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.

Adventures in the Lakes Region: Five Finger Point & West Rattlesnake

Greetings from Five Finger Point!

Yesterday I decided to check out some of the lesser used trails around one of the best "bang-for-your-buck" spots in all of New Hampshire, West Rattlesnake Mountain. This 1260 ft. summit is small and stature but huge in views (photos further down), and it is most commonly reached by way of the very easy 0.9-mile Old Bridle Path, a trail that I've referred to as walking up a very gradual ramp. However, my main destination in this area on Saturday was not that summit, but instead the loop trail around Five Finger Point, an area I would discover was a wonderful forest walk along the shores of Squam Lake.

My pup and I started from the Col Trailhead, which is about 6.5 miles from the junction of US-3/NH-25 and NH-113 in Holderness. This trailhead isn't actually marked at all, but it is a woods road a little ways past the large parking area for the Old Bridle Path. Coming from Holderness, it is just before a sign noting the Allen Preserve, and there is room for about 3 cars on the right hand side after you pull into the road.

Start of the Col Trail

From the parking area, we walked around a chain "gate" blocking access for cars to go further down and started down the woods road on foot. It began as wide and easy as the parking area, and was well blazed by a combination of faded yellow marks (the old trail blazes) and newer blue diamonds nailed into trees along the way. After about a quarter-mile, a yellow arrow above a blue diamond noted the clear left turn off the woods road onto a more traditional hiking trail. At this turn, the Col Trail was very thin and slightly overgrown, but this section was short lived and was the only portion of the trail that was in any sort of rough shape.

After the turn into the woods it was a moderate climb around a bog area, where I noticed one sizeable beaver dam, up to the junction with the Ridge Trail. Along the way the trail had pretty good soft footing with only a couple heavily rocky sections along the way. The forest was pretty wide open in this section and allowed views deep into the trees, although we didn't spot any big rambling creatures.

From the junction with the Ridge Trail we took the quick right followed by the quick left (all well noted by trail signs) to continue down the Col Trail, and I mean DOWN. From the junction it was a quick, steep drop down to the Five Finger Point area, heading down off the mountains and closer to the shoreline. Thankfully the footing was soft the whole way down, but I did have to take care to not slip on the pine needles blanketing the ground. Once at the junction with the Pasture Trail, there were once again several trail signs making easy to make sure we stayed headed in the right direction to the Five Finger Point loop.

Trail signs making it easy to stay on track

A left turn just after the Pasture Trail and we were headed out towards Five Finger Point, with this stretch of trail being a pretty rough mix of rocks, roots, and soil. We were hiking right along the edges East Rattlesnake Mountain, looking down at what would be a fun tumble through the woods on our right. Finally we arrived at a large sign denoting the start of the Five Finger loop and began the trek around the shore in a counterclockwise direction.

First view along Five Finger loop

We came upon our first view quickly, just teasing the expanse of Squam Lake as we continued on to the main outlooks further along the trail. The loop had very nice, gentle footing for almost the entirety of the trip. The forest out there was simply magical and felt miles away from any civilization, even as we saw lake houses from the outlooks. Something about the sound of the loons calling to each other and owls hooting in the distance made me feel like it was just me, my pup, and the forest, a real connection with the nature around us.

Tip of the main outlook along the loop

Natural Area Sign at main outlook

The main outlook came about halfway around the loop, where a sign denoted the Five Finger Natural Area as a long stretch of rocky shoreline that slid into some of the clearest lake water I've seen. While my pup took a dip in the lake, I enjoyed the expansive view of Squam Lake stretching out in all directions in front of me. Aside from the group guys chatting among themselves when we arrived, this was one of the most peaceful spots along the lake.

Interesting fungus along the way

We continued from there to finish the loop, taking in a couple sandy outlooks as we walked by on the trail. Once back at the beginning, we headed back towards the Pasture Trail junction, where my pup and I decided to add on to our trip by checking out that way up to West Rattlesnake, a summit we'd been to several times before.

