Date(s) Hiked: Saturday, September 10, 2005
Trails(s) Hiked:A nice loop; ascent via West Ridge Trail and descent via the South Ridge Trail.
Total Distance:3.5 miles rt.
Difficulty:Low medium morning hike.
Conditions:West Ridge was very well trodden; South Ridge was steep and not as well traveled. Some tricky footing. STEEP descent from summit to fireman's shack. DO NOT attemp this hike during or after any rain very exposed and the rocks at the top would be very slippery.
Special Required Equipment:Trail map is needed, available at the Western parking lot.
Trip Report: Riding home from Law School yesterday and listening to VPR's weather forecast, it became obvious to me that this was going to be an ideal weekend to get outside and do some hiking
. Unfortunately plans to hike Killington on Saturday had failed (but things change :wink, so our day was open. Both Ms. Trailboss and I were tired, so I looked for some shorter hikes that we could do in a couple hours that were close to home. Diving into the Trailboss library, I came with some good choices, but after doing some internet research on the indispensable White Mountain Server and the Dartmouth Outing Club Hiking Page, the choice became clear: Cardigan hit the spot
I read about the history in the 25th Edition of the AMC White Mountain Guide...the last one to be published featuring Monadnock and Cardigan within its covers...to learn that Cardigan was one of our area's hubs for backcountry skiing and hiking. In fact, after venturing up there, I dare say that it is the North Country's version of the immensely popular Mount Monadnock. Both see lots of traffic, have bare summits due to fire, offer incredible vistas, are state parks, have lots and lots of trails and approaches, and are very accessible.
We left our house mid-morning and headed down I-89 to the Route 4 East exit. Within minutes of leaving the highway, we passed the beautiful Masacoma Lake on the outskirts of Lebanon. As we came to the crest of the hill in Enfield, we caught our first glimpse of Cardigan rising above the area. It reminded me of a mini-version of Washington and the Presis from Bretton Woods.
We were able to find the trail head very easily--but note that the state park road is intermittant pavement and dirt. The villages of Orange and Cannan were beautiful.
The trailhead and parking area--both well kept--sit at about 1900 feet above sea level. Through the trees one could see Killington and Ascutney from here There is a picnic area with a shelter--today someone chose to host their kid's birthday party (we met the horde of kids on the way up).
From the back of the parking lot, the West Ridge Trail ascends steadily on smooth footing before turning to the east and crossing a small stream. On the eastern bank of the stream is the trail intersection with the South Ridge Trail (.4 miles). We took the West Ridge Trail on ascent, which proved to be very well trodden, gradual, and an excellent route. About .5 miles from the top (remind you the ascent was about 1.3 miles) the trail crosses a nice footbridge and the landscape opens up to reveal views that only broaden as the trees disappear. Just shy of the summit I looked up the ledges to see probably the bluest sky I have seen since this spring--the dark blue seems a harbinger of the cold weather that lies ahead.
The last push to the top was incredible--270 degree views and an airy feel--but the wind was gusting from the NW and I decided to layer up.
I made it to the summit to find a NHFS fire tower complete with a ranger (didn't know they still worked towers). This is the ONLY shelter on the top, so be forewarned if you get caught in a thunderstorm your best bet is to head to the treeline ASAP. Many hikers were huddled around this building or on the eastern side of the ledges trying to seek shelter from the NW wind. It was cold! :x I kept myself warm by snapping pics of the vista--which included the ENTIRE White Mountain Range with the Franconia Ridge mainstage and the Presidentials in the distance. Moosilauke from this angle looked enormous. I could see smoke from the Cog and the summit of Washington. Tecumseh and the Tripyramids were visible as were the Twins. We could see Lake Winnepasaukee, Ragged Mountain, Monadnock, Kearsarge (S), Sunapee, Ascutney, Okemo, Killington, Pico, Mts. Cube, Smart, Moose, and the ENTIRE Green Mountain Range from Okemo to Mansfield! Camel's Hump, some 75 miles away was clear! As for ski areas, well, I positively identified Pats Peak, Sunapee, Whaleback, Ragged, Okemo, and Killington. Pretty impressive!
After enjoying the view, we headed down the steep Clark Trail to the fire warden cabin and then down the South Ridge Trail to South Peak, a bare minor summit with a massive stone cairn and a nice view back up Cardigan, Firescrew, and to the SE.
Having enjoyed a brief snack, we talked to some folks and their 3-yr old hiker before heading down the rough and steeper South Ridge Trail (Trailboss scared a good size Garten Snake sunning itself :roll. It was about .7 miles from the last trail intersection at Rim Rock to the intersection with the West Ridge Trail. The steep part was for about half of that distance with the rest being a gradual descent.
We arrived back at the car and headed home to enjoy the rest of our day...a lot of it in fact for the hike, with views and stops only took a mere three hours or so. Impressive!
I did not get a chance to explore the grotto or Firescrew, but I will be back soon!
An enthusiastic two thumbs up! :beer:
Pictures coming soon!
