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!

Early Fall at Lonesome Lake

A fine afternoon in the Whites

With the New England Patriots playing at one in the afternoon on Sunday (keep the crowds at home, haha!) and a very sunny forecast for the mountains, I figured what better time for the pup and I to head up to one of my favorite spots in the Whites, Lonesome Lake?

The most obvious, popular route to the lake and AMC hut that sits just above its shores is the Lonesome Lake Trail from the Lincoln Woods campground along I-93. However, with my plans not getting me on the trail until 2:30 p.m., I knew that that parking lot, as it usually is on weekends, would be packed with cars spilling out into every nook and cranny of space along both sides of the interstate. Therefore, I decided to take what I consider a much more scenic and enjoyable route starting at the Basin pull-off just south of the campground.

The Basin itself is usually busy as it was that afternoon with people stopping to take in the wonderful cascades and waterfalls along the short walking trails in the area, but few venture further into the part of the Basin that I find the most rewarding: The Basin Cascade Trail. It's one of my favorite trails I've hiked in the Whites. Not long after starting this trail that my pup and I were away from the main tourist section and walking up alongside the Cascade Brook, which actually starts at Lonesome Lake. The ascent on this trail was dry, moderate and gradual, but full of plenty of exposed roots and rocks along the way to keep me vigilant about each step.

Early view from the slabs along the Basin Cascade Trail

As always, what I loved most about this trail was just how close we were to the brook the entire time. There are several spots along the beginning where you can walk right out onto open rock slabs with the brook tumbling down beside you as you stare back at some beautiful views of mountain peaks back towards the notch. From there, the brook dipped into a small gorge below us that is home to Kinsman Falls. Past this first waterfall, the brook was right at our side again as we made an easy crossing of it. From here, the second half of the trail was slicker and muddier compared to the start, but continued a moderate climb up to the second major waterfall along the way, Rocky Glen Falls

Kinsman Falls

Rocky Glen Falls

Just past Rocky Glen Falls was the trickiest section of the hike, the second major stream crossing to take the Cascade Brook Trail up to the lake. There was once a bridge just south of where we crossed that made this crossing a piece of cake that has long been washed away. It looks like there a no plans to ever rebuild it, but the water was running low enough this day to make the rock hop across very manageable. Be advised that in higher water, this crossing can be a bit precarious.

Early section of the Cascade Brook Trail

The Cascade Brook Trail, also a portion of the Appalachian Trail, started mostly flat and much less rooted and rocky compared to the Basin Cascade Trail. There was very little elevation gain up until the junction with the trail leading up to the Kinsman Pond shelter and Kinsman Ridge. From there, the trail began its steady, moderate to moderately difficult ascent to the lake. What was a flat easy trail transformed into a mangled, rocky climb. It was never as tough as climbing boulders on the Presidentials, but compared to the rest of this hike it was the most difficult stretch. However, the reward was certainly worth it...

The Franconia Ridge

Lonesome Lake was peaceful and serene upon our arrival. We only saw one other family and one or two other solo hikers the entire time we were there. The nosiest thing in the area were the ducks quacking at each other in the water. The skies were clear with just enough clouds to paint a beautiful scene above the view of the Franconia Ridge.

The hike packed a one-two combination of great view gained by way of a great set of trails. It is a less used route to the lake, but one I consider much more enjoyable for the extra mileage and more gradual ascent compared to the Lonesome Lake Trail. It's a trip I highly recommend if you have yet to check it out.

Enjoying the early fall colors on the way back down the Basin Cascade Trail

Here are the time breakdowns from my hike:

• Start at the Basin parking area - 2:10 p.m.
• Junction with the Cascade Brook Trail - 2:51 p.m. (1.3 total miles)
• Arrive at Lonesome Lake - 3:37 p.m. (2.7 total miles)
• Left Lonesome Lake - 4:06 p.m.
• Junction with the Basin Cascade Trail - 4:42 p.m.
• Back at the Basin parking area - 5:45 p.m.

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 Fantastic, Flatter Adventure: Halibut Point State Park

One of many amazing sunset views on along the coastline

Not every adventure has to be a treacherous climb to soaring heights to have a wonderful day outdoors with magical views. Halibut Point State Park in Rockport, MA was the complete opposite of those long mountain treks, yet it still provided nice trails, interesting history, and spectacular views.

A couple weekends ago, my wife and I wanted to get out along the seacoast, so we set out to Halibut Point for some easy exploring and to satisfy my wife's shelling addiction (mission accomplished, haha!). The park is set around an old quarry that's been out of use since the 1920's. When we arrived, the quarry was now serving as a nice home for several dozen seagulls gliding along the coast.

Seagulls resting in the old quarry

There was a great brochure at the kiosk in the main parking area that provided a wealth of information on the interpretive trail that went around the quarry. We started with that stroll to learn a little more of what used to go on here. The brochure went into just enough detail about the entire process of quarrying the granite on site to make what would be a quick, simple loop a little more interesting.

Clouds stretching as far as you could see along one of the seaside trails

From there we strolled along one of the trails closer to the seashore, enjoying the views that stretched all the way to the Isle of Shoals in New Hampshire and Mt. Agamenticus in Maine. The sky was absolutely unbelievable that day, with clouds spreading in magical formations in all directions. We knew it was going to come together to be a pretty fantastic sunset, so my wife made sure she went shelling long enough (not a hard task to achieve) for us to check it out.

Panoramic view of quarry along interpretive trail

We caught our first glimpses of how awesome the early evening would be as we circled back around the interpretive trail to head towards The Rocks, a stretch of flat rock slabs stretching out into the ocean that would provide a perfect spot to take in the sunset views. The early array of colors made the quarry seem like a vast moat guarding the fire control tower turned visitor center sitting above it. We were more than ready to catch more views from right along the shoreline.

As usual, words can't do justice to the sky we saw, so I will wrap this post up with a few pictures from that magical sunset. This park was a major surprise in how fun it was to explore both around the quarry and along the shoreline. Even without the added bonus of a marvelous sunset, I would still recommend this park to anyone who enjoys getting out by the ocean. I know my wife and I will be back for future relaxing days.