Trail junction post denoting the Pasture Trail

We quickly learned that this decision was a steep and slow one, as the Pasture Trail never let up in elevation gain until we came upon the cliffs at the summit. Thankfully, as with most of the trail, the footing was soft and forgiving, and we didn't really have to navigate any rocky or root-covered climbs.

As usual, the view from West Rattlesnake was beautiful as always, with a view over Squam Lake that just can't be beat. Even on this cloudy, cool day, I was shocked we only saw a couple other families the entire time we were up there.

One of the few families we saw briefly taking in the view

And what a beautiful view it is

After a little less than an hour on the summit, we took the Ridge Trail down to meet up with the Col Trail we started on. It was a quick steep descent, although not as sharp an elevation drop as the gain we had up the Pasture Trail. Once we met up with the Col Trail, it was an easy stroll out to our car, taking in some of the colors of sunset in the clouds as we came around the bog near the woods road as we wrapped things up.

I would definitely recommend a visit to Five Finger Point if you want great views of Squam Lake with less crowds than on West Rattlesnake. It's also a great option when you want to get out in the woods for a little while, but you don't feel like climbing a mountain. As I said at the start, this area is home to some of the best "bang-for-your-buck" hiking in the state, and I can now say that that mantra extends beyond the summit of West Rattlesnake to the trails all around it.

For anyone wanting to get out and explore this area, the New Hampshire Division of Forest and lands has a great trail map in this pamphlet from their site. It's the one I used to plan our route!

Here is the time breakdown from our hike:

• Start at Col Trailhead - 2:28 p.m.
• Ridge Trail Jct. - 2:50 p.m.
• Pasture Trail Jct. - 3:10 p.m.
• Start of Five Finger Loop - 3:25 p.m.
• Finished Five Finger Loop - 4:18 p.m.
• Back at Pasture Trail Jct. - 4:33 p.m.
• West Rattlesnake Summit - 4:45 p.m.
• Departed Rattlesnake Summit via Ridge Trail - 5:38 p.m.
• Back at Col Trailhead - 6:05 p.m.

Madame Sherri's Forest: A Hidden Gem in Southwestern NH

Although it was the 2nd day of fall according to the calendar, summer definitely had a hold of yesterday's forecast, and the clear, sunny skies and warm temperatures begged for us to get outside; so my wife, my pup, and I set out to a spot I actually stumbled upon a while back thanks to the VisitNH Instagram page, Madame Sherri's Forest in Chesterfield, NH.

You can't get much more southwest in New Hampshire than Chesterfield. From Manchester, it was about an hour and half drive for us down to the town that butts up against the Connecticut River, the border between New Hampshire and Vermont. Before heading to the forest, we stopped at the Chesterfield Gorge Natural Area to check out the cascades running through it as mentioned in the extremely thorough New England Waterfalls book by Greg Parsons and Kate Watson. If you're interested in all the waterfalls New England has to offer, I highly recommend it.

A cascade along the Chesterfield Gorge

The gorge was an easy 0.7-mile loop "hike" that was more of a nice warm up walk in the woods. It was mostly wide with easy footing with a couple quick ups and downs to get the legs going. Fencing on either side of the steeper parts of the gorge kept us from taking a tumble if we got close to the edge, but we were able to find a spot to carefully walk down next to the stream to get a couple photos of one the sections of cascades. Even with the stream not running at full strength, the cascades were still a beautiful way to start to our adventures, and our pup certainly enjoyed an early dip in the water!

From the gorge it was only about a fifteen minute drive down to the Madame Sherri's Forest parking area. The main parking area was packed full (about 12 cars), but luckily there was more parking right across the street in an overflow area. We were worried from this that the trails would be more crowded than we expected, but we actually only ran into a handful of people the rest of the afternoon.