Trails(s) Hiked:A nice loop; ascent via West Ridge Trail and descent via the South Ridge Trail.
Total Distance:3.5 miles rt.
Difficulty:Low medium morning hike.
Conditions:West Ridge was very well trodden; South Ridge was steep and not as well traveled. Some tricky footing. STEEP descent from summit to fireman's shack. DO NOT attemp this hike during or after any rain very exposed and the rocks at the top would be very slippery.
Special Required Equipment:Trail map is needed, available at the Western parking lot.
Trip Report: Riding home from Law School yesterday and listening to VPR's weather forecast, it became obvious to me that this was going to be an ideal weekend to get outside and do some hiking
. Unfortunately plans to hike Killington on Saturday had failed (but things change :wink, so our day was open. Both Ms. Trailboss and I were tired, so I looked for some shorter hikes that we could do in a couple hours that were close to home. Diving into the Trailboss library, I came with some good choices, but after doing some internet research on the indispensable White Mountain Server and the Dartmouth Outing Club Hiking Page, the choice became clear: Cardigan hit the spot I read about the history in the 25th Edition of the AMC White Mountain Guide...the last one to be published featuring Monadnock and Cardigan within its covers...to learn that Cardigan was one of our area's hubs for backcountry skiing and hiking. In fact, after venturing up there, I dare say that it is the North Country's version of the immensely popular Mount Monadnock. Both see lots of traffic, have bare summits due to fire, offer incredible vistas, are state parks, have lots and lots of trails and approaches, and are very accessible.
We left our house mid-morning and headed down I-89 to the Route 4 East exit. Within minutes of leaving the highway, we passed the beautiful Masacoma Lake on the outskirts of Lebanon. As we came to the crest of the hill in Enfield, we caught our first glimpse of Cardigan rising above the area. It reminded me of a mini-version of Washington and the Presis from Bretton Woods.
We were able to find the trail head very easily--but note that the state park road is intermittant pavement and dirt. The villages of Orange and Cannan were beautiful.
The trailhead and parking area--both well kept--sit at about 1900 feet above sea level. Through the trees one could see Killington and Ascutney from here
There is a picnic area with a shelter--today someone chose to host their kid's birthday party (we met the horde of kids on the way up). From the back of the parking lot, the West Ridge Trail ascends steadily on smooth footing before turning to the east and crossing a small stream. On the eastern bank of the stream is the trail intersection with the South Ridge Trail (.4 miles). We took the West Ridge Trail on ascent, which proved to be very well trodden, gradual, and an excellent route
. About .5 miles from the top (remind you the ascent was about 1.3 miles) the trail crosses a nice footbridge and the landscape opens up to reveal views that only broaden as the trees disappear. Just shy of the summit I looked up the ledges to see probably the bluest sky I have seen since this spring--the dark blue seems a harbinger of the cold weather that lies ahead. The last push to the top was incredible--270 degree views and an airy feel--but the wind was gusting from the NW and I decided to layer up.
I made it to the summit to find a NHFS fire tower complete with a ranger (didn't know they still worked towers). This is the ONLY shelter on the top, so be forewarned if you get caught in a thunderstorm your best bet is to head to the treeline ASAP. Many hikers were huddled around this building or on the eastern side of the ledges trying to seek shelter from the NW wind. It was cold! :x I kept myself warm by snapping pics of the vista--which included the ENTIRE White Mountain Range with the Franconia Ridge mainstage and the Presidentials in the distance. Moosilauke from this angle looked enormous. I could see smoke from the Cog and the summit of Washington. Tecumseh and the Tripyramids were visible as were the Twins. We could see Lake Winnepasaukee, Ragged Mountain, Monadnock, Kearsarge (S), Sunapee, Ascutney, Okemo, Killington, Pico, Mts. Cube, Smart, Moose, and the ENTIRE Green Mountain Range from Okemo to Mansfield!
Camel's Hump, some 75 miles away was clear! As for ski areas, well, I positively identified Pats Peak, Sunapee, Whaleback, Ragged, Okemo, and Killington. Pretty impressive!After enjoying the view, we headed down the steep Clark Trail to the fire warden cabin and then down the South Ridge Trail to South Peak, a bare minor summit with a massive stone cairn and a nice view back up Cardigan, Firescrew, and to the SE.
Having enjoyed a brief snack, we talked to some folks and their 3-yr old hiker before heading down the rough and steeper South Ridge Trail (Trailboss scared a good size Garten Snake sunning itself :roll
. It was about .7 miles from the last trail intersection at Rim Rock to the intersection with the West Ridge Trail. The steep part was for about half of that distance with the rest being a gradual descent. We arrived back at the car and headed home to enjoy the rest of our day...a lot of it in fact for the hike, with views and stops only took a mere three hours or so. Impressive!
I did not get a chance to explore the grotto or Firescrew, but I will be back soon!
An enthusiastic two thumbs up! :beer:
Pictures coming soon!
