Mt. Monadnock & Bald Rock - 6/9/12

I've spent the weekend pretty much taking it easy, did lots of laundry, making lists, inventory on my gear and personal belongings, and getting ready to leave for my trip on Wednesday. Its not easy, as I have to bring a full suitcase of clothes for few days in Vegas, and bring everything I need for that too. It was a beautiful weekend though, lots of good weather was had as I can see. After hanging around all morning and afternoon, doing things around the house, I decided, what the heck, lets go back to Monadnock, I'll do a sunset hike. It turned out to be a pretty good choice!

I started around 6:15pm from the parking lot off Route 124 in Jaffrey. This is where I've parked each time up Monadnock before. Since I was coming at night, I paid more closely to the signage at the lot. There was a notice about the self-pay service. There were envelopes and a pen. The charge was $5 for day use. I paid the fee, and put the  receipt on my windshield. On it, I wrote, "sunset hike 6-11pm" as an indicator to any official who might check the lot that I'm not overdue. There are multiple signs that say no parking after dark. I usually just park close to the exit, and not deep in the parking lot, day or night.

Old Halfway House Trailhead - Mt. Monadnock

I started up the same trail that I've taken every time, the Old Halfway House Trail. You can see it start just after the gate on the left, and it follows a stone wall until it jogs left and brings you away from the road. In the spring/summer months, this trail seems to provide a pleasant array of woodland scenery. It was much nicer than the other times I've started up this trail in the fall and winter months. As you move away from the road, one will look to the left or right to see dense patches of pretty ferns and open woodlands, just the spot to walk a little slower for the chance to see a deer or something...no such luck, but it was a pleasant start to the hike.

Old Halfway House Trail

Clearing at the site of the Old Halfway House

When I arrived here, I still had a decent amount of time before actual sunset at 8:25pm, so I opted to switch it up, and intercept Bald Rock on the way. There are two trails that leave on the right and gain elevation. One is towards the Thoreau Trail, and the other leads to the Sidefoot and Hedgehog Trails. I did read that the sign was missing, so when I saw it, I didn't panic. I proceeded this way, following the paper printed map.

Missing sign for Sidefoot and Hedgehog Trails

Sidefoot Trail and Noble Trail Junction - fairly well signed

Hedgehog Trail approaching Bald Rock

I was happy I chose this route. The terrain was pretty steep. Along the sidefoot, I saw many squirrels running around above me on the slope, and at one time I thought I saw a large rabbit, but wasn't sure. It sure looked bigger than a squirrel, and had bigger ears. Next, I was on the Hedgehog Trail dealing with some large boulders. I was pretty impressed. I was more impressed when I poked out from the trees onto the lookout at Bald Rock. Wow, I still had a decent distance to go, but this was a very cool spot. I took of my pack and walked all around the open area, exploring. I STILL had time...I hung around here for about 20 minutes, snapping photos and snacking before moving on.

Approaching the outlook at Bald Rock

From Bald Rock, I took the Sidefoot back over to the White Arrow to go to the summit, which is the same way I've done the past times. I love the scrambling the Monadnock offers, its always fun. (I'm shortening everything up here, because I'm running out of time...)

White Arrow Trail

Does this spot look familiar?

As I approached the summit and looked up, I thought I saw a mini Mt. Whitney, or maybe it just looked like the desktop background of Mt. Whitney at sunset I've been looking at the past few months.

White Arrow Trail approaching the summit of Monadnock

There only other people at the summit was a group of four. I was surprised. It was actually very nice just to kind of hang around and watch the sun and clouds. It was quiet, and the breeze was cool enough to eventually put on my fleece. It seemed a cloud bank had parked right over the western horizon or sometihng, but it was still really really nice. I thought about some of the exciting moments to come just days away.

My 4th summit of Monadnock

Mt. Monadnock summit marker

Sunset from Mt. Monadnock - June 9, 2012

Just a few minutes after 9pm, I headed down. It felt like a pretty long hike down. But everything went smoothly. I think I was back at my car around 10:30pm. I was pumped to have decided to take this hike. I got to explore a few new trails and Bald Rock on Mt. Monadnock. Now from sunset on the east to sunset on the West, here we come Mt. Whitney!

