Last weekend I was lucky to snag the last parking spot at the trailhead for the Osceola peaks, even at 7:30am on a Sunday morning. Today I could not find any parking near my desired trail, in the heart of the White Mountains of New Hampshire. I found a parking lot –distant but empty – for a roadside waterfall, and studied the map. I could walk back up the road (emphasis on UP!) or I could bushwhack alongside the waterfall and its brook and join the trail further up slope. It was super steep… but the route would avoid a roadwalk and save time, right? I decided to go for it; wow, was I in for a treat! Sometimes a little bad luck turns into an outstanding opportunity. Read on!
I pulled into the parking lot at 7:30am on a Sunday morning… and it was full. Well, nearly full; I snagged the very last spot available. Other hikers milled about, readying their backpacks for the hike to Mount Osceola. Yes, it is a beautiful sunny weekend in September, prime time for hiking in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. But, gosh, I thought I was an early riser. I thought I’d beat the crowds. I’m glad I came when I did… and it was worth it! read on.
David on the summit of Mount Osceola, with the ridge to East Osceola in the foreground. Mount Washington is in the far distance, just to the right of “OR” on my cap.Continue reading “Mount Osceola”
A quick hike to the shortest of the NH 4000-footers.
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.
A remarkably challenging loop over two of the smallest NH 4000-footers.
I could not remember the last (only) time I hiked Mount Whiteface and Mount Passaconaway, two non-descript peaks in the eastern section of the White Mountain National Forest here in New Hampshire. My records show that I climbed in 1996, when I was wrapping up my effort to climb all 48 of the NH peaks over 4,000 feet in elevation. Today, when I drove along the dirt road and approached the trailhead, a strong memory flashed into my head… a memory of the meadow beside the parking area, of remote farmhouses nestled between the road and the burbling brook known as the Wonalancet River, of plodding down that dirt road after a long hike with friends. Today, 27 years later, I was back because it seemed like a nice opportunity to revisit some trails and peaks I’d seen before but since forgotten. Read on!
An abbreviated but beautiful overnight hiking trip.
We had planned this outing for months, and I was jealously guarding these dates on my calendar. Alex and Jeff and I were determined to make a four-day, three-night backpacking trip in the White Mountain National Forest (WMNF), here in New Hampshire. The weather had other plans, with heavy rain and strong thunderstorms in the forecast. We squeezed our trip into two days, and it all turned out well; read on!
One of my favorite go-to hikes is to climb Mount Cube via the Rivendell Trail. Today, after three weeks of nearly non-stop rain, a friend and I planned an early start to avoid the forecast of hot/humid temperatures, and likely thunderstorms, later in the morning and afternoon. We arrived at the trailhead at 6:30 and climbed through the morning fog. The trail was extremely wet, requiring us to step over, around, or through many muddy patches, but the going was otherwise easy. We snatched brief views at the two outlooks along the way, but arrived on the summit in the clouds. After about 10 minutes, the clouds (really, fog) rose and allowed us a glimpse of neighboring smarts mountain.
View of Smarts Mountain from Mount Cube
It’s always a good day when one is out in the mountains.
Hike stats: Distance: 4.1 miles Time: 2h43 Gain: 1995′
Mount Cardigan is one of my local go-to mountains when I want to get up and out, without a long drive. It is extremely popular because it is a relatively short hike and offers a bare granite summit with long views in all directions. I tend to go early, to beat the crowds, but that was especially important today… at 7am the temperature was already in the high 60s and extremely humid, with thunderstorms possible in late morning and afternoon. Read on!
A rainpuddle and cairn on the summit of Mount Cardigan. Fog swallows Hanover and Lyme and other villages of the Connecticut River Valley.Continue reading “Cardigan”
Today was a glorious day – one of those blue-sky days that makes you amazed to be part of this world, especially when you are strolling above treeline along one of the most incredible mountain ranges in the northeastern United States. Three friends and I took advantage of the Memorial Day holiday to head for the Presidential Range of the White Mountains here in New Hampshire. Centered on Mount Washington, the highest peak in the northeast, most of the peaks in this range are named for U.S. Presidents and nearly the entire range is above treeline.
Jen, Lelia, Lars, David, and Karhu on Mount Monroe, with Mount Washington in the background. Presidential Range, White Mountains, NH.
Today, we left one car near the western base of Mount Washington, hiked up the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail to Lakes of the Clouds, where there is an AMC Hut, then followed the ridgeline south over Mounts Monroe, Eisenhower, and Pierce, before descending the Crawford Path to our second car in Crawford Notch. We were ably led throughout by the indomitable Karhu, who had a knack for sniffing out the right the trail and pausing whenever he reached a trail junction. We often stopped to enjoy the sunshine and nibble a snack.
We had spectacular views and occasionally crossed some of the winter’s remaining patches of snow! Check out the full photo gallery to share the views.
Today was breezy and a bit chilly, but nonetheless a spectacular spring day. I took the opportunity to head for Mount Cube, one of my favorite nearby/short hikes. The Rivendell trail ascends quickly over the span of two miles, meeting the Appalachian Trail at Mount Cube’s granite summit. From there, there is a broad view spanning the Green Mountains of Vermont and the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and the plains of the Connecticut River valley.
David on the summit of Mount Cube.
Today, though, the best part of the hike was the way that spring was bursting out all over, with wildflowers blooming small and large all along the trail. Below is a trillium, in a deeply maroon color. For a few more photos, see the gallery.
Now that the snow has mostly disappeared from my little patch of woods – ‘my’ home forest, where I like to ramble in the early mornings when I have the opportunity – it feels like there is less to see. In the the depths of winter I can wade uphill through fluffy drifts of new-fallen snow, or crunch my way through older sun-worn snow, enjoying the fresh air and the opportunity to see (quite literally) the comings and goings of the local wildlife mapped out on the terrain in the form of their footprints through the snow. So today, as I topped the ridge on a warm spring morning, the sky as blue as ever but the leaf-covered ground as bare and brown and boring as it ever can be, I thought to myself that spring is just not nearly as interesting as winter. At least, for an untrained observer like me, not accustomed to ‘reading’ the complex groundscape of leaf and twig, stone and brush. Sure, I’ve noticed the places where the local residents scratch among the leaves in search of last year’s acorns, and I’ve examined piles of scat to discern who may have been through here – or whom they’ve eaten – but it’s much harder to see what’s going on. Then, I looked up.
David Kotz 