Nature in New Hampshire

Moon rising above Campton Campground


White Mountain National Forest


Atop Moosilauke with Jamie, Mike and Sarah

Ross and the gang crossing Drake's Brook















View from the top of Sandwich Dome















Pete at Jennings Peak














Noon Peak


The moderate adventurer in me definitely reared his genial little head last weekend. It was a wonderful couple days of climbing and camaraderie in the White Mountains. With more than 16 miles hoofed between two hikes, many beautiful vistas were admired. Thinking about the peacefulness and transcendent quality of the woods makes it difficult to stare at this Samsung monitor. Reliving the weekend via this blog at least provides an ethereal retreat to the setting I'd prefer to be surrounded by.

Now onto the trip details...

On Friday night I drove to the Campton Campground, arriving shortly before 8pm. By then, a half dozen fellow AMCers were already setting up shop. Pleasantries were exchanged and introductions followed. The only person I knew among the group was Ross, our trip leader, but I felt welcomed and quickly acquainted myself with the group. The Quick Pitch was assembled, well...quickly, and in no time we were all seated around an impressive campfire exchanging stories and sipping beer. The embers gave way to conversations about education and music. Gradually, people started disappearing into their tents after the park ranger called for quiet. I followed suit. After tossing and turning for what seemed like eternity ( not used to sleeping on a pitiful rubber mat), the light and moon of day (see pic above) fell on our campsite.



Sandwich Dome and Jennings Peak Loop

I hitched a ride with Ross to the trail head, which was a few miles from the campground. The lot was crowded upon arriving, with many enthusiasts making the most out of the cool, favorable summer weather. In no time, wheels were put in motion.
We took the Sandwich Trail over a manageable Drakes Brook crossing and continued to climb, steeply at times, to Noon Peak. After resting, we pushed on to the junction of Drakes Brook Trail and took a short spur path to Jennings Peak. Impressive views of the Tripyramids and broad stretches of green were captured from this vantage point. We all fueled on lunch, while some attempted to identify a few of the many cones pointing skyward. I noticed that Mike, a trip leader from the MA Chapter, was especially interested in peak identification. And, from what I could gather, was a knowledgeable resource. Cheers to Mike!

Moving on...

We backtracked to the main trail and set forth for Sandwich Dome. At 3993 ', just 7 feet shy of the much revered 4000 mark that 48 other NH peaks satisfy, Sandwich's summit was slightly anticlimactic after the dramatic vistas left behind at Jennings. The viewing area was more obstructed by overgrown vegetation and space around the outlook couldn't accommodate our group of ten. Nonetheless, snapshots were taken and another extended break was had. The descent along Drakes Brook was more of an amble in comparison to the grunt-laden climb that the morning witnessed. It served as a nice cool down. Round trip distance: Approx 8.7 mi.

Back at the campsite, after a brief dip in the adjacent river, many got busy preparing there potluck contributions. Jill and Jason scored huge with their Ah So-rubbed kielbasa and chocolate caramel bars. They definitely blew my chicken and sausages out of the water. There was so much food!
The group grew to 20 + people, which once again attracted the park ranger. This time he was totting a po po man who had no qualms about arresting people for breaking the post 10pm quiet hour rule. The guy's sternness was the subject of conversation and tomfoolery for the rest of the evening.

Day 2: Moosilauke

With only hangover type hikes officially planned for Sunday, a small group of us decided to tackle Mt. Moosilauke in Warren. I was especially excited to climb it, as numerous attempts to hike the Gorge Brook Trail in June were trumped by lousy weather. Finally, mother nature cooperated and the mountain was within reach.
After quickly circling the DnD drive-thru, Jamie, Mike, Sarah and I were northbound on 93. A twisty drive along rt. 118 led us to the Ravine Lodge- a beautiful rustic respite subtly positioned below the 4800' hill. The operation is managed by Dartmouth College and upon exploring the different rooms, I surmised that the school know what they're doing. A need is being catered to, efficiently and effectively. We walked the building's perimeter and approached the trail head. The route we decided on, advocated and executed by a fellow AMCer the day before, entailed ascending Gorge Brook and coming down the Carriage Rd and Snapper Trail with a brief detour to South Peak.
The grade up Gorge Brook wasn't too imposing, and we moved quicker than the day prior. Seemingly, the smaller sized group was a contributing factor of this change in pace. The terrain was rockier than the Sandwich Trail. After a couple hours, the trail opened a bit and plots of green and brown grass came into view. Soon enough the rocky summit consisting of hotel ruins dotted the horizon.
Jamie pointed out the spot where an AMC couple wed last year. The "alter", slightly below the summit, was a trail junction sign. Evidently, a handful of onlookers cheered the groom and bride on as vows were accepted. Such a cool spot to tie the knot.
From this sign we progressed to the summit and spent about an hour taking in the surrounding forest and fields of autumn-like dry grass. Mountains sprouted up in every direction. The 360 deg. panorama was more appealing than Sandwich and Jennings, and I was pretty awestruck by the landscape. After some needed downtime, we embarked on the Carriage Rd (also the AT) and followed that to the more peaceful, less crowded South Peak. This stretch of the trail was full of fragrant pines. It was as if we were looking for an ideal Christmas tree to chop down. Apparently South Peaked is commonly overlooked by other hikers. Views from here were more guarded by the looming main peak behind us, however, there was still much to admire- lakes, interesting cloud formations and outlines of nearby villages. Back on the trail- Old Carriage Rd merged with the Snapper Trail, and we eventually met back up with the Gorge Brook
Trail. The journey ended with a couple cups of coffee and trivia pursuit. Round trip: 8.4 mi.

It felt sooo good to be out on the mountain! Looking forward to the next excursion.