I had the custom of keeping track of my hikes. Recently I have not been hiking as much as I would have liked, and I have had much less time to keep track of what I hike. I was browsing through my New England 4000 scorecard and I noticed that I had not entered 2007 hikes. Fortunately, I was able to keep record of some of this by keeping photos and maps. (Great thing photos record the date and time now). 4k Scorecard updated to reflect changes.
White Mountain Hikes:
Mt. Madison(photos) – September 9th, 2007
We climbed through the Air Line trail. This is marginally more difficult than the Valley Way, but has dramatically better views. It is a bit more exposed, however, and not the easiest one on inclement weather. It brings you to the Madison Spring Hut first, half a mile before the summit, but a great place to catch your breath, buy some snacks or warm up with the soup they make at noon.
The day was very cloudy, and by the time we reached the summit it had already started raining. Visibility was around 50 feet at best, and from there until the time we where able to get below the tree line (about two hours and a half later) it was a slippery, cold, wet way down through Watson Path (RMC). Once under tree cover it was a good day. On a sunny day, it is probably a great view of the northern part of the forest from the mostly exposed Watson Path. Few more than 7mi.
Hale and Zealand Falls – September 16, 2007
Great loop that ends in a very short road walk (less than a mile and very worth). We did Mt. Hale, which does not have any views at all and the fire tower is long gone. To reward ourselves in some other way than the traditional view, we went to the Zealand Falls Hut where we got the bottomless $2 soup (I love it), and enjoyed the Falls — which are a lot prettier than the view less Hale.
Hancock – Sept 02, 2007
Fairly easy, in/out hike with a nice loop at the end where most of the elevation and interest remains. A campsite close to the start of the road that could be great for people starting to hike but who want to get away from the car-camping campsites.
The Wildcats – Sept 23. 2007
Out of the Pinkham Notch area, and walking almost all the way to Carter Notch… but we turned back to our car the same way we went in – about 7 hours of a very, very steep climb, and ten a steady ride. Could have been combined into a great backpacking trip, but we where short on time that weekend. Interesting Ski area on the top – we have never tried it for downhill skiing. Photos/Maps.
Mt. Jackson – Sept 29, 2007
End of season hike (for us). Terrain is interesting but nothing out of the ordinary – strong hikers don’t have any issue. A little over 6 miles day hike. Mt. Webster views tend to be a lot prettier than Jackson’s, and we did it even if Webster was not on my peak bagging list. Very windy day. We couldn’t stay too long at Jackson’s summit. The hike is close enough to Pinkham notch that if you stay in that area you may want to combine the trip with other day hikes. Photos / Maps.
Other Hikes of Interest:
- Sugarloaf – May 27, 2007
- Windham – May 28, 2007
Nancy Pond – October 21, 2007
End of season hike to see the fall foliage.