Mount Monadnock
Note: Mount Monadnock is the second most climbed mountain in the worlds second only to Japan’s Mount Fuji.
I looked on-line for a walk that would take a few hours and offer a few good views. After some reading I found that the South side of Mount Monadnock offered a trail that moved you slowly to the top - with great scenery. The Marlboro Trail is away from the main park entrance but had it’s own parking area. Early in the morning I began the drive to New Hampshire. As I drove North I noticed the day was cloudier that I wanted but the forecast predicted a dry day. After crossing the border and traveling another twenty minutes I was greeted with an unexpected surprise - SNOW! And, a lot of it. I would rather not climb a mountain in the snow, but I kept going.As I approached the mountain I decided to go to the main entrance and ask a ranger about the trail conditions. He said that the South side was one big sheet of ice. He recommended the White Dot Trail - the toughest one even on a Summer day. He said it was mostly ice free but there was a lot of ice near the top and suggested that I wear crampons. I had hiking boots and they were going to have to do. After his “pep talk”, I knew I probably wouldn’t make it to the summit. It would just be a question of where to turn around. So off I went.
The beginning part of the trail was snow covered but due to recent foot traffic, it was packed. It was also very slippery. For much of the way it was easier to walk in the deeper snow. Like most mountains, the first part of the climb gained elevation slowly. But then the fun started. Soon it was up a set of rocks - a short path - more rock - and so on. The climbing was difficult because ice covered about half of the rocks and each step had to be chosen carefully.I met up with another climber and after discussing the difficulty we decided to stay together in case one of us took a fall. Both of us did fall a couple of times but nothing serious. As we gained altitude, the sky grew darked and the wind picked up. Then it started snowing, but only for a few minutes. This was the point where I debated the value of continuing. Just then a couple of descending climbers informed us that we were only fifteen minutes away. So we kept climbing - for another hour!
The same pattern of rocks and trail continued, ice problems were more frequent, and it became colder. The good new was that these were indications that we were near the top and in a minutes we were there. The summit was like standing in a freezing hurricane. The stay there lasted less than five minutes.
The walk down was easier and faster but it was more dangerous. There were just too many opportunities to fall and if you fell you would keep sliding with only rocks to stop you. (I’m still sore from one of the falls.) It didn’t take long to realize that it was easier to sit down and use a controlled slide to get you down the steeper sections. And, it was faster.
In another hour we were at the base. I shook hands with my fellow hiker and walked to my car. Getting in I noticed that my clothes were covered with patches of mud - evidence I didn’t stay on my feet all day. As I pulled out of the park a light rain started. I turned on the windshield wipers and the radio then thought about the climb. One thought dominated: Man was that fun!
Filed under: New Hampshire on April 10th, 2008 | No Comments »
