Monadnock Monday’s Routes

Well folks, here it is the last few days of July and I have neglected to let you in on my Monadnock Monday hikes. I know…It’s been quite a while since I’ve written anything, in fact. I do plan on writing more again. Honestly, this summer has been so busy that I have have been reveling in “having” work (almost too much) instead of finding things to do and “wishing” I had work. So I haven't been  doing a lot of writing. Or if I do, its just quickie blurbs on Facebook. But I digress. I wanted to let you know what I’ve done to date for hikes.

Of course the first thing to tell you is that Instead of once a week, it has turned out that I’ve only managed to hike once a month or so, and now that work is so busy, I can’t afford to miss Mondays, and so the quest has been suspended until further notice. I hope to get back to hiking this fall, although there is still the chance that I’ll make the trek on a weekend or two this summer. I’ve made the trip 6 times this summer so far, and here is what I’ve done and where I’ve gone.

April 11, 2011 ~ I did a solo hike up the steep and beautiful Marlboro Trail , which usually promises to be devoid of other hikers. The promise held, and I met only one other person. Near the top it was a little treacherous, as there was still snow and ice in the sheltered areas, which also turned out to be the steeper tougher going areas. (1hr-45m up: 1hr-15m down)

 

April 18, 2011 ~ School vacation for the kids. I decided to take them up with me. While we were buying provisions at a fantastic sandwich shop in Keene, we ran into my sister-in-law Shelly and her kids and one of their friends. They were also heading to the mountain for a hike, so we decided to join them. Their destination was the Marlboro trail. It was interesting to see the changes in the trail in just one week. Buds were opening and the snow was almost all gone.

It was pretty fun hiking with a passle of kids, who ran up and down the mountain constantly while Shelli and I trudged along up after them. My kids were very excited to be hiking with their cousins. We even decided that we should do more family hikes and camping after this trip (2hrs up: 2hrs down)

May 2, 2011 ~ Another solo hike. This time I left from the State Park so that I could buy a trail guide at the headquarters gift shop. I ascended the White Cross Trail and came down the White Dot Trail. The White Cross is fairly steep, with a stairway in places…a good trail NOT to come down on with tired legs. The snow was finally gone from the mountain and I had a beautiful sunny breezy day to hike. 

The park headquarters was closed when I arrived, and when I got back. I spied a ranger and asked if that was the case, and she told me normally yes, but she could open up if I wanted to buy some stuff. So I did :)  I bought my trail guide and a sticker for my truck. I love the State and National Park gift shops. So many cool maps, books, guides, trinkets and gadgets. (1hr-40m up: 1hr-08m down)

May 9, 2011 ~ For this hike, I chose the Dublin Trail and hiked with Shelly. It turns out this is one of the hidden gems on Monadnock. It is a very pretty trail and not terribly difficult.

Although the trail head looked like it must get crowded later in the season or on weekends, there was only one other car when we arrived. When we arrived at the summit there wasn’t another soul around. We ate lunch and enjoyed the sunshine for about an hour. I know now to where sunscreen, no matter what…what a burn on my legs! By noon, a small crowd had ascended the mountain and filled the crags and crannies around us. We decided to leave and made a leisurely descent back to the car. (1hr-40m up: 1hr-30m down)

May 29, 2011 ~ The Family Hike. Once again, I hit the Dublin trail. Tracy, the kids and I met my sister Sarah and her husband Bruno, and my brother Dan, sis-in-law Shelly and their kids and did the family tour. It was a great day and we all enjoyed the group thing plus the little mini-conversations as people broke off at different hiking rates and chatted.

At the top we met a couple of Tracy’s Roller-derby team mates. The top was actually quite crowded…it was a pretty warm and sunny day, and if you check your calendars you’ll also note it was a Sunday. Not everyone can work 4-10 hour days and make their own schedule. (I think this hike was about a 5-1/2 hour round trip..forgot to write stuff down)

June 2, 2011 ~ The last hike so far this summer. I did a another solo adventure. I started at the State Campground on the Dublin Road and started up the mountain by the Birchtoft Trail. After a fairly easy, gently sloping wooded climb of about an hour I came to a cross roads and decided to hop onto the Cascade Link Trail. Fantastic choice!

It is almost all open ledges and  “the long way,” but its not very steep at all and its so sunny and open. There are so many great views and places to sit, and of course, no other hikers. Cascade ends at the Pumpelly Trail, which them leads to the top. It was a gorgeous day, so I took advantage of the weather and my free time to enjoy a leisurely lunch and a good book for about an hour, soaking up the sun in just my shorts and sunglasses on the summit.

I took the shortcut on the way down, the Red Spot Trail, which is quite a bit steeper.  (2hrs-30m up: 1hr-35m down)

Now I have three trails left to finish the quest of climbing all the main trails leading up to the summit. The halfway house trail, the Lost Farm Trail and the Pumpelly trail. The first tow are fairly short trails, but Pumpelly will eat up the whole day. I’ve done it before… its beautiful and follows the open ridges on the spur that runs southwesterly from Dublin Lake to the peak.

