Our goal was an 11.5-mile triangular loop over Cabot and another less prominent – but more promising – bump called The Horn. Read on!

The Bunnell Notch Trail began easily enough, rising gently through the forest and alongside a pretty little brook. Once we passed over the notch we connected with the Mount Cabot Trail, which climbed steeply to the ridge of Mount Cabot. We snatched only the briefest of views from a viewpoint, and then climbed further into the low clouds.

We soon topped the ridge, found the cabin once used (long ago) by the ranger who tended the firetower (long gone), then climbed further to the wooded summit. Surrounded by trees, it has no views – an otherwise unredeeeming 4000-footer peak. We pressed on… dropping several hundred feet and passing by the left flank of The Horn. Here, my son opted for a nap while I climbed the short spur trail to the rocky summit. Fortunately, the clouds had lifted and I had some fine views back along our route (shown at top of this page), and to the west and north. Now I see why The Horn is on the “fifty-two with a view” (52WAV) list! A dark cloud loomed to the west – and then, rather menacingly, it rumbled slightly. Time to leave the summit!

From here it was a long, gentle downhill to Unknown Pond. This rather unassuming name belies the beauty of the pond, over which The Horn looms as a backdrop. We nodded at the tentsite (mental note, come back here to camp someday!) and headed down the unnamed stream that drains the unknown pond, ticking off the final miles back to our starting point.

The trail from Mount Cabot to Unknown Pond was littered with blowdowns – nothing serious, but requiring some maintenance soon – and the trail from the pond down to the road was mucky and muddy. Fortunately, as we neared the road, we encountered the work of an excellent trail crew, rebuilding and relocating the trail onto higher ground.

Overall, a fine hike on a hot summer’s day. Check out the photo gallery! To top it off, we stopped for ice cream in St. Johnsbury!

Hike stats:
Distance: 11.0 miles (17.7km)
Elevation gain: 3,005ft (916m)
Time: 5h31m