Christmas Eve Along Smarts Brook

After two days of snow, freezing rain, and all sorts of other wintry precipitation dumped on the state I was itching to get up into the Whites to get in my first snowshoe trek of the year. With only one wintry hike under my belt so far this month, I decided to keep it relatively flat and try out a loop around Smarts Brook in Waterville Valley.

I got to the parking area for Smarts Brook off of NH-49 around 10:30 a.m to find it plowed (but very slick asphalt nonetheless) with two cars there before me. After getting out of my car and strapping on my bright green snowshoes, I headed straight into the forest next to the kiosk at the parking area and took an immediate left onto the Pine Flat XC (cross-country) Ski Trail. It started out nice and flat and mostly well-tracked, not leaving much for me to pack down with my snowshoes. However, the shoes did come in handy as I ventured off trail in many spots all around the loop to get an up close look at winter slowly taking hold of Smarts Brook.

A beautiful scene of marshmallow boulders along Smarts Brook

I came to the first major blow-down on the Pine Flat Trail just past its junction with the Old Waterville Rd. Trail. It was about a 6" diameter tree laying across the trail that was easy to step over. From this point on to the junction with the Yellow Jacket XC Trail, the weight of the prior days' snow made more and more trees sag into the trail, including one more major blow-down with most of its branches left waiting to snag a down jacket and one section of so many trees sagging in such low succession that the best way to tackle them was to plow straight through.

Some previous hikes had given one of the evergreens along the trail some Christmas spirit

At the sign for the Yellow Jacket XC Trail I took a right to head southeast down towards the junction with the Smarts Brook Trail. It was clear that this trail had gotten much less use compared to Pine Flat, as my snowshoes came in handy most of the way along the route, packing down a set or two of footprints that hadn't done much to break out this stretch of trail. However, the snow, with its crusty, crunchy top coat of ice from yesterday's rains, was not deep enough to make the task of packing down the trail too arduous.

Walking along the Yellow Jacket XC Trail

After shooting off trail along the way a couple times to take in some views of the brook, I finally came to and crossed the large wooden bridge that brought me to the Smarts Brook Trail for the final leg of my loop. To my surprise, this was the least tracked out of all the trails I took! It shocked me that the only primary hiking trail I was using had the least amount of usage upon my arrival. Therefore, I was extremely happy to have my snowshoes here as I flattened the path of sunken footsteps along the way.

Up until the final junction of my hike, all the prior intersections had been clearly marked with large signage to point me the right way. As I neared the final half-mile stretch of my hike, I came to a split in the Smarts Brook Trail, with the wider trail most closely resembling what I had been on going to my left and a narrower, but still well-tracked trail delving deeper into the woods to my right. I took the trail to my left first and got a little ways down before I checked my AllTrails app to see that I was walking down Smarts Brook Road at this point instead of Smarts Brook Trail. It was a quick backtrack to the junction I chose wrongly at the first time and then I ducked into the narrower trail in the woods which led me on a nice downhill stroll where I emerged out of the woods a short distance from the parking area, with a nice view of Welch and Dickey Mountains in the distance.

Welch and Dickey in the distance as I completed my hike

In all this was a wonderful hike to get back into the swing of snowshoeing. The few ascents I had were never steep, with most of the hike being nothing more than a nice stroll in the woods, breaking trail along the way. This loop is probably one I'll visiting again one spring when the snow has thawed and the brook is roaring, a several cascades along the way looked like they would be quite wonderful to see that time of year.

Exploring the Cardigan Subpeaks

Taking in Mt. Cardigan a different way

Mount Cardigan gets a lot of love, as well it should, for the dramatic views from its bare, windy summit. I hadn't been up that way in a couple years, and with the nice forecast for Saturday, I decided to return. When I arrived at the parking area on the west side of the mountain it was packed as I expected, with cars streaming down the road into every nook and cranny to create a spot. When I got out of my car and realized just how crowded it was, with several large groups getting ready to head up, I decided to change my route for the day, skip the big draw of Cardigan's summit, and make a loop to check out three of its subpeaks instead: Rimrock, Orange Mountain (Gilman Mountain), and the South Peak. This plan ended up giving me exactly what I wanted, a longer day on the trails, and dramatic views all to myself from three peaks that I argue rival the draw of Cardigan itself.