The famous staircase at Madame Sherri's mansion site

We started our visit to the forest as most anyone does by making a stop at its most famous spot, the ruins of Madame Sherri's mansion. She was a famous costume designer in the 1920's known for throwing wild parties at her house in the woods. Her "castle" as she called it, burned down in 1962, but the stone foundation, some columns, and the most notable feature, a large spiral stone staircase, still remain. As we walked through the remains, we could only imagine how surreal this scene must have been when this house was full of people, music, and laughter. In fact–if you're one to believe in such things–people have said to have heard ghostly parties of the same sort going on at the ruins to this day, with some folks even saying they've seen the ghost of Madame Sherri ascending the stone staircase. A good biography of Madame Sherri, the mansion sight, and its ghostly folklore can be found here.

What looked to be an old side entrance into the mansion

Back to the hike review, we continued from the mansion site into the main trail network of the forest, starting with a wide easy trail with good soft footing up to the Ann Stokes Loop junction. We took the right/shorter 0.5-mile option up to Indian Pond, as we planned to watch the sunset from Wantastiquet Mountain that evening. From the junction to Island Pond trail rose with an easy side of moderate elevation gain. The trail was narrow in spots, but still fairly wide in most places up to the pond.

Start of the Ann Stokes Loop

Panoramic view of Indian Pond

Indian Pond was a lovely, quiet spot that we enjoyed all to ourselves. Our pup took several dips in it before we began the real climb of our trip up the Mine Ledge Trail to the summit of Wantastiquet Mountain. From the pond upward our climb got narrow and steep, with rough footing and rocks and roots all over. Luckily, this trail wasn't overgrown anywhere along the way so we never ran into any wayfinding issues. About halfway up the trail, dirt and roots gave way to a short rocky scramble reminiscent of climbing the big boulders above the treeline in the White Mountains, leading to a nice viewpoint looking east over Indian Pond and some smaller mountains in the vicinity.

One of several views along the Mine Ledge spur trail

From this view point the trail was pretty steep for a short while longer before leveling off on a ridge with much better, softer footing heading up to the the spur trail to the Mine Ledge viewpoint. Seeing that we had time to fit it in, we took the quick descent down some rocks and onto the ledge to take in the views. Be warned that the "ledge" part was no lie, as we stepped onto the first outlook boulder and saw a straight drop below us! The summit of Wantastiquet dominated the view to our right, with more rolling hills stretching out from there. From the rocky end of the trail, we could see Mount Monadnock rising to the west above all the smaller summits in the region.

After taking in the Mine Ledge, we headed back on the ridge up to our main summit for the day. From where the spur trail departed up to the summit of Wantastiquet, the ridge was a rocky, rough roller coaster. There were several steep ups and downs on large rock slabs and rough boulders followed by treks through thick forest. Still, the trail, although narrow, wasn't overgrown anywhere along the way.

Sunset over Vermont from Wantastiquet north summit. Brattleboro, VT at the bottom

Once on the south summit of Wantastiquet, noted by the communication tower on our left, we took the short walk a little further down a wide, old forest road to the lookout over the Connecticut River on the slightly smaller north summit of the mountain. Here, Brattleboro, VT was in the near foreground, with the rest of of Vermont's rolling hills and mountains stretching out into the distant horizon. We watched as the sun set directly in front of us, casting an array of colors over the mountains, town, and sky.

Madame Sherri's Forest definitely won us over yesterday. We left so much to explore, including the rest of the Anne Stokes Loop, nearby Daniels Mountain, and the trek up Wantastiquet from the other side of the mountain right next to the river. It is definitely a hidden gem tucked into a quiet corner of southwest New Hampshire. As we finished our hike in the dark, we heard the rustling and calls of all sorts of woodland creatures, and we passed back by the mansion ruins we did hear the sounds of music, growing ever more distinct, somewhere in the distance...from a house we would later see was right next to where we parked, haha!

A great map of the trails of forest can found at the SPNHF website here.

Below is a breakdown of our hike:

• Start from Madame Sherri's mansion - 4:34 p.m.
• Indian Pond - 4:50 p.m.
• Mine Ledge viewpoint - 5:30 p.m.
• Wantastiquet summit - 6:05 p.m.
• Left Wantastiquet summit - 6:42 p.m.
• Back at car - 7:41 p.m.

