Mount Waumbek, November 3, 2012, North Country, White Mountain National Forest

APC and I at the Waumbek Summit Cairn

My brother and I went up Mt. Waumbek five days after Hurricane Sandy made landfall on the Jersey Shore. We had been monitoring the hurricane forecasts, hoping to determine if the weather would impact our planned trip to the Whites. All sources seemed to indicate that the hurricane would continue west, then head north into western New York and break apart.

Although all that turned out to be true, we still caught the residual effects of the storm. Our short, warm-up hike to the top of Waumbek and back was pretty sloppy... Rain at the bottom and light snow at the top. One of the two northern most peaks on the 4,000 footer list, Waumbek's summit is completely tree covered, as is the hike itself, so that afforded some protection from the elements. The trail provided to be one of the easier ascents. There is even a reliable spring along the way.

Trailhead for Mt. Waumbek

We hit the trail early, as is custom, and were the first to the summit. On the way down, though, we passed about 15 people, including a hiker and her partner yammering about how many times they've done the 4,000 footer list... Seems that the crummy weather meant that a lot of folks had the same idea to stay off the higher peaks.

Peak: Mount Waumbek
Elevation: 4,006 feet Gain: 2,700 feet
Distance: 7.2 miles, up and back
Route: Starr King Trail
Conditions: Rain/Snow, 30-35 degrees F