The 6-mile loop I created for myself involved 6 trails all around Cardigan, so rather than trying to write it out in as thorough a story form as possible, I'm going to break this hike down by trail and summit, bullet pointing the highlights of each section; so, without further ado, let me begin where I...um...began:

West Ridge Trail (orange blazes, 0.5 mi, 14 min.)

• A moderate half mile climb to to junction with the South Ridge Trail
• Trail was still soggy most of the way from the rains on Wednesday and Thursday, with long stretches of mud, some standing water, small puddles, and slick leaves, but no deep sections of mud cake to sink into

Up to Rimrock

South Ridge Trail (orange blazes, 0.7 mi., 33 min.)

•  The first short portion up onto the South Ridge trail was tough to follow, but after finding a set of rocks looking like stairs, the first blazes appeared and it was smooth sailing from there.
• Started as a moderate climb for the majority of the 0.7 miles to the Rimrock summit
• Longer stretches of wet leaves, standing water, and mushy footing here as compared to the West Ridge Trail
• A steep, slick, rocky switchback section requiring extra care with my footing led to the final drier ridge walk to the Rimrock summit

Panoramic view from Rimrock summit

Trail junction sign on summit. Mount Gilman is the direction for Orange Mtn (same peak)

Scenic view of Orange Mountain (dark hump furthest left) as the descent began over the ridge in the foreground

Skyland Trail (Rimrock to Orange Mtn., white blazes, 1.1 mi., 44 min.)

• Unlike sections of this trail further south, this portion between Rimrock and Orange Mountain was well-blazed and the foot path was easy to see and follow the whole way.
• Dramatic, scenic, steep descent to start over more smooth ridges (would have been treacherous if they were still wet from the rains, but thankfully this section was dry) with a view of Orange Mountain in the foreground 
• Trail then dipped into a long forested col, with softer, easier footing and electric green moss bordering both sides of the trail
• From the col it was a moderate short climb up to the ledges of Orange Mountain, with the views of Mount Cardigan getting progressively better until my favorite spot of the trip, a large open ledge just below the summit with 180º views stretching from Cardigan to Newfound Lake

Typical forest floor along much of the Skyland Trail

Looking back at first peek of Cardigan summit heading up to Orange Mountain ledges

Panoramic view from large ledge just below the summit of Orange Mountain

Vistamont Trail (yellow blazes, 1.0 mi., 43 min.)

• Another descent down a smooth rocky ridge to start. However, this one was still wet from the rains the previous few days, making the footing iffy in spots
• Once in the forest again and below the conifers, the footing became even slipperier as the trail was completely covered in wet fallen leaves. Luckily, I could still make out the path along the forest floor and the trees were well blazed all the way down as well. Slipping every couple steps on a pile of leaves, however, was not the most enjoyable part of the hike.

Trail sign at the top of the Vistamont Trail

View from one of the ridges while descending the Vistamont Trail

A thick blanket of leaves covering the Vistamont Trail

An unnamed brook in full force that I crossed shortly before reaching the Clark Trail junction

Trail sign at Clark Trail junction. It was straight ahead from the viewpoint of this photo to head up the Clark Trail

Clark Trail (yellow blazes, 0.7 mi., 27 min.)

• Nothing on the trail junction sign noted I had met up with the Clark Trail, but I knew from my map that it was 0.7 miles from the Grand Junction noted on the sign; so I knew it was the correct spot to turn back uphill
• This section of the trail was still covered in leaves, but much drier as it was being hit by the sun the whole way up, making for a much easier ascent compared to the slipping and sliding down the Vistamont Trail.
• The trail did become wetter and muddier as it neared PJ's Ledge.
• Trail was well blazed and signed up to PJ's Ledge, where I then took a left to go onto the Hurricane Gap Trail.

View from PJ's Ledge

Hurricane Gap Trail  (0.4 min. to South Peak, 15 min.)

• 1st half of this trail just past the AMC High Cabin was some of the wettest of the day, with large slippery rocks, large puddles, and small streams running on the trail
• After about halfway the trail turned to much drier footing on a soft forest floor with more rich green moss bordering the edges like the Skyland Trail until it met up with the South Ridge Trail

AMC High Cabin along the Hurricane Gap Trail

South Ridge Trail to South Peak

• A short climb up a dry rocky ridge to the best view of the approaches to the Cardigan summit and the firetower (and loads of people) at the top

View of Mount Cardigan from South Peak cairn

Panoramic view to the southeast from the South Peak. Orange Mountain is at center, with Rimrock at the right edge.