And so the quest begins…

  Today, I started my quest to climb Mount Monadnock at least once a week, until snow cover in the late fall/early winter renders the hike too difficult, probably sometime in December. And by too difficult, I mean that until I don’t want to climb in the ice and snow.

Mount Monadnock is MY mountain and one of my most favorite places to hike. The Mountain is surrounded by NH State Park and is also the southerly terminus of the 50 mile Monadnock Sunapee Greenway Trail. There is an unofficial site which also has a lot of information about hiking Monadnock, and of course, you can always check out Wikipedia. Monadnock is reported to be the 2nd most climbed Mountain in the world after Mt. Fuji.

So, yes, I’ve made it a goal to climb my favorite mountain every Monday. Maybe on a Sunday, if the family or friends want to hike with me. And I’m still formulating a theme for my hike. I’m not sure what I want this to become, so far, other than a weekly adventure. Some thoughts were; To hike the same trail each week and document the change in seasons and the “look of the mountain”; To hike the same trail and document my own journey from winter blubber body to summer svelte; To hike every trail of the mountain at least once in every season; to just randomly choose a trail and follow whatever adventures and thoughts hit me, and write them down. Maybe I could do a photo journal of my hikes, although probably only with my IPod or Blackberry, as I don’t have a digital camera. At least when the family comes along, Tracy will have her camera and I’m sure she will capture some beautiful shots and interesting shots. I even thought of writing to hiking magazines and/or suppliers and see if i could get someone to sponsor my hikes, preferably with a great pair of hiking shoes.  I just don’t know yet. I’ll have to ponder. I’m open to suggestions.

Today’s hike was perfect. it was the first really warm day of spring, in the 70’s down in the valley, although it was probably more like 50 at the top and the wind was strong enough to knock you down. I started a little later than I had wanted, so I didn’t arrive at the Marlborough trail trailhead until 11:30. 

It seems like no matter which trail you select, there are some commonalities. You start at a road somewhere and for a ways, you hike an easy incline, sometimes an old woods road, discontinued town road or maybe just a wide trail.

And although the hike looks easy, the first 20 minutes found my lungs and legs struggling. I was huffing and puffing and soaking with sweat in those first moments.

At some point in any of the trails,  there is a sharp incline. You have to go UP at sometime. It’s even hand over foot crawling at some places. Today’s trail actually had two steep sections. As usually happens when I hike, after conquering the first incline, I found my wind and from then on there was a sense of euphoria.  Then the hike was much more enjoyable.

After the first steep section, the trail  opened up and the vegetation gave way to a less steep incline of bare rocks and warm sun. Not for long, though. Soon I was back into the dense spruce and fir, but now with the added joy of corny snow and dirty slippery ice. I met the one other person hiking the Marlboro trail at this spot, and he was headed back down, as the ice was a bit too much, I guess. It was a little worrisome at first. Then I did the unthinkable, and deviated form the marked trail, but as I was hiking on top of snow, I wasn’t worried about causing erosion and I skipped the worst of the ice and saved a broken leg or neck.

Finally, after trudging and slogging hand and foot up the snowy crags, I came out to the trees and from there, the hike was really an easy joy. The warm spring sun had melted all the snow outside of the tree line.

The top of Monadnock is bare, as it was deforested and the soils eroded over 100 years ago. The steep spots were behind me, so from here on it was just walk and enjoy the view. The wind doesn't stop blowing from there on, and there were a few huge wind gusts that almost knocked me over. Balance is a bit more critical. I hit the summit around 1:30, a pretty fast hike. The Marlborough trail is one of the shortest, although maybe one of the top 3 most difficult. Pumpelly Trail can take a full day to go up and down.

I took some pics and met a couple who took a couple more for me, then settled down in a crag on the sheltered side of the mountain to eat my lunch. It was delicious!  Just a sandwich and wasabi almonds and lots of water, but it certainly hit the spot.

After lunch and a short rest, I geared up and wound my way back down the mountain. This is always the most difficult part. Your legs are tired and your feet ache. More people fall on the way down than ever on the way up.

I noticed in myself a profound difference mentally. On the way up, I had all these thoughts and ideas; plans and epiphanies, worries and wonders. On the way down, just a verse from a Beastie Boys tune (of all things) going through my head in time with my steps…over… and over… and over… and over. I finally had to mentally force myself to focus on thinking nothing. Around 3:00, I made it back to my truck, sweaty again, exhausted and tranquil.

Words, at least my words, don’t do justice to the feelings I had on the mountain and delicious relaxation that I feel tonight from my hike. I’m just glad I went today, and glad that the weather cooperated.

Today, I traveled alone. I’ve never hiked Monadnock alone. It was nice. Meditative. Faster than hiking with a group. In the future weeks, I’m looking forward to more solo hikes, as well as hikes with the family, maybe a friend or two, or maybe a group…I guess whatever happens will happen.  I think I’ll probably try to take at least a few pics each time, and to write about my experiences here, if the muse hits me.

Maybe I’ll see ya on the trail.