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.

Hiking the Moose

The views stretched for...feet today...

It had been a couple weeks since I had taken my pup on a hike, so I knew he would primed and ready for a big day. I decided to take him to one of my favorite peaks in New Hampshire and what would be his biggest mountain to date, Mt. Moosilauke. Having hiked it via the Gorge Brook Trail at the start of my quest to tackle the NH 4000 Footers back in 2014, I wanted to try a different route to the top, so I decided upon the approach from the Glencliff Trail to add in the South Peak summit I had yet to visit.

We started a little after 8 a.m. up the Glencliff Trail parking area. This is same route northbound AT hikers take as they head into the heart of the White Mountains. The beginning conditions were as good as I could ask for on such a well-used path. For the first mile and a half the trail was almost completely dry with easy, soft footing and only a spare root or rock jutting out of the ground here or there. The grade at the start was mostly moderate with a few steep pitches that made my pup and I have to catch our breath before continuing.

At about 1.5 miles in we reached a couple brook crossings that then gave way to a wetter, muddier, rockier, and..."rootier?" (we'll go with it) trail. In several spots the footing was squishy at best, and it seemed that every rock and root on the ground had just enough moisture on it to make every step a slippery decision. The stretches of soft ground from earlier had given way to a relentless battle of stepping on, over, and in between all these obstacles that were to be our trail for most of the rest of the way up. Even as we reached a long stretch of little elevation gain, having to meticulously plan each step subbed in as a new annoyance.

About 2.5 miles in we reached the stretch of trail known as "The Agony," (knowledge nugget from Stephen D. Smith's NH 4000 Footer Guide) and we quickly learned how well-deserved that name was. This half mile full-on ascent was a rocky rampart with little relief along the way. It was the steepest stretch of trail the whole day, composed mostly of large rocks and boulders. It was like climbing a collapsed, jagged staircase from a not-so-funhouse. We were happy to leave it behind once we reached the junction with the Moosilauke Carriage Road 3.0 miles into the hike.

Up in the alpine zone

At this junction there is also the short spur trail to the South Peak, but I decided to save that for our return trip back down. Therefore, it was up into the alpine zone and onto the main Moosilauke summit. Up to this point it had been a mostly sunny hike, but during this 0.9-mile stretch the clouds and wind descended upon us, limiting our visibility to only 100 ft. or so in front of us. I made sure my pup stayed in close range ahead of me as the scrub trees gave way to the completely bare home stretch to the summit sign. This section of the trail was a relief after "the Agony" with only about 300 ft. of elevation left to gain over that 0.9-mile run. It was still muddy even in it's flat stretches, but the rockier portions of this trail were dry and easy to navigate. Being an old carriage road, it was weird to see such wide sections of trail so high up in the Whites!

New highest summit for this guy!

The summit was a blustery blanket of clouds which my pup enjoyed much more than me. We only spent enough time for me to snap a picture of my furry friend on his new highest summit hiked before we headed back into the scrub trees for some relief from the wind.

I appreciated the orange trail signs on a day like today

Before heading back down the Glencliff Trail, we took the 0.2-mile spur path over to the South Peak summit. This trail started as a soft, damp stretch of mud before entering a quick, steep, rocky push to the top. It was a very tight single-track ascent, made ever more enjoyable by another calamity of rocky steps forming the climb while conifer branches snatched at me and my trekking poles.

We had a little more luck with views at the South Peak, with a few distant mountains briefly poking in and out of the clouds rolling by us. My camera sadly deleted the pictures I took of these peaks, but know that the views here were better than its higher counterpart.

A wee bit blustery on the South Peak. I had to keep my hat from flying into the valley below!