From South Peak it was another descent along a rocky ridge back down to Rimrock where I decided to take the Skyland Trail over to its junction with the West Ridge Trail for my descent, rather than trying to navigate the wet, rocky switchbacks of the South Ridge Trail I had gone up in the morning. The first half mile of my descent down this portion of the West Ridge Trail was particularly damp, muddy, slippery on its rockier stretches.

As I said at the start, I got to enjoy the views from these three peaks all to myself, as I saw dozens and dozens of folks heading up to the main Cardigan summit while resting at each peak. The loop I took was an enjoyable challenge, climbing and descending multiple peaks in a day while traversing rocky ridges and rich forest floors. It really couldn't have ended up being a much better day out on the trails, and I highly recommend this loop to anyone wanting to experience the Mount Cardigan area in a little different way.

Get out there and explore!

Fall in Full Force on Hedgehog Mountain

Greetings from Hedgehog Mountain!

My wife and I had our 5th wedding anniversary this past weekend, and for this year we decided to celebrate it by checking out the fall colors in the White Mountains. After living in New Hampshire for four years, we had yet to even take a hike up there yet during this season, given all we'd heard about how the traffic and crowds could get. Either way, we decided to brave the buses and packed parking areas and set off on a few hikes.

We got up to the mountains Thursday night, giving ourselves a three-day weekend to enjoy as much of the fall colors as we could. Since we knew the crowds would be thin on Friday, we decided to drive down the Kancamagus Highway to hike Hedgehog Mountain. It was listed as one of the best day hikes in two of our guidebooks (Hiking the White Mountains and AMC's Best Day Hikes in the White Mountains), so we thought it was great trip to combine a scenic drive and nice hike. I mean, how can you go wrong with a mountain named Hedgehog!?

When we arrived at the parking area around 12:30 p.m. it was about 75% full. The parking area for Hedgehog Mountain also serves as the start of the trail up Mt. Potash and the Downes Brook Trail, so that didn't surprise us. We passed maybe 5 or 6 groups during our whole hike, which made us think the cars were split pretty evenly among the main hikes of Hedgehog and Potash.

The start up the UNH trail was wide, flat, and easy, a gentle stroll in the autumn woods. After 0.2 miles, I had to double check our White Mountain Guide to make sure we continued the right direction, as the signage at this juncture as to what was the cross-country ski trail and what was the hiking trail was little confusing. A quick read reassured us to turn right and we were on our way. From here, the rest of the junctions were clearly marked to make the loop around the UNH Trail easy to follow.

After 0.8 miles, we arrived at the loop junction and decided to follow it clockwise as was recommended by all three books we'd referenced. From here, we finally started to gain elevation at a steady, moderate clip over your traditional New Hampshire rooted, rocky trails. The colors of fall were in full force, with vivid yellows, oranges, and reds in the leaves on the trees and on the ground. There were a few short steep pitches mixed in along the way to really get our lungs and legs going as we headed toward the first views of the day.

Fall in full panoramic splendor from the east ledges

My wife taking in the view from the ledges

Stepping out onto the first ledges on the east side of the mountain, we were overjoyed with the foliage and peaks stretching out before us. The deep reds and oranges of the trees losing their leaves were in stark contrast to the rich dark greens of the conifers holding strong in the higher elevation, creating quite the colorful landscape. By our recollection, these ledges had the best views of the day, and would be worth a trip all to themselves. However, with the full loop in mind, we continued onward for the summit.

Headed into the forest to reach the summit seen at center

From the east ledges it was quick drop back into the forest, followed by a steep climb up some rocky switchbacks to the high point of the mountain. We were thankful for very dry trail conditions, as a day of rain beforehand would have made some of these steep, smooth rocks very difficult to manage.

View near the summit

The view from the summit was basically a different perspective of our first views of the day on the ledges below, along with some views out to the west. We stayed there for a while to eat a late lunch before heading down to complete the loop. The descent off the summit was almost as steep and rough as the climb we'd just done, but more rooted and worn as opposed to smooth and rocky.

