Catfish Mountain, October 31, 2015, Delaware Water Gap

Autumn Views of New Jersey from the AT near Catfish Mountain

Having spent so much time in New England over the past two years, K and I realized that we had fallen behind in our hikes on the New Jersey 1000 list. That's the list that a couple of Garden State hikers created a few years back of the highest "peaks" in New Jersey. We like the list because the hikes are all located within 1 and 1/2 hours from home and allow us to see some the really beautiful, rural parts of an otherwise urban state. The hikes are also of moderate elevation gain, making them perfect for a leisurely day out or winter hiking route in sub par weather conditions.

Catfish Mountain summit fire tower

On Halloween Day, we decided to revisit our NJ 1000 list with a loop hike to Catfish Mountain. We used our local branch of the AMC - the Mohican Outdoor Center - as our starting point. Nestled on the banks of Catfish Pond, the Mohican Center is a great point of departure for the Appalachian Trail in New Jersey and other hikes in and around the northwestern corner of the state. Even better is that it is just over an hour from the house.

Descending the fire road to Rattlesnake Swamp Trail

Heading northeast from the parking area, we quickly climbed a spur trail from the Center to the Appalachian Trail and followed the AT past multiple vista points. A short, pleasant but rocky Kittatiny Ridge walk brings you to the summit of Catfish Mountain and its famous fire tower. Not yet ready to break, we headed down off the ridge and took a fire road to the intersection with Rattlesnake Swamp Trail. Turning sharply back to the southwest, we followed the trail through a pleasant wetlands and hundreds of mature rhododendrons. After a lesiurely trail lunch, we continued along the trail through the rhododendrons and across several stream crossings and arrived back at Catfish Pond.

Among the Rhododendrons in Rattlesnake Swamp

All in all, we encountered only five people the entire day... a definite plus (and highly uncommon) for a hike in the Water Gap.

Peak: Rattlesnake Mountain
Elevation: 1,560 feet
Distance: 6 miles round trip
Route: Loop; Rattlesnake Swamp Trail connector to Appalachian Trail to Fire Road to Rattlesnake Swamp Trail

Great Head, October 15, 2015, Acadia National Park

View from Great Head

We found the short loop trail over the rock outcropping known as Great Head to be one of the neatest little hikes at Acadia. With its rocky coastline, windswept foliage, and magnificent vistas out to sea, Great Head is quintessential Maine. But with that natural beauty comes a price... the crowds.

Break time on Great Head loop trail

Since it was our last day on the island, we opted for a later start time around mid-morning and therefore had to wait through a small traffic jam up at one of park gates. Once through, we passed an overflowing parking lot at the Precipice trail up to Champlain Mountain and then got the very last available spot at the Sand Beach parking area. Once traversing the beach, we climbed up a short but steep escarpment to start the loop of Great Head, which we decided to do in a counter clockwise direction. From the top, one has a nice view of the Beehive. We had our binoculars and used them to follow a number of obviously-scared-out-of-their-wits people slowly making their way up the open ledges of this famous Acadia "ladder" trail.

The Beehive

Despite some slow moving groups and at least one crazed kid who liked to race ahead of his family and check out what we were doing, we soon left the crowds behind and enjoyed a hike of numerous ocean vistas and plenty of open rocks for long, leisurely breaks. We even caught the sporadic boom of the Thunder Hole further down the coast - a place where the surf enters a cleft in the granite cliffs and produces a thunderous cannon-like roar. Continuing our loop after a long lunch break, we connected with the Saterlee Trail and followed it back to Sand Beach, completing the short 2 mile loop.

"Ooooh, what's this?"

We passed the bustling parking area for the Beehive en route and thought about tacking it on to the day.

Nah. Maybe next time.

