threecy
New member
South Doublehead, North Doublehead, NH
Date Hiked: 08/19/07
Trails(s) Hiked: Doublehead Ski Trail, Old Path, New Path, Doublehead Ski Trail loop
Difficulty: Easy/Moderate
Conditions: Dry, mix of clouds and sun
I originally planned to do something more significant on this day, however I made it back home really late from a Red Sox victory (great success!) and didn't have the energy to move around, nevermind hike, for most of the morning. Once I finally had my act together, I decided I'd try the Doubleheads in Jackson.
There was barely room to fit into the tiny parking lot, however I was able to squeeze in. The trail started off rather mildly - a bit grown in with weeds, but not hard at all to follow - before the junction of the Old Path. Wanting a direct hike, I took the Old Path up to the col. The path certainly has an 'old' feeling to it at the beginning - eroded, blowdowns, etc. It gets rather steep in places too - nothing dangerous, but certainly enough to work up a sweat.
At the col, I took a right and headed to South Doublehead. The first view ledge is great - looking at the Presidentials, Jackson, and Black Mountain ski area. I suspect the high ground above this ledge is the high point - it's labelled as such on the maps.
Continuing past this area and past the New Path junction, a second peak is reached - this one marked with a tall cairn. Though this does seem close in elevation to the first one, looking out toward it from the first makes me think its a few feet lower.
Just a bit past this is another peak, marked with multiple cairns. I feel this is the lowest of the three peaks - by a good 10 feet at least. The views here, though, are great - looking into Maine, up toward Evans Notch, and west (though not as intense as the west viewpoint earlier).
It was now time to head to North Doublehead - the taller of the two main peaks. The descent into the col isn't too steep, however the ascent to North Doublehead gets rather steep in places - not scrambling material, but still a work out.
The summit of North Doublehead is not as scenic as South Doublehead in my opinion. Though the cabin has a view of Mt. Washington (likely better when the leaves are down), it and the other view (into Maine) aren't quite as open and stretching as South Doublehead.
I descended down the ski trail which doesn't seem overly steep - if it were wider (and groomed obviously), it'd be an intermediate trail. It looks like a lot of fun - probably skiable with as little as a foot of snow and a pair of rock skis.
Trip report/map/photos:
http://www.franklinsites.com/hikephotos/NewHampshire/southdoublehead-2007-0819.php
Date Hiked: 08/19/07
Trails(s) Hiked: Doublehead Ski Trail, Old Path, New Path, Doublehead Ski Trail loop
Difficulty: Easy/Moderate
Conditions: Dry, mix of clouds and sun
I originally planned to do something more significant on this day, however I made it back home really late from a Red Sox victory (great success!) and didn't have the energy to move around, nevermind hike, for most of the morning. Once I finally had my act together, I decided I'd try the Doubleheads in Jackson.
There was barely room to fit into the tiny parking lot, however I was able to squeeze in. The trail started off rather mildly - a bit grown in with weeds, but not hard at all to follow - before the junction of the Old Path. Wanting a direct hike, I took the Old Path up to the col. The path certainly has an 'old' feeling to it at the beginning - eroded, blowdowns, etc. It gets rather steep in places too - nothing dangerous, but certainly enough to work up a sweat.
At the col, I took a right and headed to South Doublehead. The first view ledge is great - looking at the Presidentials, Jackson, and Black Mountain ski area. I suspect the high ground above this ledge is the high point - it's labelled as such on the maps.
Continuing past this area and past the New Path junction, a second peak is reached - this one marked with a tall cairn. Though this does seem close in elevation to the first one, looking out toward it from the first makes me think its a few feet lower.
Just a bit past this is another peak, marked with multiple cairns. I feel this is the lowest of the three peaks - by a good 10 feet at least. The views here, though, are great - looking into Maine, up toward Evans Notch, and west (though not as intense as the west viewpoint earlier).
It was now time to head to North Doublehead - the taller of the two main peaks. The descent into the col isn't too steep, however the ascent to North Doublehead gets rather steep in places - not scrambling material, but still a work out.
The summit of North Doublehead is not as scenic as South Doublehead in my opinion. Though the cabin has a view of Mt. Washington (likely better when the leaves are down), it and the other view (into Maine) aren't quite as open and stretching as South Doublehead.
I descended down the ski trail which doesn't seem overly steep - if it were wider (and groomed obviously), it'd be an intermediate trail. It looks like a lot of fun - probably skiable with as little as a foot of snow and a pair of rock skis.
Trip report/map/photos:
http://www.franklinsites.com/hikephotos/NewHampshire/southdoublehead-2007-0819.php
