Mt. Moosilauke

On Saturday morning Sarah and I left Woodstock destined for Mt. Moosilauke in New Hampshire.  It was an unseasonably warm day, as the temperature at the trailhead was in the upper 30s.  We were on the trail by just before noon.  Together, we had been up Moosilauke one other time (Sarah had climbed it one other time when she was much younger).  This would be our first time climbing Mt. Moosilauke in the winter, as well as our first time using the Glencliff trail, which follows the Appalachian Trail up the mountain.  The trail rose gently from the parking lot before reaching the AT after just under a half mile.  After this junction, the trail steepened, and we began to climb.

And climb we did.  The trail was only moderately steep at first, but it seldom relented.  The snow was well-packed, though, and the weather was great, making it a delightful climb.  Of course, this wasn’t just a walk in the woods.  Eventually the trail steepened and the last mile of climbing to the ridge was considerably more difficult.  Once on the ridge we met a number of hikers at a trail junction (between the AT and the Carriage Road) who had stopped for a bite to eat on the way down.  They all advised us to bundle up before making our summit bid.  After heeding the group’s advice we continued on.

The landscape on the ridge was as if from a different world.  Every tree was covered with snow and rime ice, creating the look of a drone-like army.  When we emerged from the shelter of the trees the wind very nearly knocked us off our feet.  Out on the exposed ridge, the bright sunlight we had enjoyed on the way up was gone.  We were now in the clouds and were given only fleeting glimpses of the sun.  Finally, we reached the 4,802 ft. summit, but stayed just a second before retreating to shelter.  After having our lunch at the trail junction we made the relatively easy descent to the car, completing our 7.8 mile day in just under 5 hours.  All pictures from the hike can be found here.

Of course, the day wouldn’t be complete without the requisite post-hike beer, so we stopped at the Norwich Inn on the way back to Woodstock.  There we enjoyed our rewarding beers from the Jasper Murdock’s Alehouse.  It was a delicious end to a great day.