View from Allen's Ledge

Just before completing the loop we made the quick side trip to Allen's Ledge. This side trail was clearly marked with a sign, and it was a quick (read steep and rooted) climb to the viewpoint. More fall colors stretched out before us here making both sides of the loop worth the journey.

Hedgehog Mountain was as awesome as a mountain with such a name should be. It mixed in great views with a good variety of hiking over roots and rocks with varying levels of elevation gain to make for a well-rounded hike. As mentioned before, the highlight of the trip was definitely the first set of ledges. I could definitely see taking a hike just to that point and back when you want a quicker trip in the area. Overall, it was a great start to a fall weekend in the Whites.

Two Mountains in One Day: North Uncanoonuc & Mt. Pemigewasset

A hazy morning view of Manchester from North Uncanoonuc

This past Sunday I had the crazy (at least for me) idea of driving and hiking one mountain in the morning, going home, grabbing lunch, and then driving and hiking another one in the afternoon. So I did it. You only live once, and I am in New Hampshire. Live free or die, right?

The day started off with the shorter of the two trips, a quick 30 minute drive from Manchester to Goffstown to hike up the non-tower filled summit of the Uncanoonucs, North Uncanoonuc. I figured it would be a nice quick start to the day just to get the legs going. My dog and I set off from the parking area just across the street from the "Class 6 Trail." In the winter this trail is better known for snowmobiling, but on this cool August morning it was nice easy amble in the woods.

Once we got on the Red Dot Trail up to the summit, things got steep quickly. What started as an easy stroll soon turned into an full-on cardio workout. The Red Dot Trail was steep on a level that would put a few 4000-footer trails to shame. Talk about getting the lungs going! That trail would be a great one to train on to build up the stamina for the longer, steeper climbs the Whites have to offer. My dog and I were both panting once we reached the summit, still just a mere 22 minutes from the time we started.

The view I enjoyed the most was of the neighboring summit of South Uncanoonuc with its small community of communication towers and all of Manchester stretching out below it. We didn't linger long on the summit, and then took the wider and less steep Blue Trail back down to where it met the Class 6 Trail for our walk back to the car. In all, it was a 1.5 mi. hike we completed in just under an hour, a good start to our day of adventures. If you ever want to check out the trails on the Uncanoonucs, a great trail map can be found at goffstowntrails.com. For the afternoon, it was on to the Whites!

Panoramic view from Pemigewasset summit

Mt. Pemigewasset was our destination for the afternoon, with my wife coming along to join me and our pup. We arrived at the Flume Visitor Center parking area around 2:30 to find it just as I figured it would be: crowded. With such a beautiful day it was too be expected. We were still lucky enough to find an actual parking spot and then set off up the bike path to the Mt. Pemigewasset Trail.

In terms of trail features, there's not much to write home about on this one. However, I do highly recommend this as a great moderate family hike. I think it's a great trail for getting your kids further into hiking if they've enjoyed some smaller, shorter trips to summits. The elevation gain is moderate and there is a large glacial erractic along the way as you near the top that is cool spot to talk about the history of how the Whites were carved into what we see today.

For how many people we passed on our way up, I was happy to see the summit wasn't too crowded when we got up there. We settled down on one of the smaller cliffs jutting off the main summit to enjoy the sprawling views to the South for a little while. The huge array of clouds above the mountains made for a fantastic view. Both times I've been up Mt. Pemigewasset I've loved it. It's a mountain I'm surprised I've only gone up twice, but I know there will be more trips in the future.

Our time breakdown from the hike is below:

• Start at Flume Visitor Center parking lot - 2:30 p.m.
• Mt. Pemigewasset Summit - 3:24 p.m. (54 min., 1.6 mi.)
• Left Summit - 4:15 p.m.
• Back at Car - 5:02 p.m. (47 min., 1.6 mi.)

A Taxing Day in the Ossipees

Hello from the Summit of Big Ball Mountain

Today's hike was a bit on the rough side. It was one of those rare days when I was actually happy to say goodbye to the trails and call this trek a one and done. The trek up to Big Ball & Black Snout (and what should have continued on to Mt. Shaw) started with promise and vigor, but was quickly compressed to a two summit hike with steep climbs, faded trails, and overgrown shrubs knocking down my initial gusto.

My dog and I ventured up to the Ossipee Mountains this morning to take in some views over Lake Winnipesaukee. We'd only been up there once before to hike Mt. Roberts late in the season last fall. I knew going in that our route was a bit on the lesser-used side and a bit steep, but figured our usual stamina would pull us through.