Hike: Great Head Loop
Elevation: 139 feet
Distance: 2 miles round trip
Route: Loop; Great Head Loop Trail to Saterlee Trail
Conditions: Party sunny, 60 degrees F

Gilmore Peak and Sargent Mountain, October 15, 2014, Acadia National Park

Sargent Mountain Summit Marker

Six trails in Acadia are designated as "ladder trails," named for the iron rungs that a hiker must negotiate along the way. My research on one of these trails - the Giant Slide Trail - found that it ranks among the least-traveled trails in Acadia. That's what I'm talking about.

Lichen forest

I used the Giant Slide Trail as the stem of a lollipop-shaped hike up the summits of Gilmour Peak and Sargent Mountain. Sure enough, I was the first car at the roadside pull off for the trail head. After meandering through an awesome patch of lichen-encrusted rocks, the trail crosses a carriage road and then enters into the so-called "Giant Slide." There are no iron ladders... I guess they just call it a ladder trail because that's the designation for the toughest trails in the park.

Over the boulders and through the caves on Giant Slide Trail

Further, there's not really any trail. The blazes just go up and over boulders, through the stream bed, around exposed tree roots, and underneath rock formations. I quickly stowed the hiking poles. No need for them when you need all fours for the constant boulder scrambles. The trail is strenuous, to be certain, but nothing unlike what one encounters in the White Mountains. All in all, it was a pretty cool trail. Once through the slide, I took the Grandgent Trail up and over Gilmore Peak and then pressed on to the summit of Sargent Mountain, the second highest point in Acadia.

Gilmore Peak summit sign

Sargent is a neat peak, with the same treeless summit and sweeping views characteristic of the other mountains at Acadia. The lack of an auto road to the summit, however, made for much more seclusion than Cadillac Mountain. For the return, I took Sargent Northwest Trail. Just as I was reconnecting with the Giant Slide Trail I encountered the only other hikers of the morning. We chatted for a bit and then I tackled the slide once again.

The return was as interesting as the ascent. I'd definitely visit the Giant Slide again.

Peak: Gilmore Peak and Sargent Mountain
Elevation: 1,030 feet and 1,379 feet
Distance: 4.3 miles
Route: Lollipop: Giant Slide Trail to Grandgent Trail to Sargent Northwest Trail
Conditions: Sunny, 50 degrees F

Dorr and Cadillac Mountains, October 14, 2015, Acadia National Park

Cadillac Mountain, the View from Dorr Mountain Summit

They say that the Dorr Mountain Ladder Trail is one of the best workouts in Acadia. It has a few of the iron rungs characteristic of the other ladder trails, but the real challenge is the unrelenting set of stone steps that runs straight up the eastern side of Dorr Mountain from the pond/wetland known locally as the Tarn.

The Tarn at dawn

I arrived at the Tarn parking area at daybreak and started out along its western shore (a trail known as the Kane Path) with a headlamp. Once past the Tarn, I turned west onto the Ladder Trail and, as expected, had to negotiate hundreds of steep steps up the cliff side. A total of 650 feet of elevation is gained rapidly and I soon found myself taking a much needed break on a rock outcropping looking down on the highway far below. From there, the Schiff Path leads to the treeless summit of Dorr Mountain.

Boulder break after the granite steps

After another break on Dorr's summit, it was steeply down into a col and steeply up to Cadillac Mountain - the highest point in Acadia National Park. Whereas most of my summit experiences on Acadia offered total seclusion (no one seems to wake up for early AM start times), my arrival at Cadillac brought me into the mass of tourists who drive up there (yep, there's an auto road like on Mt. Washington) to experience the stunning sunrises. Upon arrival, I did a quick loop on the paved path to the true summit. Once I spotted the cruise ships in Bar Harbor, I figured it was time to get back into the woods.

Loop trail on Cadillac Summit, View to Bar Harbor

Since the gorges (gole) of Abruzzo rank among our most favorite places to Hike in Italy, I wanted to descend via Acadia's aptly-named Gorge Path. True to its name, the Gorge Path makes its way through a dark, shadowy gorge hollowed out by the steam that follows the trail pretty much the whole way. After that, I turned east onto the Hemlock Trail, which eventually becomes an old forest road and connects with the Jessup Path leading back to the Tarn.