Mt. Monadnock - New Year's Eve - December 31, 2010

After a stressful, but short week at work, I was wanting to take advantage of having Friday off (and it had been too long since I've hiked). After all, it was New Year's Eve, and it was a great morning for this hike to Mt. Monadnock. I read the most recent trail condition report and was aware that the area around Jaffrey did not receive as much snow as we did in MA. I got the Kahtoola MicroSPIKES for Christmas and I knew it would be the perfect place to try them out.

I left my house around 7AM, and broke trail from the parking lot on Route 124 exactly at 9:15am. There were a few cars in the lot, and a group of hikers getting ready to set off. I started up the trail, which parallels the Old Toll Road for a short distance, then goes into the woods. It travels over rolling terrain before there is any significant ascent. Along the trail, I guessed the snow to be anywhere from 6-8 inches. The path was packed pretty good, but it was not as flat or defined as it would be further up. I have hiked this trail twice before and recently in December, but the snow seemed to make the trail unfamiliar. There was a big group using snowshoes that approached as I took a water break. It was the group getting ready in the parking lot. I lessened my pace and benefited from them packing it out for me. I hiked behind them for about 10-15 minutes until we came to the junction, and then I darted up the trail to where the Old Halfway Trail joins the road halfway up and took another quick water break.

After I passed the open area and connected with the White Arrow Trail, I stopped to put on the micospikes. From here the trail begins to ascend quickly. This was the first time using the microspikes, and let me tell you these people are geniuses. The grip on them is amazing, and the pace I had going up the mountain was awesome. I was testing the grades of the ice and getting a feel for what kinds of ice and steps were too much for them. The reason they're genius is because every hiker on the mountain had them. The path on the White Arrow was packed out pretty well and was easy to follow. When there is no snow, a lot of the trail requires large steps and some rock scrambles, but the snow really made it interesting because I knew I was hiking well above the rocks that I scrambled over last month.

I stopped at the outlook for a few minutes to put on my REI Thermal Fleece and winter hat. It was warm so I was sweating and quickly felt the wind begin to cool my back, but the fleece kept me comfortable all the way up including while I sat at the summit. The climb from the outlook to the summit on the White Arrow was awesome in the snow. Along the way, I noticed many deep holes where a hiker's foot went 6-8 inches down between rocks. The microspikes were working awesome at the top of the mountain, and the pace I had going up was much faster than a pace I would have if there was no snow.

Once again, the summit was spectacular. The mountain seems so commandeering over the flat land below. I could see the northern mountains, Wachusett, and the Berkshires much better than in December. The low clouds made it feel a bit different, as if I was up higher. I enjoyed the summit for about 10-15 minutes while I woofed down a BLT I picked up at a local store along with some water. I posed for a couple of self-timed shots on the mountain, while another group of 3 were crackin' some beers for New Year's Eve. The wind on the summit was steady and chilly, but nothing drastic.

I knew that going down was going to be easy, despite what one would think. There were many hikers coming up on my way down to the outlook from the summit. I was so glad that I beat the crowds. I was plowing down the mountain at a very good pace. I left the microspikes on all the way down to the trail head. The warmer temperature made the snow softer than when I broke trail, so my gaiters certainly helped on the way down a few times when my foot went into deep snow, but they were not necessary at any other time. The good pace I had kept both up and down clocked this round trip in at exactly 3 hours. I had arrived at my car at 12:15pm. The climb was great, I was down early, and I was able to peacefully close the book on a fantastic 2010 of outdoor experiences. I am fortunate to have spent the last day of 2010 on top of a mountain, and then later on, ring in the new year hanging out with family. It's on to the next in 2011. I wish everyone a Happy New Year.

The video below shows the last six minutes to the summit and a 360 degree view. Enjoy!

Hike Stats

Trails: White Arrow Trail

Distance: 4.4 miles

Elevation Gain: 1,800 ft.

