East_Hale

[1HappyHiker]

Date Hiked: 10-Dec-2006
Trail Hiked: Bushwhack off Hale Brook Trail
Total Distance: Approx. 7.7 miles round trip (road & trail walk + bushwhack)
Difficulty: Moderate
Conditions: Good
Special Required Equipment: Bare-bootable, but used snowshoes for extra traction
Trip Report:
Last week, three of us set out to conquer East Hale after reading a recent web posting (East Hale) that described the great views from there. Guess what!? There are really great views from there!!

We “cut to the chase” and did a very direct "straight-up" approach to the peak! We walked Zealand Road to the Hale Brook trailhead. After hiking about a half mile up the Hale Brook Trail, we began the bushwhack, heading nearly due South.

Although fairly steep, it was open woods all the way. There were a few ledges near the top, but all could be easily worked around in one manner or another. On the day we did the whack, there were a few inches of snow on the ground. It could have been bare-booted, but we opted to use snowshoes for a bit of extra traction since our chosen approach was quite steep.

On top we saw two separate cairns, a few hundred yards apart. Perhaps they are there to denote viewpoints?? We went to both cairns, and the views from each were fabulous, and unobstructed.

The entire round trip (road walk, trail walk, bushwhack, sightseeing) took about 7 hours.

We did not do any serious searching for a registry bottle. Don’t even know if there is one! We were there for the views, and for the pure enjoyment of the adventure. We certainly got what we came for!!