Mt. Tecumseh, NH, 05/25/2007

[threecy]

Mt. Tecumseh, NH

Date Hiked: 05/25/07

Trails(s) Hiked: Mt. Tecumseh Trail, Sosman Trail, ski area trails

Total Distance: 6-7 miles

Difficulty: Moderate

Conditions: A few isolated patches of mud/running water/ice/snow...mostly dry

Special Equipment Required: None

After more rest, starting to take glucosamine, and trying a bandage wrap under my knee brace, I decided to see if I could do something with about 2,000 vertical feet and 5 or so miles in length. Since it had been awhile, I decided to go with the 'easiest' of the New Hampshire 4k peaks - Mt. Tecumseh.

With spring here, I was able to try Sandwich Notch Road (a nice country road) on my way over to Waterville Vally. Visibility was rather poor due to haze produced by 91 degree temperatures.

The beginning of the Mt. Tecumseh trail was rather easy going, with nothing steep until after the last brook crossing. From here, the trail was a steady moderate climb, until steepening and becoming a bit icy near the top of the ridge. Having not done a hike of any size in a few weeks, I had to stop a few times and catch my breath. I was also amazed how week my injured leg has become from constantly having it elevated and bandaged for the last few weeks.

The ridge itself was fairly flat going until the Mt. Tecumseh Trail split - I took the left (south) option on the ascent, which was rocky and somewhat steep in a few places. It appears there is a good view to the south/southeast at one point on the trail, however the haze made it pretty limited.

The summit itself is in the trees, however there is a eastern lookout ledge just below the summit cairn with decent views of Mt. Tripyramid.

For the descent, I hooked onto the Sosman Trail over to the communications tower (lots of blowdowns in the woods), and then looped over to where the summit quad chairlift once ended.

From here, I continued down the High Country ski trails and over to the Tangent trail. Unlike recent hikes, my knee didn't immediately become a problem on the descent - I made it a good 40 minutes before it became sore and caused a good sized limp, about a third of the way down the Waterville Valley ski area.

All in all, it was nice to be back out on the trails again.


Mt. Tripyramid as seen from Mt. Tecumseh

[thetrailboss]

Nice report. Did that same exact hike in November 2004. Also encountered ice and snow on the steep ascent. That pitch is pretty consistent. The views were mediocre at best from the summit....oh well.

IIRC they are in the process of relocating the trail due to proposed ski area development.

[threecy]

Originally Posted by thetrailboss

IIRC they are in the process of relocating the trail due to proposed ski area development.

I didn't notice anything along those lines (though it should be noted that the trail doesn't come in contact with the ski area now, contrary to the old topos), but I think the trail would be more interesting if they did relocate it a bit west. If they could put some ski trails into that bowl with say 1,500 vertical feet, I'd consider skiing Waterville again (I find the trail layout there to be rather poor).

[thetrailboss]

Originally Posted by threecy

I didn't notice anything along those lines (though it should be noted that the trail doesn't come in contact with the ski area now, contrary to the old topos), but I think the trail would be more interesting if they did relocate it a bit west. If they could put some ski trails into that bowl with say 1,500 vertical feet, I'd consider skiing Waterville again (I find the trail layout there to be rather poor).

Last season we were talking about this....I think it is only in the conceptual stage...

[Mike P.]

Based on the steepness of the terrain, one of the loop trails to the top hits just a piece of this (erosion) & the brook I would not hold your breath about any ski trail expansion further north or the existing hiking trail.

Sure you might be able to build a switchbacking trail that switches a dozen times or more but that will take up more space not less.

[threecy]

Originally Posted by Mike P.

Based on the steepness of the terrain, one of the loop trails to the top hits just a piece of this (erosion) & the brook I would not hold your breath about any ski trail expansion further north or the existing hiking trail.

Sure you might be able to build a switchbacking trail that switches a dozen times or more but that will take up more space not less.

There's definitely some expert terrain in there (which Waterville is lacking), but it'd take some dynamiting to get rid of the big random boulders and get a decent fallline. I think the bigger obstacle would be just trying to reroute the trail - its not as easy as it used to be to expand into NF.