Actual Book Time: 5hrs

Mt. Monadnock - December 11, 2010

Me at the Summit of Mt. Monadnock

What a beautiful day for a late fall/early winter day hike. Bill, looking for practice towards more strenuous hikes, suggested that we consider a hike about 5 miles with about 1500' in elevation gain. I said, "Well, how about Mt. Monadnock?" Sean, bills friend, was also available to come along. The trip takes about 4 total hours from the parking lot on route 124. There are many trails that summit the mountain, but we took the same trails that I used when I hiked in October. What a difference when you hike the mountain without hiking 20 miles before reaching the summit!

Looking up at Monadnock

We started up the Halfway House Trail around 12:30pm. We knew there was ice on the sides of the road, but I was pretty surprised to see so much snow and ice there was on the trail. Once past the site of the Old Halfway House, the trail begins to ascend steeply up a stair-like river bed. The entire trail from this point was icy and extremely slippery. Other hikers were using winter traction. That is the very next piece of gear on my list along with crampons and snowshoes. There were several locations where a short bushwhack up an incline on the side of the trail was necessary.

Icy trail

As we left the trees, we could now see the summit and the steep climb ahead to it. I personally feel that the top part of this climb is as challenging as some of the mountains in the whites, especially to those who may not hike/climb frequently. Parts of the white arrow trail going to summit require good holds on rocks and the ability to pull yourself up with a pack on. This is not as easy as it was in October with no ice. The rocks at the summit had a glaze of ice over them.

When we reached the summit, we were pleasantly surprised to find that it was not very windy, but it was chilly at the top. A nice windblown glaze of ice covered all of the rock on the summit, causing each of us to walk cautiously as we explored the summit. This was the first summit of Monadnock for Bill and Sean, who enjoyed this hike tremendously. The views from the summit were very good considering the lack of light through the overcast sky. I turned to Bill and Sean and I pointed in the direction of where I hiked from in October (towards Royalston, MA). I said, "Hey, you see those mountains way over there? That's where I hiked from." We hung out at the summit for a little bit, had some stick of pepperoni, trail mix, and water. It was great being at the summit with the ice and no wind. I did not stay long last time, as time was closing in on me, so it was great to spend a few more minutes and take in the surroundings.

Bill, Sean, & Me on the icy summit

It had taken about 2 hours to summit, and about 2 hours down the trail. We realized we got down pretty quickly, but it still clocked in at 4 hours. This hike was great. There was a minimal crowd for Monadnock. After this hike, I really can't wait to get into some winter hiking with crampons and snowshoes.

Hike Stats

Trails: White Arrow Trail

Mileage: 4.4 miles

Elevation Gain: 1800ft

Book Time: 4hrs

Metacomet-Monadnock Trail (Sections 19-22)

Me on Gap Mountain headed towards Monadnock

Having been out to the Royalston Falls area in Royalston, MA several times now, and having camped at the Falls Brook Shelter, I knew that the Metacomet-Monadnock Trail passed through the area. There is a sign on the other side of the foot bridge below the shelter that reads 18.7mi to Mt. Monadnock. From that sign to the summit consists of Sections 19-22 of the 114-mile long trail that runs from CT through the Berkshires to Mt. Monadnock in Jaffrey, NH. When hiking out there, that had became one of my goals, was that I was going to hike to Mt. Monadnock from there. 

Porcupine encounter!!

On October 30, 2010, I decided I was going to go for it. With less daylight for this hike, I arrived at the Trustees of Reservations trailhead on Route 32 around 5AM. Getting an early start would end up being essential in making it in time. Honestly, when I pulled into the lot and was making my final equipment check and adjustments, it was so dark, that I was pretty nervous about animals. The trail from the lot to the footbridge is a 1/2 mile descent into the woods. Within my first 2 minutes of walking down the path, I already heard something right in front of me. It was a huge porcupine that basically forced me to walk around it, because he wasn't moving. That certainly was a small adrenaline rush to start, and now, just 3 or 4 minutes in, I was feeling pretty nervous, what the heck could be next, a black bear? Coyote?