Peaks: Dorr Mountain and Cadillac Mountain
Elevation: 1,265 feet and 1,529 feet
Distance: 5 miles roundtrip
Route: Loop, Kane Path to Dorr Mountain Ladder Trail to Cadillac-Dorr Connector to Gorge Path to Hemlock Trail to Jessup Path
Conditions: Partly cloudy, 50 degrees F

Hadlock Ponds, October 12, 2015, Acadia National Park

Lunch spot on Lower Hadlock Pond

One benefit of the comparatively short peak hikes in Acadia is that I can be out and back by 10 or 11 AM, thus leaving the late morning and afternoon for another hike or bike ride on the famous carriage roads with K. We found the Hadlock Ponds to be a really neat figure eight-shaped, double loop hike, with nice vista points, wetland boardwalks, babbling brooks, and moss-filled forests. The hike could easily be extended with a trip to the summit of nearby Mount Norumbega and still bring one back to the parking area with no backtracking.

K on the boardwalks along Upped Hadlock 

The Hadlock Ponds Trail starts with a short elevation gain up to one of the island's many carriage roads and then down to the east side of the pond and along an extended boardwalk section. After skirting the upper pond, the trail recrosses the highway and passes through a pleasant section following the cascading stream that connects the two ponds. This second section of the hike completely circumnavigates the Lower Hadlock Pond. We looped around the pond from east to west, ending the loop at a nice rock outcropping that served as the perfect, pond-side lunch spot.

Lower Norumbega Trail

After the break, we finished the loop and got on the lower Norumbega Trail which skirts the east side of the peak through a pretty beech and birch forest with an almost totally-covered mossy floor. All in all, it was a nice little hike. The only downside was the road noise one encounters on the upper pond.

Destination: Hadlock Ponds
Distance: 3.2 miles roundtrip
Route: Hadlock Ponds Trail to Lower Hadlock Trail to Lower Norumbega Trail
Conditions: Sunny 55 degrees F

Penobscot Mountain, October 12, 2015, Acadia National Park

Sunrise at Mount Penobscot

Although its peaks are hopelessly low in terms of total elevation, Acadia National Park offers some of the most dramatic mountain vistas on the East Coast. Many of the summits are above the tree line, offering rocky, barren landscapes reminiscent of the Presidential Range. Heck, that's how the island on which the park is situated - Mount Desert Island - got its name. Since the whole park covers only 47,000 acres, many of the hiking trails are short. But at Acadia, short doesn't always mean easy.

Blue blazes along the Jordan Cliffs

I started off the week with one of the so-called "Ladder Trails." Acadia ranks its trail difficulty with four ratings - easy, moderate, strenuous, and ladder. The latter, ladder trails are the most difficult and are named for the iron rungs needed to clamber up vertical escarpments. If you want to do the ladder trails, the time to visit Acadia is in the Fall. Several of these trails are closed in the Spring and Summer since peregrine falcons use the precipitous cliff faces for nesting. 

Jordan Pond from the Cliffs

I arrived at daybreak at the Jordan Pond parking area and found only one car in the large parking lot that K and I had experienced at overflow capacity just one day earlier. Probably best to avoid Acadia on Columbus Day weekend, we noted. A quick jog on the Spring Trail across two carriage roads brought me to the warning signs for the Jordan Cliffs Trail - signs which cautioned about the open ledges and iron ladders along the route. As expected, the trail hugged the cliffs high above Jordan Pond. For most of the way, tree coverage to my right screened the steep drops down to the water.

