Date(s) Hiked: June 21, 2006
Trails(s) Hiked: Wolfeboro Road to Col of Moose Mountain; AT South to South Moose and then AT North to North Moose.
Total Distance: About 7 Miles.
Difficulty: Easy.
Conditions: Wolfeboro Trail was very wet and not well marked going up; some sections had standing water and streams. AT South was good; some undergrowth obscured the trail. AT North had sections of standing water, mud, and one section of dense undergrowth.
Special Required Equipment: Topo maps of area; good knowledge of land.
Trip Report: One of the advantages of my summer job(s) is that I can make my own schedule. I have been getting my hiking legs back into shape having moved back up here and I wanted to take advantage of the nice weather that we had in store--sunny, cool, dry conditions on a midweek day would mean nice views and not many people :beer: So where to hike--Ascutney? Bit too big for the time I had. Cube? Ditto. Killington area? Been there. Done that. Whites? Too far for today. So I visited the Dartmouth Outing Club's Site and looked up some other local trails. The description of Moose Mountain seemed interesting and I did some more research. Rather then taking the suggested route, I pieced together my own route to hit all of the major view points in the shortest and easiest distance--starting with an ascent via the Wolfeboro Road and then using the AT to hit South then North peaks....the hike would be in a "T" Shape essentially.
I had no problem finding the trail head--the road is marked just off of Three Mile Road. It is a "Class VI Road" in Hanover is not maintained. It is a historic road though--built by Governor Benning Wentworth in 1772 so that he could get from Portsmouth to Dartmouth for the first commencement of the school. It passes over Moose Mountain by way of a col. Much of the trail is lined with stone walls. The lower part was passable by car and maintained until the intersection with a ski trail and the former (now abandoned according to the AMC) Harris Trail. From here, I had to check the maps and get my bearings--ultimately I chose wisely and ascended the woods road that ran straight ahead and up the slope. It quickly became much narrower, rougher, and wetter crossing two streams before it became one!
After a mile, and some checking signs and faded blazes (alternating between light blue and rust orange), I came to the AT Property boundary and the AT in the col. I first hit the South Peak which was only .5 miles from the col. On the way I met a through hiker who was happy to be out and about.
"I'm lucky to be alive. Had both my hips replaced. When I make it to Katahdin, I will be the first person to hike the AT with two artificial hips." I wished him luck and continued my hike.
Surprisingly, there were some sections of the AT which were cloistered by trees and undergrowth :blink: and sometimes blazes were scarce.
The summit of South Moose offered a decent view of Cardigan, Kearsarge, and Cannan. If one peered around some trees, that view would include Sunapee as well. The bugs swarmed me after about five minutes and I hit the trail in earnest. Overall, this vista was OK, but in the winter and fall it would be better.
Retracing my steps to the col, I headed north on the AT and came to the Moose Mountain Camp Site. I made the detour to scout out the new shelter (very nice) and the view...nice as well. The area had some nice tent sites as well. DOC did a good job!
On the AT, I descended to a small stream, which was now overflowing, and crossed another wet area before ascending gradually into an open area with more thick undergrowth. The trail was mainly flat with some dips and bumps in it and some views through the trees that teased me. The trail hugged the eastern portion of the ridge before crossing over the western side. It ascended into a knoll of softwoods with a small tarn on the left before making the final abrupt ascent up ledges to the summit. From here, there was a nice view to the SW over Lebanon and the DHMC. I could see Ascutney, Okemo, Bromley (?), and Killington easily. Peering around the trees I could make out Pico as well. Much better view than the previous vista and some nice ledges to sit on.
Though I had already put on 3.5 miles, I had read in the AMC Guide that there was one more "fine" viewpoint just beyond the summit...described as "the best on the mountain." After years of using the AMC's White Mountain Guide, I had come to understand the lingo used in the trail write-ups to describe the terrain and views--"good" usually meant, 'worth a snack break or rest, and obscured by trees, but not really worth a hike.' "Fine" was the next step up and usually involved a more dramatic vista that was worth the effort. "Magnificent" or "excellent" was usually a modest way of saying, "kick ass view." :wink: This view, at "fine," then promised to be good and probably camera-worthy given the air conditions and lighting.
I found that this overlook was about .5 miles north of the summit and after losing some elevation. After about 15 minutes I became concerned and did a map check. I reapplied bug spray, checked the time, and continued downward. Literally two minutes later I had found it--on the NE part of the ridge and on the right side of the trail. The trees fell away (because of a cliff) and one had a nice view that included Holt's and Winslow Ledges, Cube, the ridge, Smarts, a shoulder of Moosilauke, the Whites (Washington??), and walking around, one could see the Willoughby peaks (Hor, Pisgah, Bald), Burke, and Kirby Mountains 50 miles to the north. It was a great view and I took some pics. I hung out here and had some lunch before heading back up to the summit area.
On the way I poked around some ledges near the summit to investigate some ledges on the western side of the ridge (some obscured views at best).
I passed the summit, headed past the camp and more ledges/rocks, and then picked up the Wolfeboro Road and back to the car (which was much easier since I knew the road and where the wet spots were.
A nice hike...good warm-up and a lot of fun. Nice views and the bugs weren't too bad.
