Mount Moosilauke is of the first places I wanted to visit after returning home from London. My favorite mountain, of course! I headed up early this morning, while it was still sunny, trying to beat the incoming clouds. The result was a lovely hike, with broad views from the summit. I set off at a brisk pace, wondering how I might feel climbing a big mountain after a year of mostly level ground and rolling hills in the South Downs.
The miles clicked by quickly, as I paced myself along the familiar terrain of the Gorge Brook trail. I reached the first viewpoint after 53 minutes, and began to wonder whether I might regain my prior personal best: 89 minutes to the summit. So I pressed on.
I reached the Jobildunc overlook at 68 minutes, where hikers are first treated to an expansive view of the White Mountains – including Franconia Ridge and (in the distant haze) Mount Washington.
I reached the East Peak at 81 minutes. No way, I thought, I could make the main peak with only 8 minutes remaining, but it was worth a try. The transit involves a brief descent, an incredibly flat scurry across the col, then a steady climb up the summit cone to the rocky peak.
Yes, 89 minutes and change! I’m glad I can still summit in less than 90 minutes. While it’s hardly a record-breaking feat (actually, the record time is half that number, set by a 20-year-old ski-team athlete running up the trail with no pack), I think it’s not bad for a guy three times his age, walking, with a pack.
I enjoyed the views from the summit, which was now busy with two dozen other hikers and their dogs.
On the way down I stopped to do a little trailwork – layering brush on an eroded bootleg trail – and to photograph the pretty cascades of Gorge Brook.
Hike stats: 48th consecutive weekend hiking!
Distance: 7.50 miles (12.1km)
Time: 3h28m (including many stops on the way down)
Gain: 2,458 feet (749m)
GaiaGPS Track
David Kotz 