May 14 2007
Successful Mt. Monadnock hike this past Saturday
Two friends and I spent Saturday hiking Mt. Monadnock. And we couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day to do it.
The skies were sunny, with small wisps of clouds here and there, and the temperature hovered in the mid 70s. To top it off, there were pleasant breezes in the lower altitudes and a light, warm wind near the summit—just enough to keep you cool after the trek and to dry off one’s shirt.
We took the Pumpelly trail, from the north, which started at Dublin Lake. It is approximately 4.4 miles to the summit, and at one point, has a steep, quarter to half-mile ascent that required using all fours (hands and feet) on a section of exposed rock, tree roots and some soil. At approximately 55 to 65 degrees, it is not for the faint of heart. (And coming down, it was killer on the knees.)
Mt. Monadnock has an altitude of 3,165 feet along with some spectacular views of the surrounding New Hampshire countryside. The visibility was so great, we were able to see the snow covered peak of Mt. Washington far off in an east-northeast direction. It is also said that on a good day, you can see all six new England states.
I figure that we hiked about 9 miles for the day, which includes a short walk to and from the trail head and exploring the rocky summit. I’d highly recommend this mountain as a training site for longer, higher and tougher mountains.
Interesting Mt. Monadnock facts:
- It is the second-most frequently climbed mountain, behind Mt. Fuji in Japan.
- There are 40 miles of maintained foot trails.
- Mt. Monadnock was designated a national national landmark site in 1987.
One response so far
Yup, couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day weather-wise. I’ve never hiked Manadnock before and was glad to find a trail that was less travelled than all the other trails that lead to the summit. I also like the idea of a ridgeline hike. Although the trail is just over 4 miles one way, the trail offers a great “warm-up section” by hiking through rolling woodlands. The steep assent to the start of the northern ridge certainly taxes your legs and lungs. About two miles into the trail you are above treeline, except for a few dips along the ridge, where you already can see great distances due to the fact that Manadnock is just about the only mountain in the area. Lots of solid granite under foot lead you to two minor summits before reaching the summit of Manadnock, which was loaded with other hikers. Out of the 100 or so people on the summit, we only saw less than 10 on the way up. One couple, I think, were glad we caught up to them before the steep accent. They couldn’t seem to figure out where the trail goes from there. They had no map. Well, potential disaster averted. (On the summit they passed us chilling-out and asked us which direction they came from to get back to the trail.)
Next time I hike this trail, I might try it with my large pack. As for the other trails, the only other one I might consider is the Dublin trail and also doing a loop, starting at the headquarters, up the Spellman trail, then down the Marlboro trail to the Marian trail.
But first it’s off to other mountains.