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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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