Iron rung, vertigo-inducing section on the Jordan Cliffs Trail

At one point, however, I had to drop down a rocky outcropping and negotiate a narrow ledge with nothing but open air blocking the vertical drop. After inching along the ledge, the trail then goes straight up two sets of iron rungs with an unobstructed, wide open cliff behind. At that point and that point alone, I understood why the signs were needed. After this one vertigo-inducing section, the trail soon connects with the East Trail leading to the open, rocky summit of Mount Penobscot. I spent a good half hour on the top. Encountering no early morning arrivals, I descended along the ridge line to the south on a pleasant trail that serves as the summit approach of choice for those wishing to avoid the cliffs.

Peak: Penobscot

Elevation: 1,196 feet

Distance: 3.2 miles round trip

Route: Loop, Spring Trail to Jordan Cliffs Trail to East Trail to Penobscot Mountain Trail to Spring Trail

Conditions: Sunny, 50 degrees F

Mount Chocorua, October 8, 2015, Sandwich Range, White Mountain National Forest

Chocorua's symmetrical summit cone, up close

Chocorua is one of the most easily-identifiable peaks in the White Mountains. On a beautiful, windless October weekday, K and I made a quick run up Mount Willard in order to eat lunch on the ledges and admire the great view into Crawford Notch. The late arrival of peak foliage this season meant that we didn't have any solitude (one never does atop Willard)  but the view is still the same. And at the center of that view, way off on the far horizon, is the perfectly-pointed cone-shaped peak that is Chocorua. They say that its symmetrical shape once made Chocorua the most photographed mountain in the world. Looking at it from afar reaffirmed a long-held curiosity about this popular peak and I wondered why I had never explored it. I resolved to check out the summit on the following day.

Slippery Roots on the Lower Champney Falls Trail

I usually try to take the lesser-traveled trails to the popular peaks. In this case, however, I had no choice but to take the popular Champney Falls route since it was the nearest to where we were staying in Sugar Hill. At one hour door to door to Champney, I didn't want to add any more time to my early AM drive to the trail. But I resolved to get out early and be the first to the summit. I made it to the parking area at 7 AM sharp. First car in the lot. Again.

The Falls

I quickly learned why Champney Falls trail is to popular. It has to be one of the easiest trails to pay such big dividends in the view department. Don't get me wrong. It's a long uphill climb covering nearly 2,300 feet in elevation gain. But it has a comfortable grade with multiple switchbacks and few boulder scrambles. The side route to the falls is well worthwhile since it reconnects with the main trail without having to backtrack. But the price of a look at the falls on the way up is a precipitously steep set of stone stairs. I hit the falls on my return instead.

The view to the Northwest from Chocorua summit

A peak with great summit views and a comparatively easy approach means LOTS of pressure. Sadly, I saw more cigarette butts long this trail than in all my visits to New Hampshire combined. Fortunately, however, the early hour meant that I made it all the way to the summit without encountering a single person. The top of Chocorua can be a bit confusing since the Champney Falls trail doesn't go to the summit. I followed the signs for the Piper Trail, which winds its way out of the tree line and then across the open summit ledges. Although the blazes were quite faded, it was fairly easy to find the hand-over-hand climb up and around to the marker on the summit. Although the sky was clear, strong winds and cold temps prevented too much relaxation up top. I had cold weather gear and donned it in order to spend some time admiring the spectacular views.

Just as I was leaving, the first of the day's hikers showed up. All were pack-less and wearing shorts and t-shirts. 

To each his own. At least they were not tossing cig butts.

Peak: Chocorua
Elevation: 3,500 feet (Gain: 2,250 feet)
Distance: 7.6 miles round trip
Route: Up and back, Champney Falls Trail to Piper Trail
Conditions: Full sun, 35 degrees F, gusty winds

Mount Willard, October 6, 2015, Crawford Notch State Forest, White Mountains, New Hampshire

The Famous View from Mt. Willard Ledges

I have mixed feelings when it comes to Mt. Willard. I hate that it attracts so many people, yet I like the friendly interaction that the popular peaks afford. I like the outstanding view south into Crawford Notch and the summits (namely perfectly-cone-shaped Chocorua) beyond, but I hate that the forested valley is scarred by a busy highway and railroad cut. I hate that the trail is so short that the climb involves minimal effort and time, but I love that the short distance makes for a nice warm-up hike or crummy weather excursion.