After taking in the South Peak for about 20 minutes we headed back down towards our car. Having dealt with so many stretches of soggy trail, the descent was just as rough as the climb to start the day. At this point, the bottom of my hiking shoes were more mud than tread, making for slippery steps on roots and rocks the whole way down. I was happy to reach the dry, soft trails we started the day with to give my feet and knees a break as we trekked towards the parking lot.

Some nice limited views on the home stretch

Minus losing the photos I took and the lack of views from the main summit, it was good day up in the Whites. When we got back home, my pup was ready to head outside again, so apparently 8 miles of hiking and 3300 ft. of elevation gain wasn't enough to wear him out! Having now taking the Glencliff and Gorge Brook Trail to the top, I definitely prefer the Gorge Brook for its more moderate ascent. The next time I head up to tackle the Moose, I bet I'll be taking that one again.

Here are the time breakdowns for our hike:

• Start at Glencliff Trail parking area - 8:05 a.m.
• Junction with Moosilauke Carriage Road - 10:18 a.m. (3.0 total miles)
• Moosilauke summit -  10:50 a.m. (3.9 total miles)
• South Peak summit - 11:25 a.m. (5.0 total miles)
• Left South Peak summit - 11:45 a.m.
• Back at Glencliff Trail parking area - 1:41 p.m. (8.2 total miles)

An Epic Day in the Clouds: Tackling the Bonds

Sometimes the views don't make the adventure. That was certainly the case for my brothers and I as we set out on a 15.4 mi. trek on Sunday to knock out four official NH 4000 Footers (Zealand, Bond, Bondcliff, and West Bond) as well as Mt. Guyot.

Our journey started from the Zealand Falls Hut where we had arrived the night before for a two-night stay after hiking in over Mt. Hale. During breakfast, we were anxious to hear the latest weather report from the Mt. Washington Observatory to see how bad the outlook was for the day. We knew from checking forecasts prior to hiking into the land of no cell service that Sunday was looking sketchy with some moderate to heavy rain and strong winds expected. We were happy to hear the hut croo say that the heaviest of the rain wasn't expected until the evening. We decided we had the window of opportunity we needed to get in all the peaks, so we finished up breakfast and set off from the hut around 8 a.m.

We could see the clouds starting to thicken in the sky as we stepped out of the hut and took in one of the few good views of the day. The sun was still showing through and cast a wonderful light on the first signs of fall down in the valley. From there, we began the steep trek up the Twinway Trail. Going in this direction, we were headed southbound on the Appalachian Trail and gaining a lot of elevation over not a lot of mileage. We passed several thru-hikers headed for Crawford Notch along the way. It was a steep, (dry) rocky climb for most of the way until we came to the crest of the Zealand ridge and headed for the Zeacliff viewpoint. We got there just in time to take in our last view of the day with the White Mountains stretching out all around us and the clouds gathering with ever increasing speed.

Our best view of the day from Zeacliff

From the viewpoint we continued on the Twinway Trail along the ridge now gaining elevation at a much gentler pace. The trail had smooth easy footing by way of bog bridges, smooth rock faces and single track dirt runs for a good portion of this section before becoming increasingly steeper and rockier as we headed up to the side trail for the summit of Zealand.

It was at this point that the winds also picked up as well, causing us all to add an extra layer to battle the gusts that would be bothering us for the rest of our trip. The clouds also descended upon us as well and became part of our path the rest of the way out and back.

Ladder heading up the Twinway Trail to Zealand (Photo credit: Paul Vinson)

The final climb up to Zealand was probably the easiest ascent of the day, both because of its gradual elevation gain and it was the point our legs were at their freshest. The side trail to the summit was well marked with a small cairn and a sign on a tree pointing us the right way. Going the direction we were headed you can't miss it. We quickly headed over to the summit to bag peak number one for the day, and then it was on to Guyot.

From the summit of Zealand the trek picked up in strenuousness as it was a steep drop off the summit followed by a steep climb up to Guyot, almost like hiking along the letter "V." There were points along this section we had to get on all fours to clamber up rock slabs and keep our balance along sections of the trail that were just rocks piled on more rocks.

