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| View to Carter Notch from a "Howk" |
I know that Robert Frost, the famed poet who had a summer place over in Franconia, was not thinking of White Mountain trails when he composed his most famous of poems. But I like to think that he was. When hiking the highest, most popular peaks, my mantra is always "road less traveled by." You know what I am talking about. Skookumchuck Trail to Lafayette and Castle Trail to Jefferson. On these trails, one has a much greater chance for solitude, even on beautiful, blue bird weather days. That's because most people are taking the shorter, easier, most-direct routes. For those of us who want peace and quiet, the road less traveled by definitely makes all the difference.
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| Blueberry Ridge |
On Mount Madison, that road is Howker Ridge Trail. On a recent sunny, cloudless September day with comfortable temps and light and variable winds, I was not surprised to find Randolph East parking area totally empty - even after passing a full house at Appalachia. Howker Ridge Trail, which starts here, is a rough and wild trail that meanders by interesting cascades, rock formations and pleasant forests and then proceeds up and over four mini-peaks called "The Howks" before connecting with Osgood Trail for the final summit ridge to Madison. It's probably one of my favorite trails in all of the Whites.
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| View to Mt. Madison Summit from a "Howk" |
I hit the trail a little on the late side, 7:15 a.m., and zipped through the rocky waterfall sections, took the short detour to the "Bear Pit" rock formation, and then progressed up and over a long, wooded spine called Blueberry Ridge. It is here that you get a first glimpse through the tree canopy of Mount Madison towering in the distance. That's a recurring theme throughout the hike as you get repeated views of Madison when emerging onto the rocky summits of each of the individual Howks, with Madison appearing nearer and nearer each time. Pretty neat.
After the first two Howks, the trail drops down into a col, joins up with Pine Link trail for a short distance over another Howk, and then diverges to the southwest for the final Howk and eventual intersection with Osgood Trail. This fourth and final Howk is by far the best. You get a great view of Carter Notch in one direction and, in the other, a wide view back to the three Howks that you have just climbed over.
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| Alpine berries |
The lower sections of the trail are somewhat overgrown, a testament to their light use, but also dangerous. I caught a broken limb from an overgrown shrub in the eye, requiring an eye wash to see clearly again but fortunately not too serious of an injury in the grand scheme of things. The last section of the trail, as expected, is the classic Madison summit cone boulder hopping. I had five minutes of peace and quiet on the Madison summit before encountering my first hikers of the day. Trail runners, actually, one of whom asked "is this the top?"
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| Summit Mt. Madison |
Other people started arriving a few minutes later, most of them coming from the direction of Madison Springs Hut. I hightailed it out of there and took my lunch break on "Cell Phone Rock," the nickname for that big boulder about 50 yards from the hut where overnighters can catch a signal. As I was finishing my break, more hikers started coming up Valley Way - my planned descent route - so I sadly came to the realization that my time of quiet, lonely trail hiking was done. Indeed, it was a slow slog of a descent which required continually waiting for the upward bound to pass, including one dude who was teetering over rock steps and slippery roots while recording and narrating with a cell phone in one hand.
Not to judge, but wouldn't a body cam be the better choice?
Peaks: Mt. Madison
Elevation: 5,367 feet (Gain: 4,750 feet)
Distance: 10 miles
Route: Loop: Howker Ridge Trail to Osgood Trail to Madison Springs Hut to Valley Way to Randolph Path
Conditions: Sunny, 40 degrees F
Notable Flora/Fauna: Alpine vegetation
