The route: Gorge Brook Trail -> Moosilauke Carriage Road -> Snapper Trail
Total hike time: 4 hr, 50 min (~45 min breaks)
Well I was not planning on going up to NH again this year, but the urge struck, and after realizing that Columbus Day weekend and a Badger bye week intersected, it seemed like the fates had aligned for one last summit before the winter hit. I invited my good friend Brenna, a native Vermonter and someone who I've been meaning to hike with for quite awhile. After some debate we decided against doing Cannon (assuming the leaf peepers would be rampant) and picked Moosilauke as our summit of choice. I would love to go back and do this one via the Beaver Brook Trail, which is supposed to be somewhat more challenging, but we chose to go the "calmer" route for various reasons. We drove up to NH Saturday morning and hit the trail by 10. I was positively giddy because I had somehow convinced myself that the foliage wasn't going to be out...OH BUT IT WAS! Having never seen the mountains in their colors, I was completely delighted and could barely contain myself as we drove to the trailhead.
We started off on the Gorge Brook trail and had to do a little bit of work to get past a large, and somewhat underprepared looking group of college students who were already complaining about their knees and looking for extra hair ties within 10 minutes of getting on the trail. One minor bit of drama happened about 20 minutes up the trail when I got stung by a bee! There was a nest in a tree trunk that I was completely oblivious to and next thing I knew I felt the familiar sensation of being stung (it's only happened once before, but thankfully I know I'm not allergic). Oh well. Onward and upward. Compared to the other trails I've hiked in the Whites this one was fairly easy - some sections of more steady uphill grade and rock stairs, but nothing too taxing. We enjoyed the quiet of the forest and took in the sights.
Fairy garden of mushrooms and ferns
Hiking is fun! (Note the actual dirt trail...not something I've ever seen before up here!)
Soon enough we came to an overlook that we immediately knew would be where we'd be having a snack. It was the first real glimpse of the view to come and I have to say - if you're looking for a high bang for your buck hike...Moosilauke has got the goods. I was already contemplating how to convince my mom to try another hike (I promise, Mom, this one is ACTUALLY moderate!) before we were even halfway up the mountain.
The trail continued up and began kind of curling along a ridge - there was one section that got a little bit steeper here and we really thought we were approaching the summit. Not quite, but once you get over the steep hump the remainder of the hike is quite a bit more gradual. I have to say I'm a little bit obsessed with the approach to the summit up there, though. First you get gorgeous views through the trees as you walk along the ridge...
Then, to my surprise, the trail opened up into this incredible alpine field! Walking the trail through the field was incredibly cool - completely a different experience than scrambling up to a rocky summit, but extremely awe inspiring all the same. The whole climate is completely different than anything I'd ever seen, and there were plenty of signs warning to stay on the trail in order to protect rare plants nearby.
Stunning trail coming up the ridge
No scrambling needed here!
Shortly we were at the summit and took a break for lunch - pepperoni, cheese, crackers, apples, and some gummis - hit the spot! The wind was definitely noticeable at the top and we were happy to be able to shelter in a little wind block someone had built. There were a fair number of people at the summit, maybe 20-30, but the summit area is very large so it didn't feel crowded. Lots of cute dogs up there...this would be one I'd maybe try with Dayton, as there wasn't anything too scary that I felt like I'd have had trouble managing him. I will admit we were a little confused, as "book time" to the summit was 3 hours. We made it up in right about 2 hours, and that was with a 10 minute snack break! So...I guess we are just really fast hikers?
4000 footer #6, yeah!
Arabesques at the summit, as you do
The lunch hole hahaha
After refueling and taking some pics we headed off down the ridge for the descent. The views continued to be spectacular throughout - I'll admit they would have been even more incredible had it been sunny, but I was thrilled that the clouds were staying high enough that we were at least getting the view we came for! At the intersection of the ridge trail with Carriage Road, which would take us back down, there was a spur trail to South Peak...well...how could we refuse? I was really glad we decided to check it out, because despite only having 180 degree views, they were STUNNING, we had great views back to Moosilauke, and we had a decent about of time with the summit completely to ourselves! And we took advantage...
Self timer jumping photo was...uh...not successful hahaha
The hike down was uneventful. I think the Carriage Road probably would have been rather boring ascending, but descending it was quite nice as you got to continue enjoying the views pretty much all the way until you got to the intersection of the Snapper Trail. We spent a lot of this time discussing our upcoming company dance show and planning for that - a productive and fun hike! Soon enough we were back at the junction of Snapper and Gorge Brook trails, successfully avoided the bee nest on the way back, and were back where we started!
We went to the Common Man in Lincoln for lunch/dinner, where I had a delicious Moat Mountain blueberry beer, a burger, and we split this insane salted caramel sundae - basically PERFECT refueling food! We were thankful that we ate in NH, because after driving for about 45 minutes, we spent the next 2.5 hours looking at approximately this:
Well..I guess you don't have too many opportunities to take photos while behind the wheel of a car on the highway?
Apparently a bus had caught fire earlier in the day and the interstate had been completely closed - as it was, we spent 2.5 hours going maybe 3 miles. We kept ourselves entertained by rolling the windows down, blasting the Hamilton soundtrack, and living our dream of finally yelling at the top of our lungs "EVERYONE GIVE IT UP FOR AMERICA'S FAVORITE FIGHTING FRENCHMAN!" during Guns and Ships. Good times were had by all.
Overall, this was a really nice hike. Because it was easier than really any of the hikes I've done before (I didn't exactly start with level 1 hiking...oops) it didn't quite give me the rush that I've gotten used to getting when I have to conquer my fear of being in a high place or scrambling up some crazy rocks. However, the views from the summit, particularly with the foliage, were awe inspiring, and the alpine field made for a really unique hiking experience. I definitely think I'll find my way back to Moosilauke, maybe via the Beaver Brook Trail next time. As it was, it was a great way to end the 2016 hiking season - 4 4000 footers is certainly more than I expected to summit this year! I'm excited about the discovery that some hikes are totally doable in a day trip and about my spur of the moment decisions to go back up there in September and October. My goal for next year is to get at least 8 peaks (though really I'm shooting for double digits) and to get up to NH at least once a month from May through October. Ambitious goals, but I love being in those mountains so much that I absolutely can't wait! I'm not a winter hiker, so I probably won't have much to report until the spring. Until then, stay wild. :)