When we broke the treeline at the Guyot summit, we were finally hit with our first truly strong gusts and wet weather of the day. As we turned left to head down the rough, rocky start of the Bondcliff Trail, we were bombarded by winds so strong that we couldn't hear each other without shouting even when standing side-by-side. We couldn't tell if the water smacking us was rain or just the moisture in the clouds whipping by, but either way, we would be getting damp the rest of the way.

Once we got back into the trees the descent was quick down past the Guyot campsite and trailhead for West Bond (we decided to save that for our return route). The climb up to our high point of the day, the summit of Mt. Bond, was a gradual rocky approach, now a little slippery with rain starting to fall. The winds on the summit of Bond were stiff and made our stay up there brief. The mix of the wind and rain made the chills set in quickly whenever we took a respite above treeline, so we tried to save most of breaks for warmer, more wooded sections of the trail.

My older brother, Paul, descending Mt. Bond onto the Bondcliff ridge

Once over Bond we steeply descended onto the Bondcliff ridge, coming out of the trees onto a very slippery, rocky welcome to full exposure. Everything on the ridge was well soaked from the rain and winds. We had to keep our tired minds focused on following the cairns and finding good footing, but we all slipped and stumbled a few times. Luckily, none of us got any injuries along the way.

My brothers working their way along the ridge

The thick cloud cover hid the iconic cliff of the Bondcliff summit well, and we falsely hoped we had reached the summit several times, only to see another, higher section of the ridge appear before us. After three or four false summits, we were finally rewarded with a view of the cliff on our right and climbed up onto the summit to cap the furthest point of our adventure.

This is as close as we were getting to the cliff with those winds! (Photo credit: Paul Vinson)

 On our way back to the Zealand Falls Hut, all of our trails were now soaked and sopping wet. The side trip to West Bond was a quick twenty minutes each way, and the winds on its exposed summit were probably the harshest we felt during the entire trek. We trudged over slippery boulders, thick mud, deep puddles, and ever increasing rain until we finally returned to our starting point at the hut, ducking under the porch just as the clouds really let loose a downpour. All told we completed this hike in 15.4 unbelievable miles in 9 hours and 45 minutes, crossing the 5 mountains along the way a total of 9 times. We arrived back at the hut a mere 15 minutes before dinner service, soaked from head to toe.

With the mix of the terrain and the weather, this was the most challenging hike I've taken on in my quest to summit all of the 4000 footers, and I am so happy my brothers were part of this chapter. I wouldn't have picked this day to hike these mountains solo, but the three of us now have an amazing story of unbelievable accomplishment we will most certainly look back on every time we get together.

Photo credit: Paul Vinson

Owl's Head: Living Up to It's Reputation

The start of a very long day...

I figured I'd put off this mountain long enough. With one more mountain to go for halfway through the New Hampshire 4000 Footers, it was time to knock Owl's Head off the list.

I set off early Sunday morning for the Lincoln Woods Trailhead off of the Kancamagus Highway. The lot was about 75% full when I arrived around 8 a.m., but I figured most of those people were overnighters or car spotters from Saturday. As I got deeper into my hike, I was reassured that very few were there for the same long out-and-back trek I had in store.

One of several nice viewpoints along the Lincoln Woods Trail

I started up the Lincoln Woods Trail for the first 3 miles of the 18.4 mi. mammoth round-trip hike to Owl's Head. It's wide, flat, easy grade made for a pleasant start on what was a bit of a chilly morning for late August. It felt like fall was getting an early start up in the mountains. The trail was completely dry and in fine shape. The viewpoints along the Pemigewasset River-East Branch were some nice first views to take in as I headed deeper into the Pemigewasset Wilderness.

