Mount Moosilauke, Tuesday, May 19, 2014, Moosilauke Region, White Mountain National Forest

High Winds and Zero Visibility on Moosilauke Summit

We had a tough time finding a route up Mount Moosilauke, our final hike of the trip. As it turned out, we made it up to the summit and back by 10 AM, leaving the rest of the day for the long drive back to the Mid Atlantic. The only downside, it turned out, was the high elevation weather. As opposed to the warm, pleasant temps at the trailhead, the conditions at the summit were downright nasty. Thankfully, we encountered no precipitation, but the high winds, cold temps, and total cloud cover made it a much more unpleasant summit bid than that of our earlier hikes. But that's what you get above treeline in the Whites.

Last Sure Water, Gorge Brook Trail

There are many routes up Moosilauke. We had hoped to take the Benton Trail in from the northwest, but our research revealed that the access road was pretty much destroyed in a recent hurricane making the trailhead accessible only by a three mile road walk. We passed on the Beaver Brook Trail as well, learning that it had some seriously steep sections. We had enough of that already. In the end, we opted for what turned out to be a total cake walk... The Gorge Brook Trail.

Only views of the day, Gorge Brook Trail

The trail meanders at a gentle grade through Dartmouth-owned lands south of the summit. The signage, which starts at the parking area of the Ravine Lodge, is a little confusing, so it took a few minutes to get oriented to the correct trail. As it turned out, the lower reaches of our trail suffered hurricane damage as well and was cordoned off with a "trail closed" sign. Fortunately, the Dartmouth Outdoor Club has built a new connector trail around the wash outs. We made quick work of the ascent and spent no more than a few minutes in the veritable wind tunnel that greeted us at the summit. The amazing views from this monster 4,000 footer will have to wait until next time.

Peak: Mount Moosilauke
Elevation: 4,802 feet (Gain: 2,871 feet)
Distance: 8.2 miles
Route: Up and Back, via Gorge Brook Trail
Conditions: Pleasant at the trailhead; wind, cold, and zero visibility at the summit

Cannon Mountain, Monday, May 18, 2014, Franconia Notch, White Mountain National Forest

Cannon Mountain, View From Hi-Cannon Trail

The trailhead for the Hi-Cannon Trail, our route of choice to the top of the mountain that once housed the famous profile face of New Hampshire lore, is located just fifteen minutes from the Kancamagus Lodge. Thus, our second 4 AM awakening got us to the start point a few minutes before 5 AM. Our plan called for a quick up-and-back to be completed by the late morning, in time for a much-needed visit to Polly's Pancake Parlor in nearby Sugar Hill. Mmmmmmm... Blueberry Corn.

The Ladder, Hi-Cannon Trail

We parked at the Lafayette Campground just off the interstate and zipped quietly through the occupied campsites. As expected, everyone was still fast asleep. Most routes up to Cannon -- save the tramway -- are pretty darn steep. Hi-Cannon proved to be no exception, with a number of vertical, vertigo-inducing sections including a ladder bolted into a section of rock.

View to the West From Hi-Cannon Trail, Lonesome Lake and Hut

After gaining elevation, we stopped at one of the first overlooks on the trail and were fortunate to glass a moose mulling about on the edge of Lonesome Lake. A great sighting, and one that reinforces the fact that you have to get out really early if you want to see these reclusive, majestic animals in the flesh. We wondered if the hut visitors were also observing the moose from the other side of the lake. Nah... Probably still sleeping.

Weathered Sign, Hi-Cannon Trail

After a two hour climb, we took a short break under the observation deck eyesore at the summit. The wind had picked up -- a big change from the day before -- so we found a sheltered place below a retaining wall where we consumed a few clif bars and some dried fruit. For the descent, we chose to head southwest along the Kinsman Ridge Trail and down to Lonesome Lake, then back to the car via the long, easy switchback that connects Lafayette Camp to the hut. The plan had merit... until we realized that the section of Kinsman Ridge leading from Cannon Mountain is super steep. We toughed it out and were back down by 10 AM. Just in time for Polly's.

Peak: Cannon Mountain
Elevation: 4,100 feet (Gain: 2,500 feet)
Distance: 5.5 miles
Route: Up and back, via Lonesome Lake Trail, Hi-Cannon Trail, Kinsman Ridge Trail
Conditions: Mostly Sunny, 70 degrees F
Notable Fauna: Moose sighting

Mount Whiteface and Mount Passaconaway, Sunday, May 17, 2014, Sandwich Range, White Mountain National Forest

APC on Blueberry Ledge Trail

In mid-May, day break in the White Mountains comes early... REALLY early. So for this year's trip to the North Country, we made a habit of setting our internal alarms for a 4 AM rise. For our first hike of this trip, we needed the extra time. The drive to Ferncroft from our usual base of operations -- the Kancamagus Lodge in Lincoln -- was quite a long one. After encountering a closed Dunkin Donuts in Lincoln (they open at 5 AM) and negotiating a few wrong turns trying to find route 113 (the exits on 93 have been changed since the Steven Smith's book was published), we finally made it to the Ferncroft parking area at 6:15 AM. One car in the lot already. Failure. We always want to be the first ones out.

Rock Hopping... Before Gaiter Fail

Whiteface and Passaconaway are among the smallest of the 4,000 footers, but by no means are they the easiest... especially if you approach by way of the Blueberry Ledge Trail. It's a real monster, with lots of rock scrambles and hand-over-hand climbing along the way. The WM Guide even calls it one of the toughest trails in the whites. Although it was our first 4,000 footer climb of the year, we took advantage of the (relatively) early start and beautiful weather to make quick work of peak number one -- Mount Whiteface.

Scaling the Blueberry Ledge Trail

My second pair of OR gaiters -- the ones that I had been given by the company after a first pair blew out -- got shredded on the rock scrambling parts of the trail, which require one to stow trekking poles and have both hands free. We'll see if they come through with a second replacement.

Open rocks, Below Whiteface Summit

We lunched near the Whiteface summit and then pressed on to the less-than-impressive Passaconaway summit, which is little more than a small cairn just off the trail. Despite the absence of a summit view, it was cool to look down on Mount Hedgehog from a nearby viewpoint. Not wanting to descend down the harrowing ledges, we chose Dicey's Mill Trail for the return -- effectively making a 10-mile loop hike back back to the car at Ferncroft. A fairly straightforward descent brought us back to a full lot of cars and a prompt return to Lincoln for some pool and ping pong at the Kanc.

Peaks: Mount Whiteface and Mount Passaconaway
Elevation: 4,020 and 4,043 feet (Gain: 3,850 feet)
Distance: 10.8 miles
Route: Loop, via Blueberry Ledge Trail, Rollins Trail, Dicey's Mill Trail
Conditions: Sunny, 65 degrees F