NH 48 4000 footers: Waumek

Friday, November 10, 2017
4000 footers climbed: Mt. Waumbek
Miles: 7.2 (total, out and back hike)
Elevation gained: 2805'
MapMyRun recording

After working remotely until 2pm from Rattle River Hostel, I headed out and got to the trailhead by 2:30pm. The directions I'd received online were sound, as they specifically mentioned the road to the trailhead was very rough and might be challenging for cars without a lot of ground clearance. It had snowed in the night, dropping a few inches of snow, and was very cold (high of maybe 20 degrees); it was 8 degrees by the time I finished my hike. I headed out from the trailhead by 2:45pm.

This mountain was quite easy. It was a few miles out and a few miles back, with relatively smooth elevation gain.

The trail goes across Mount Starr King before heading to Mt Waumbek. Near the peak, there's an old chimney/fireplace. The sun was starting to go down by the time I arrived at that peak.

I quickly hiked to the peak of Mt Waumbek and then hiked maybe 50 yards beyond the summit for a better view.

From here, I turned around and headed back the way I'd come. I returns to my car around 6:15pm, long after the sun had set. I spent the last our hiking by headlamp. It was also cold enough my water bottles froze completely shut by the time I was done.

NH 48 4000 footers: Osceola & East Osceola

Friday, September 1, 2017
4000 footers climbed: Mt. Osceola and East Osceola
Miles: 8.4 (total, out and back hike)
Elevation gained: 2591'
MapMyRun recording

I worked remotely from the hostel until 2pm and then gathered my things and headed out. I arrived at the trailhead around 3:15pm, after figuring out that the original Google map pin wasn't in quite the right place.

The beginning of the hike was a steady but manageable incline. It was a cold day but so long as I kept moving, I was warm enough.

It was a crisp day, with some clouds but a lot of blue sky as well. I saw one other person while I was out hiking, right at the peak of Osceola.

The view from the top was beautiful. After enjoying the view, I headed towards East Osceola.

Along the way to East Osceola, there was a tall rock chimney, where the trail technically ran. Thankfully, people had made an obvious trail around the steep rock climb, which was manageable.

The peak of East Osceola is fully under tree cover so there weren't any spectacular views. From there, I turned around and began my trip back towards my car at the trailhead.

The setting sun provided beautiful lighting as I descended the trail. I made it back to my car after the sun set but before any kind of artificial light was needed.

NH 48 4000 footers: North and Middle Tripyramid

Saturday, September 2, 2017
4000 footers climbed: North and Middle Tripyramid Mtn
Miles: 10.0 (total, loop hike) (would have been 11.0 but caught a ride to the other trailhead on the road)
Elevation gained: 2910'
MapMyRun recording

I woke up around 6:30am, and left the Notch hostel by 7am. I started my hike by 8am and finished before 1pm. I was the second car in the parking lot that morning; when I came back, the lot was full to bursting with cars lined up all along the side of the road for half a mile in each direction.

I started to walk from the Sabbaday Brook parking area towards Pine Bend Brook parking area (~1 mile down the road). An early morning hiker pulled over and offered me a ride, as he was going down the road to that same parking area. The ride was a welcome chance to cut off a mile of busy road walking. I hiked up Pine Bend Brook trail until I summitted North Tripyramid, which is a completely wooded summit.

I did find a small view off the side, down a small side path.

I continued along the trail until I came to the summit of Middle Tripyramid (which is also a wooded summit with very limited views).

From there, I backtracked to Sabbaday Brook Trail and hiked along the brook, past Sabbaday Falls, and back to the parking lot to finish the loop hike.

NH 48 4000 footers: Cannon Mtn

Saturday, September 2, 2017
4000 footers climbed: Cannon Mtn
Miles: 4.2 (total, out and back hike)
Elevation gained: 2145'

MapMyRun recording

After my morning hike up North and Middle Tripyramid, I drove up to the parking lot by Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway and Echo Lake and found my way to the start of the Kinsman Ridge Trail. The way up was pretty steep, with the beginning having a lot of loose sand and fine gravel (which made the return trip a bit challenging). I hiked to the look out point and got some beautiful views of Franconia Ridge (with Mt. Liberty, Lafayette, Lincoln, and Little Haystack).

From there, I hiked up to the summit station, near the aerial tramway's disembarking area. 

I encountered traffic jams on the one-person wide trail around the summit. It was immensely frustrating. I took a few pictures and headed back down the way I came, away from the crowds.

NH 48 4000 footers: Tecumseh

Sunday, September 3, 2017
4000 footers climbed: Mt. Tecumseh (Waterville Valley)
Miles: 5.5 (total, loop hike)
Elevation gained: ~2000'

MapMyRun recording

I got up early and left the hostel by 6:45am, heading toward Waterville Valley ski resort. The edge of a hurricane was coming in, with a cold front, high winds, and a lot of rainfall forecast, but it wasn't supposed to hit the area until at least 11am, so I hiked quickly to beat the storm.

I parked in the resort's Parking Lot #1, and found the trailhead right at the end of the parking lot (see sign above). I hiked for an hour or so, and made it to the summit (where I had to add some layers to block the chill wind). 

The summit was socked in by clouds, but as I hiked back down to my car via the ski trails, I had some beautiful views of the valley with light streaming through the clouds, and enchanting mist-wrapped ski lifts.

Despite the rough, unpredictable terrain on the ski trails, I made it down to my car by 10:30am, and beat the rain by ~20 minutes.