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Mt. Washington Dreams14 09 05 14  19
-------- Once you complete a goal, you choose another one.After completing Mt. Katahdin on July, and taking a hiking vacation of almost a month, we decided it was time to get back to hiking. This time, a taller goal: Mt. Washington (6,288ft), the highest of New Hampshire 4,000 footers (or White Mountains 4k), another trophy to add to my White Mountains 4,000 Footer Scorecard. (9/27 Update: Mt. Washington climb will probably happen on 2006, as weather and comittments haven't made it possible this year). This mountain is considered the eastmost White Mountains 4,000 footer. It has an interesting history as it used to be a tourist destination when there was a hotel at the top of the mountain - long gone now. The area is mostly maintained by the Dartmouth Mountain Club, which also has a lodge at the trailhead. We started the trail by parking next to the Moosilauke Ravine Lodge (2,450ft) at a convenient altitude that allows to climb this high mountain without the expected altitude change associated with New Hampshire's 4K. The trail chosen to climb was the Gorge Trail: steady inclination, nice vegetation, and the occasional waterfall. The trail is not particularly blazed (no mark on trees), but it is well signed at every intersection, and it is well used as to allow you to know where is the worn path. The mountaintop is breezy, and bare. It allows very nice views all around, and comfortable place to have lunch at the foundations of what used to be the mentioned mountaintop hotel. To return we took the Appalachian Trail south until we hit the Carriage Road Trail down. This trail used to be the way up to the hotel but has long been converted into a walking -only trail with a few well placed obstacles and overgrown vegetation. It still holds the comfortable grade a Carriage Road must have to allow for horse drawn vehicles to climb. The hike was a nice way to start training again for the mountains in the region, and resulted into a very satisfying morning and early afternoon. Highly recommended hike for those that have accomplished Mt. Osceola, Mt. Tecumseh, and Mt. Eisenhower and Mt. Pierce. Find maps, photos, and more information about this hike in www.LocalHikes.com, where I publish some of the hikes I complete. North and South Kinsman (4,293ft and 4,358ft respectively) - September 10th, 2005 These are one of the mountain duos that you must do together, since they are so close. Also marks our 14th NH 4k, and our 8th for the year. Our confidence was high after the earlier hike, and our spirit was hopefully of being ready for our Mt. Washington goal. Our legs finished the hike quite sore, but the views made our hearts keep the cheer while our muscles healed. The hike starts at the Lafayette Campground in the Franconia Notch State Park. The campground is a base for hikers and nature enthusiasts hoping to enjoy the twin mountain ranges on either side of the notch. From there you can easily reach Cannon Mountain, the Kinsmans, as well as Lafayette, Lincoln, Liberty, and Flume - most probably done at some point next year. We took the Lonesome Lake trail west towards the lake with the same name. From there we could see our objective for the day, but walking left around it towards the Lonesome Lake Hut (operated by the Appalachian Mountain Club) allows even better views (Lafayette, Lincoln, Liberty, and Flume, and some of the other NH4k). We took superb pictures from the Hut area, and even better ones once we reached our mountaintop destinations. The hut may be a good place to get a snack, or talk to some people. Since it is so close to the road is mostly used by families. Backpackers will probably be more interested by the Kinsman Pond Shelter close to the mountaintop. We climbed up through Fishing Jimmy trail (AT portions), and reached North Kinsman. The mountaintop itself is covered, but walking a few steps east reveals the same mountain range seen from the Hut, but in all its splendor, and from new heights. Take the opportunity to take pictures and lunch if you haven't. Continuing the trail south got us to the South Kinsman, where we took a few pictures of our previous objective and towards the east. After taking a look at the Appalachian Trail (AT) continuing south and thinking about a day when we could do more of it, we turned back and retraced our steps back to the Lonesome Lake Hut, and to the Lafayette Campground where our car was waiting to take us back to Massachusetts. Again, you may want to visit www.LocalHikes.com to find maps, photos, and more information about this hike. I publish some of the hikes I do on that website. Other interesting links: |