Things started off fine from the Fields Brook parking area. From what I read online, it told me to look out for the parking area right after I got over the bridge that passed over Fields Brook. That was no lie, as it was literally right on my left hand side coming south down NH-171 the second the bridge ended! From the parking area, the "trail" was more so the main logging road leading into the woods until 0.4 miles in where the first blazes came into view. At this junction, Fields Brook was on our left, the Mt. Shaw Trail in the middle (blazed red), and the Tate Mountain Trail was on our right (blazed green/red/green). We chose the lesser used route and started up the Tate Mountain Trail. It started much the same as the logging/ATV road we left. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see that even though I had read this trail got much less use, it was actually well blazed, especially at a every major intersection where it was apparent a wrong turn would have sent us down a very wrong path.

The Interesting Green/Red/Green Blaze of the Tate Mountain Trail

There was a well marked diversion off the wide ATV/logging road marked by two small cairns and a blazed log that took us onto what I had expected the Tate Mountain trail to be: single-tracked and overgrown in places. Up to the junction with the Banana Trail and the summit of Big Ball Mountain, the overgrowth was actually sparse, but the climb was unrelenting and got me and my pup's blood pumping early.

The view from the summit of Big Ball Mountain was the highlight of the trip. Lake Winnipesaukee stretched out before us, with the ski trails on Gunstock clearly evident amidst the rest of the Belknap Range all set against a wonderful backdrop of rich blue sky and clouds galore. If I had this hike to do over, knowing how the rest of it went, we would have turned around here, as this view wasn't topped the rest of the way. Ah, hindsight. How you elude us until the time has come and gone...

View of Lake Winnipesaukee and the Belknap Range from Big Ball Mountain summit

From Big Ball my pup and I soldiered on, quickly coming to a wonderful view of Black Snout framed by the trees around us and the clouds above us. The drop off the Big Ball summit and continuing on the Banana Trail was like a drop into a jungle of deep overgrowth with the trail getting a bit obscure in spots. For most of the trek up to Black Snout, the Banana Trail was a very thin single track, with overgrowth smacking me everywhere from my ankles to my face. The trail blazes were faded in spots, making for some tough route finding, and after navigating around a fallen tree to rejoin the trail, the climb was on a level that surpassed some of the 4000 footers I've hiked. The final ascent to Black Snout was the most overgrown section of trail, with thick grasses and shrubs obscuring the entire ground beneath us. I surprised after trekking up this last push to only find three ticks on my dog when we got home.

The Most Enjoyable Part of the Trek to Black Snout: The View From Afar

The view from Black Snout was nothing to write home about. Although higher up than Big Ball, it was a little obscured by some of the trees in the immediate area. Looking at my dogs panting face hiding in whatever shade he could find, I knew we were going to skip Mt. Shaw to go ahead and start walking back down. We took the Mt. Shaw Trail back down, and were met with a steep, slippery descent that was the demise of my trekking poles. My pup appreciated crossing Fields Brook several times on the way down, but the extremely uneven footing (even by New Hampshire standards) made it a rough, wobbly walk down for both of us.

As I said before, if I had it to do over, I would have taken the Big Ball summit view as a win and turned around. However, not every hike is a perfect day. You live and learn.

Here are the time breakdowns from the hike:

• Start at Fields Brook parking area - 9:30 a.m.
• Junction with the Tate Mountain Trail - 9:39 a.m. (9 min., 0.4 mi.)
• Junction with the Banana Trail - 10:25 a.m. (46 min., 1.2 mi.)
• First summit on Big Ball Mountain - 10:30 a.m.
• Second summit on Big Ball Mountain - 10:50 a.m.
• Left Big Ball Mountain summit - 11:05 a.m.
• Black Snout summit - 11:55 a.m. (50 min., 1.3 mi.)
• Left Black Snout summit - 12:10 p.m.
• Junction with the Mount Shaw Trail - 12:25 p.m. (15 min., 0.4 mi.)
• Return to junction with Tate Mountain Trail - 1:24 p.m. (59 min., 2 mi.)
• Back at Fields Brook parking area - 1:33 p.m. (9 min., 0.4 mi.)

A useful online map for planning hikes in the Ossipee Range can be found here.