Trails(s) Hiked: Wolfeboro Road to Col of Moose Mountain; AT South to South Moose and then AT North to North Moose.
Total Distance: About 7 Miles.
Difficulty: Easy.
Conditions: Wolfeboro Trail was very wet and not well marked going up; some sections had standing water and streams. AT South was good; some undergrowth obscured the trail. AT North had sections of standing water, mud, and one section of dense undergrowth.
Special Required Equipment: Topo maps of area; good knowledge of land.
Trip Report: One of the advantages of my summer job(s) is that I can make my own schedule. I have been getting my hiking legs back into shape having moved back up here and I wanted to take advantage of the nice weather that we had in store--sunny, cool, dry conditions on a midweek day would mean nice views and not many people :beer: So where to hike--Ascutney? Bit too big for the time I had. Cube? Ditto. Killington area? Been there. Done that. Whites? Too far for today. So I visited the Dartmouth Outing Club's Site and looked up some other local trails. The description of Moose Mountain seemed interesting and I did some more research. Rather then taking the suggested route, I pieced together my own route to hit all of the major view points in the shortest and easiest distance--starting with an ascent via the Wolfeboro Road and then using the AT to hit South then North peaks....the hike would be in a "T" Shape essentially.
I had no problem finding the trail head--the road is marked just off of Three Mile Road. It is a "Class VI Road" in Hanover is not maintained. It is a historic road though--built by Governor Benning Wentworth in 1772 so that he could get from Portsmouth to Dartmouth for the first commencement of the school. It passes over Moose Mountain by way of a col. Much of the trail is lined with stone walls. The lower part was passable by car and maintained until the intersection with a ski trail and the former (now abandoned according to the AMC) Harris Trail. From here, I had to check the maps and get my bearings--ultimately I chose wisely and ascended the woods road that ran straight ahead and up the slope. It quickly became much narrower, rougher, and wetter crossing two streams before it became one!
After a mile, and some checking signs and faded blazes (alternating between light blue and rust orange), I came to the AT Property boundary and the AT in the col. I first hit the South Peak which was only .5 miles from the col. On the way I met a through hiker who was happy to be out and about.
"I'm lucky to be alive. Had both my hips replaced. When I make it to Katahdin, I will be the first person to hike the AT with two artificial hips." I wished him luck and continued my hike.
Surprisingly, there were some sections of the AT which were cloistered by trees and undergrowth :blink: and sometimes blazes were scarce.
The summit of South Moose offered a decent view of Cardigan, Kearsarge, and Cannan. If one peered around some trees, that view would include Sunapee as well. The bugs swarmed me after about five minutes and I hit the trail in earnest. Overall, this vista was OK, but in the winter and fall it would be better.
Retracing my steps to the col, I headed north on the AT and came to the Moose Mountain Camp Site. I made the detour to scout out the new shelter (very nice) and the view...nice as well. The area had some nice tent sites as well. DOC did a good job!
On the AT, I descended to a small stream, which was now overflowing, and crossed another wet area before ascending gradually into an open area with more thick undergrowth. The trail was mainly flat with some dips and bumps in it and some views through the trees that teased me. The trail hugged the eastern portion of the ridge before crossing over the western side. It ascended into a knoll of softwoods with a small tarn on the left before making the final abrupt ascent up ledges to the summit. From here, there was a nice view to the SW over Lebanon and the DHMC. I could see Ascutney, Okemo, Bromley (?), and Killington easily. Peering around the trees I could make out Pico as well. Much better view than the previous vista and some nice ledges to sit on.
Though I had already put on 3.5 miles, I had read in the AMC Guide that there was one more "fine" viewpoint just beyond the summit...described as "the best on the mountain." After years of using the AMC's White Mountain Guide, I had come to understand the lingo used in the trail write-ups to describe the terrain and views--"good" usually meant, 'worth a snack break or rest, and obscured by trees, but not really worth a hike.' "Fine" was the next step up and usually involved a more dramatic vista that was worth the effort. "Magnificent" or "excellent" was usually a modest way of saying, "kick ass view." :wink: This view, at "fine," then promised to be good and probably camera-worthy given the air conditions and lighting.
I found that this overlook was about .5 miles north of the summit and after losing some elevation. After about 15 minutes I became concerned and did a map check. I reapplied bug spray, checked the time, and continued downward. Literally two minutes later I had found it--on the NE part of the ridge and on the right side of the trail. The trees fell away (because of a cliff) and one had a nice view that included Holt's and Winslow Ledges, Cube, the ridge, Smarts, a shoulder of Moosilauke, the Whites (Washington??), and walking around, one could see the Willoughby peaks (Hor, Pisgah, Bald), Burke, and Kirby Mountains 50 miles to the north. It was a great view and I took some pics. I hung out here and had some lunch before heading back up to the summit area.
On the way I poked around some ledges near the summit to investigate some ledges on the western side of the ridge (some obscured views at best).
I passed the summit, headed past the camp and more ledges/rocks, and then picked up the Wolfeboro Road and back to the car (which was much easier since I knew the road and where the wet spots were.
A nice hike...good warm-up and a lot of fun. Nice views and the bugs weren't too bad.
