Mt. Monadnock (3,165 ft) 7-20-17

Distance: 5.05 mi.
Elevation: 1,644 ft (overall) 1,758 ft (total)
Time: 1:57 (Summit) 2:17 (Monta Rosa) 2:54 (Total)
Trails: Old Halfway House Trail, White Arrow Trail, Smith Summit Trail, Monta Rosa Trail, Old Toll Road

With four days of hiking planned in Baxter State Park in Maine soon, I wanted to get in one last hike just to help make sure my legs would be up for the hiking. The planned hikes in Baxter would be some longer hikes with lots of elevation gain and I haven't been hiking as much this year. I wanted to make sure I was at least somewhat prepared. I had one day this week that I could hike after work, so I took the opportunity.

I got to the Old Toll Road trail head just after 5pm and quickly got my gear into place. There were some clouds and it was humid during the day, so I wanted to have plenty of time so I wouldn't have to get so hot and sweaty from the humidity. As always I headed up the Old Halfway House Trail instead of the old Toll Road since I'd much rather be in the woods. The hike up this trail went pretty quick and I wasn't sweating as much as I expected I would. Only a couple hikers were coming down while I headed up.

Heading up the Old Halfway House Trail

From the Old Halfway House Site, I took the direct route up the White Arrow Trail. It's been a while since I have been up this trail since I normally try to avoid the crowds, but being so late in the day and during the week, I knew it wouldn't be that busy. I also needed to re-hike this trail in my quest to remap all the trails with my newer GPS. Just after leaving the Old Halfway House Site, it actually started to rain, but almost as quickly as it started, it stopped again.

The White Arrow Trail was just as rocky as I remember it, but with more wear and tear from the shear number of people that hike it. It's always disappointing though to see the paths leading around obstacles in the trail. If only those hikers knew the damage they do to the trail and mountain in the long run. Let's be honest, you are climbing a mountain, it's not going to be easy. Just stay on the trail and take your time.

White Arrow Trail

Nearing treeline it was still mostly cloudy, but there were some openings in the clouds that allowed for the evening's colors to start showing themselves. There was also a breeze, now that the trees weren't blocking it for me. That made the humid conditions of the day that much better. I kept hiking my way up to the summit and was soon there. There were only a handful of other hikers up there, which made for a pretty quiet and calm place... just the way I like it.

Initially it was cloudy at the summit

As I spent some time around the summit area, the clouds started to dissipate some. It was beginning to look like there might actually be a decent sunset to watch tonight. Not wanting to need my headlamp on the descent, but still wanting to have a view of the pending sunset. I headed quickly down the Smith Summit Trail and headed for Monte Rosa so I could watch from there. I made good time and was there in just 20 minutes.

Sunshine trying to take over the sky

Sun shining on the land to the west

I sat on a nice rock on Monte Rosa and watched the entire sunset from there, taking pictures periodically while it happened. After the sunset (and some ripe blueberries) I headed down the Monte Rosa Trail to the Old Halfway House Site. From here I decided to hike down using the Old Toll Road. I'm not normally a fan of walking the road, but it was getting dark and the road was going to have more light coming through the trees than the trail. This helped me make it back to the truck shortly before I would have needed to get out the headlamp to see my way back.

Nearing sunset with clearing skies

Clouds to the left, clear skies to the right

The weathervane just after sun has set

For all the pictures from the hike, just go HERE

Mt. Monadnock (3,165 ft) 5-16-17

Distance: 5.10 mi.
Elevation: 1,773 ft (overall) 1,962 ft (total)
Time: 1:45 (Summit) 3:18 (Total)
Trails: White Dot Trail, White Cross Trail, White Arrow Trail, Amphitheatre Trail, Smith Connecting Trail, Cliff Walk Trail, Lost Farm Trail, Parker Trail

In order to avoid the normal crowds on the main trails from the State Park Headquarters, I opted to hike from here after work on a weekday. This plan worked well and I didn't see anyone else heading up, and not many heading down. I needed to hike from here for my personal project of remapping trails with my newer GPS. Today I wanted to get the White Cross Trail checked off the list.