All mixed emotions aside, K and I decided to have a picnic lunch atop Mt. Willard on a day when we didn't feel like full exertion but wanted a nice higher elevation point to see the fall foliage. We arrived at the notch in late morning, passing a bustling Highland Center, yet easily finding a parking spot behind the train station. We hopped across the tracks and onto the Avalon Trail which leads to the three 4,000 footers on the west side of the notch (Tom, Field, and Willey), and then quickly turned left on the trail bound for Mt. Willard.

Foliage on Mt. Willard, and the Webster and Jackson ridge

It's an old carriage road, so that meant easy uphill grades the entire way. Lots of people were descending as we went up, which fortunately resulted in us nabbing the best picnic spot on the ledges. We hung out for quite a long time, enjoying what really is a great view.

On the way out, we popped into the Highland Center to check out the map selection.

We passed on the "I climbed Mt. Willard" bumper sticker.

Peak: Mount Willard Ledges
Elevation: 2,800 feet (Gain: 900 feet)
Distance: 3.2 miles round trip
Route: Up and back, Mt. Willard Trail
Conditions: Partly cloudy, 50 degrees F

Mount Carrigain, October 5, 2015, Pemigewasset Wilderness, White Mountain National Forest

Carrigain, the view from Zealand Falls Hut

I've been reading Samuel Adams Drake's 1882 account of White Mountain hiking, The Heart of the White Mountains: Their Legends and Scenery. Of Mount Carrigain, my third to last 4,000 footer, he wrote...

"Carrigain is solid, compact, massive. It is covered from head to foot with forest. No incident in the way diverts the attention for a single moment from the severe exertion required to overcome its steeply inclined side; no breathing levels; no restful outlooks; no gorges; no precipices; no cascades break the monotony of the escalade. We conquer, as Napoleon's grenadiers did, by our legs. It is the most inexorable of mountains, and the most exasperating."

True that.

View from fire tower on Carrigain

Although it is unclear if his account referred to my route or another earlier approach, the up and back hike via the Signal Ridge Trail to the summit of Mount Carrigain certainly makes for a big day. The relatively flat approach route from Sawyer River Road and across Carrigain Brook covers nearly two tedious miles. Then the climbing begins. As Drake describes, the climb is unrelenting and noticeably devoid of vista points, waterfalls, and other natural landmarks. One just has to slog along, steeply and consistently, until reaching the 4.5 mile post, where the open ridge line is (finally) reached and the hiker is rewarded with great views to the east. That point marks the home stretch, as the fire tower on Carrigain's summit peaks out over the partially-wooded summit just a half mile to the north.

Looking to the fire tower, along the final ridge approach

It took me 6 hours round trip for an up and back to the summit, which included a nice break underneath the fire tower for a snack and rest in the warm October sun. The early hour on a Monday meant that I had the summit all to myself.

It made the hike up the most "inexorable and exasperating" of mountains worthwhile.

Kind of.

Peak: Mount Carrigain
Elevation: 4,700 feet (Gain: 3,300 feet)
Distance: 10 miles
Route: Up and back, Signal Ridge Trail
Conditions: Partly Cloudy, 40 degrees F

Zealand Falls Hut, October 4, 2015, Pemigewasset Wilderness, White Mountain National Forest

Sometimes, one just wants to amble in the woods over flat earth. So many of the hiking trails in the Whites involve steep ascents, rocky footing, slippery tree roots, and boulder scrambles that even the shortest of trails can still be tough on the legs and lungs. Hoping to ease our way into a two week-long visit to NH and Maine, K and I opted for a Sunday hike on what I think is the very best of the easy trails/warm up hikes -- Zealand Trail to the Zealand Falls Hut.