Into the wilderness I went, withe Franconia Brook Trailhead just up the trail to the left

 My first little bit of elevation gain came when I reached the boundary for the Wilderness area and subsequently the trailhead for the Franconia Brook Trail. It was a quick, moderate rise up to yet another long flat stretch of hiking deeper and deeper into the forest. Along this trail I got my first short stretches of "mud cake" trail. Nothing that couldn't be avoided along the edges, and still nothing damp either, which was what I was hoping for with it not having rained significantly in the area for over a week. There were a few stream crossing along this trail, but none very wide and all easily done by hopping across a couple rocks.

Deeper into the wilderness still

The Franconia Brook Trail went by quickly and then it was on to the more interesting parts of the hike as I started the stretch along the Lincoln Brook Trail. This trail started similarly to the Lincoln Brook Trail, with a easy, steady, moderate rise until about a half mile in, where I finally came to the first of the two big stream crossings so often referred to as "difficult in high water" when this trail is discussed. Having heard the stories of people wading up to there knees and such, I was hoping the lack of rain for a while would keep the streams running lower, and my hopes came true. This first stream crossing was best done by following a series of rocks from right where the trail entered the water almost straight across to the trail on the other side. It was almost as if they'd been moved to form a hopping path across by hikers before. I didn't mind at all!

The second crossing came shortly after, and was easier than the first. There was a large dry, rocky area in between a split in the flow of the stream, so I was able to tackle this one in two smaller sections. When I got to the other side, it looked as if the trail split in two directions, one to my left and one more straight ahead. The straight ahead route was the correct option as I was soon walking right alongside Lincoln Brook.

From here, the hike began to get much wetter and muddier. Several sections of the Lincoln Brook Trail were thick with mud, and on one step I totally submerged my foot in dark brown "gooey-ness." However, I also found this to be one of the most enjoyable sections of the trail (at least on the way in!) as it was right alongside the brook the whole time. The sound of the rushing water and views of the little cascades let me know I was deep in a beautifully untouched wilderness. Along certain sections of the trail, things did become a little hillier, with care needed not to slip off into the brook in certain spots, but nothing like the challenge to come when I arrived at the Owl's Head Path.

Things got a smidge steep

 When I arrived, two medium sized cairns, about 2-3 ft tall, marked either side of the Lincoln Brook Trail, letting me know I'd reached something. I looked to my right and saw a series of smaller cairns heading up the mountain, confirming I'd reached the Owl's Head Path. From here, things got as steep as I suspected. The trail quickly turned into a slide, with large rocks taking place of dirt and roots. On the way up, the rocks weren't too terribly loose and the footing felt surprisingly sturdy. Unlike the North Tripyramid Slide, which still haunts my hiking dreams, heading up the Owl's Head Path I was never completely laying on rock slabs pulling myself up. I was able to walk up, slowly of course, most of the way with just the aid of my trekking poles. There were also plenty of sturdier trees, roots, and larger rocks to grab onto when the poles wouldn't suffice. The best mountain views of the day were to be had here as well, with fine views of the Franconia Ridge and the deeper sections of the Pemigewasset Wildnerness to the north.

Franconia Ridge from the Owl's Head slide

Looking deep into the Pemigewasset Wilderness from the slide

After a long climb up the slide, the miles I had already logged began to take their mental toll and the ridge of Owl's Head felt like it took forever. Many sections along the ridge were thin and grown in, so plenty of scrub plants were smacking me all over. There was no cairn when I arrived at the flat open area of the "old summit", but there was a clear path straight ahead that continued on to the new summit. There were several blowdowns along the trail that made for some fun limbos. When I arrived at the new summit there was a cairn and few people sitting around to confirm I'd reached my destination.

Heading back, extra caution was needed going down the slide, as now the rocks were much looser with gravity trying to aid me down the path. I took each step slowly, knowing my feet would slide a little in the sandier sections of the slide. There were only a couple places where I fell on my rump, but my gradual pace made for a mostly smooth decent.

And the end to a very long day

Once back on the Lincoln Brook Trail, it was just a fight through exhaustion and pain to make it the long 8 miles back to my car. My feet and shoulders were incredibly sore by the end, and I can safely say that this mountain will be a one and done for me, haha!