Reddish sun coming up

Once I passed the footbridge and began hiking on the trail, which parallells falls brook for quite a while, the brook turns into deeper gorges as you elevate, and the trail is not all that easy. I quickly realized that, although well marked in most areas, the trail markers take you through the woods without it feeling like you are on a trail. Almost all of the wooded sections of the trail have this feel. It's great. Once you leave the brook, you end up on a few logging roads in NH, where you have to follow signs very carefully. Some of the original trail is involved in land disputes, so you have to pay attention to where the trail has been updated, which I did, and it was still not easy. I was still using my headlamp and flashlight at that point. I could see the sun coming up through the trees, and it had incredible color. For almost an hour, just as the sun was coming up, there was uncertainty as to whether I was going in the right direction. The white markers can be seen on the telephone poles of Route 119. I did not really expect to be on main roads, other than crossing them, but in actuality, you have to walk a decent distance on gravel and asphalt roads. 

Ice on pond

Now that it was fully daylight, I was past the confusing section, and entered the most remote and wooded section in the town of Fitzwilliam, NH. In the middle sections of this hike, I was entertained with mile after mile of varying terrain and teaser views. The first view came when I reached Little Monadnock Mountain at 8:30am. At 1,883 ft, it offers the first full view of Mt. Monadnock in the distance. After seeing how much farther I had to go, I went on. I passed a small pond that had some ice leftover from the chilly night before. Continuing on, the trail empties out into a neighborhood, and at the end of the paved road, I came into the town of Troy, where I was met with another challenge. I did not have a trail map. Thats not always a smart move, but I was confident with the reading up I had done and having a print-out of the online-trail guide in hand. Once into town, there is a long bike path that I thought might be the trail, as it passes through town. I had stopped at this second-hand store in the square, and asked the gentleman if the path behind the store was the trail, and named the trail. He said, "oh yeah, yes, goes right behind the houses." Ok, great, so I continued for a little while, again with uncertainty, until I felt I had to ask some bikers on the trail. After hiking back to the square, it took a little bit of wandering to realize that I needed to walk through the square, take a right, and walk over a half mile along Route 12. I could have strangled the guy!

Somewhere in the middle of that confusion, I must have dropped the trail guide. Back on track though, the trail passes the Troy dump and back into the woods going up and then down NAME OF HILL. During this section, I summitted Gap Mountain, which is a small summit that provides a closer commanding view of Monadnock. I met a father and son on the summit and we swapped photo duties before I marched on. It seemed as if Monadnock was going to make me gain every single on of the 3,165 feet, as the trail seemed to keep descending. After this descending section, I came to Route 124, where I crossed the road, and entered Monadnock State Park. Having hiked almost 20 miles, I was now faced with the fairly tough climb to the summit of Monadnock. My ascent took my up the White Arrow Trail, which is steep in many places, especially at the top. The leaves being mostly all down, made it challenging to find the best places to step. Although Mt. Monadnock is possibly the 3rd most summitted mountain in the world, I was pleasantly surpised to see how steep and challenging the last push to the top of the mountain was. Once at the summit, there was a large amount of people there. The wind was blowing hard consistently. I asked someone to take a photo, and began to descend on which I thought was the same trail...

Me on summit of Mt. Monadnock

I made my destination, but I was not done. It is about 3 miles from Route 124 to the summit, so I had the same to return to Route 124, where I would be picked up. I realized that I had gone off the White Arrow Trail, and ended up on the Halfway House Trail. From the marking on the summit, I knew I would end up at 124, so I continued down the trail, as opposed to going back to find the White Arrow junction where I veered off. Just before 4:30pm, my father arrived at the parking lot on Route 124 to pick me up. Driving back to Royalston, MA, he was flabbergasted at how far I had hiked. It was far, but this is another aspect of hiking I want to experience more of. I have added the goal of completing the complete length of the M&M trail to my list.

For more information on the Metacomet-Monadnock Trail, visit the AMC Berkshires Website for more information. 4R4EXAY5K978