Beaver Ponds along Zealand Trail

At a round trip distance of 5.5 miles and only 829 feet of elevation gain (almost all of it at the rock staircase up the falls to the hut), the Zealand Trail makes for a nice and easy walk past swamps, beaver ponds, waterfalls and multiple vista points. Our drive in to the parking area at the end of Zealand Road took us past the trail head for Mount Hale and we remembered our icy climb to the summit two years before -- a day when one of the "easiest" 4,000 footers was rendered nasty tough. I also recalled that Zealand was the jumping off point for our one-day traverse of the Bonds -- which now lives on in infamy as "The Longest Day" of all of 4,000 footer day hikes,

Easy grades on the Zealand Trail

We took our time hiking along the easy grades through forest and over boardwalks, stopping often to admire the fall foliage and glass the bird species still hanging around before winter. At Zealand Pond, the trail loops around the southern shore to the base of the falls. Thus begins the only steep part of the hike -- a 1/8 mile of rough stone staircases leading to the AMC hut.

Zealand Falls in Autumn

We used the hut as our lunch spot and then admired the view from the top of the falls, which you can hear cascading downward from the porch of the hut. Of all the huts, I think Zealand might be in the most picturesque. More importantly, it is a nice destination for a warm up hike and relaxing lunch before a couple weeks of North Country outdoors adventuring.

Mount Adams, July 31, 2015, Presidential Range, White Mountain National Forest

King Ravine, at the "Wait, the trail goes up there?" way mark

Mt. Washington wrecked me. My plan was to go back to the Presidential Range two days later to summit Adams, bringing my list of 4,000 footers up to 45. But one day of rest wasn't enough. It was four days before I had the energy to get it together. In the end, the wait was a wise decision. I needed every ounce of that recovered energy for the grueling vertical climb that is King Ravine.

I hit the trail early, 6:15 AM, from the Appalachia parking area off of Route 2. Fortunately, the early hour meant plenty of parking in what is always a jammed lot later in the day. 90% of people go up Adams on the Air Line Trail, but I put my faith in Steven Smith and Mike Dickerman, who write that a loop hike through King Ravine and a descent on Air Line is the best way to hit it. As usual, they were right on the money.

Halfway up the Ravine, looking back toward the way mark 

I traveled along the Air Line and Short Line trails with plenty of gear but decided on just two small water bottles to keep my weight down. Mossy Fall, just below King Ravine, and Madison Spring Hut, just below Adams, would provide the chance to refill at key points along the 9-mile route. King Ravine turned out to be an amazing, solitary place, where the trail weaves over and under huge boulder piles and then straight up the U-shaped, glacial wall of the ravine. The 1,100 feet of elevation gain over a short 1/2 mile of distance meant stowing the trekking poles and hand-over-hand climbing the whole way.

View of Mt. Madison

At the top, a point called the "Gateway," the trail reconnects with Air Line and rewards the climber with a striking view of Mt. Madison. I had great views along the ridge, but the final summit push around 10 AM took me into the clouds. The summit experience on Adams, therefore, was one of chilly, high winds and zero visibility.

Summit, Mt. Adams

I had hoped for a nice break on the summit but had to quickly head down below the clouds and over to Madison Spring Hut, where I ate an early lunch and prepared for the descent. I debated taking Valley Way, which I had done before, but stuck with the plan and descended via Air Line. The views west into the King Ravine from Durand Ridge and the so-called Knife Edge were tremendous, but the trail then descends quite steeply with lots of rock hopping. Valley Way would have been the easier choice.

Air Line Descent Route

I also had to negotiate my way around lots of parties just now making their Adams ascent via this most popular of trails to the summit.

I felt like saying, "You should have taken King Ravine."

Peak: Mount Adams
Elevation: 5,799 feet (Gain: 4,653 feet)
Distance: 9.2 miles
Route: Loop: Lower Air Line to Short Line to King Ravine Trail to Upper Airline to Gulfside Tail to Air Line Connector to Air Line
Conditions: Partly Sunny, 70 degrees F