The hike up went smoothly, or as smooth as it can over a heavily worn rocky trail. The only real problems were the unrelenting swarms of black flies below treeline and the amount of trash that was left along the trail. Apparently someone decided they needed to constantly use toilet paper to blow their nose or wipe sweat off their face or something. And they didn't seem to think they needed to carry out those pieces of paper either.

Heavily worn trail

This route starts off a little bit gradual and then gets steeper once the White Dot and White Cross Trails diverge. Once the climbing starts, the trail also becomes more and more rocky. So many hikers have hiked this route over the years that much of the soil has been worn and eroded away. Due to this, you'll see multiple paths just off trail from hikers trying to avoid the rocks. PLEASE try to stay on the trail as using these paths just tramples vegetation, increases erosion, and progressively makes the trail wider and wider. If brush or debris is blocking a path, that means that you shouldn't be using it and it was blocked off by park officials.

More rocks along the trail

Once you start getting closer to treeline, the trail levels back out some, but still keeps gaining elevation. You will also see less large rocks scattered along the trail replaced with more large sections of exposed rock. This is where most probably consider the trail to get more enjoyable as it isn't quick as steep and you don't have to keep stepping from rock to rock to rock. Above treeline, you'll want to keep an eye on the painted blazes on the rocks to keep you following the correct path.

The mountain casting a shadow

Miles watching as the sun gets closer to setting

I got to the top a little while before sunset was ready to occur. There was only one other hiker at the time and we talked for a bit before I started taking pictures and he sat to enjoy the view. Knowing I wasn't taking a direct route back down, I left the summit before sunset actually happened. I made sure I was still above treeline when it did happened, but also got a head start on my descent so I wouldn't have to put on my headlamp quite as early.

The sun setting

Muted colors looking away from the sun

Sunset

I headed down the White Arrow Trail and worked by way over to Bald Rock before needing to take out my headlamp. I didn't need it quite yet, but knew that as soon as I left Bald Rock I would be into more dense forest and it would come in handy soon. I continued down the Cliff Walk Trail until I reached the Lost Farm Trail and headed back towards the trail head I started at. The Lost Farm Trail had a few minor issues as far as downed trees go. but I also saw a couple of deer just off trail in the darkness. When I got back to the parking lot, I was the only car left.

Route for the day

For all the pictures from the hike, just go HERE

Mt. Monadnock (3,165 ft) 7-10-15

Distance: 5.36 mi.
Elevation: 1,758 ft (overall) 2,018 ft (total)
Time: 2:03 (summit) 3:07 (total)
Trails: White Dot Trail, Cascade Link, Spellman Trail, Pumpelly Trail, White Cross Trail

I decided I wanted to get a hike in since it had been a while since I had been up a significant peak. I decided getting out of work an hour early and heading up Monadnock for the sunset was a good way to get in a hike. I'd been thinking recently that it had been a while since I was on the Spellman Trail, so I picked a route that included it.

The hike up went well. There weren't many people as almost all of them were heading down. It was a bit humid, but I just adjusted my pace some to keep from sweating too much. Once off of the White Dot Trail, I didn't see anyone else until I reached the summit. Going up the Spellman Trail was fun and conditions were good for it. There were a couple damp places, but not in the steepest areas where it would cause a problem.

Given the weather predictions, I didn't expect the sunset to be overly spectacular. There weren't many clouds for the colors to reflect off of and it was a bit hazy. As the sun went behind the clouds near the horizon, it appeared the sunset might be a bit of a bust. In fact, a family at the summit headed down at this point thinking just that. But as I talked with some other hikers, we noticed a break in the clouds above the horizon. This gave almost enough room to see the entire sun as it went down behind the horizon. While the colors weren't spectacular, this did make the sunset much improved. I wonder if the family watched as they descended and caught this or not.

On the way down I was able to go without my headlamp for nearly half of the descent. I put it on for the rockiest part of the White Cross Trail and left it on until I got to the car. At the park headquarters I was greeted by a barred owl up in the trees making a lot of noise as I got close. I was able to watch him with my headlamp for a while before I decided to leave him alone.

Brook crossing on the Cascade Link

Start to the steep section of the Spellman Trail

On the Pumpelly Ridge

Nearing sunset while climbing

The sun starting to go down behind the clouds

The sun coming down below the clouds

The last glimpse of the sun for the day

For all the pictures from the hike, just go HERE