Outdoor Diversion: A Well Timed Hike to Waumbek

The weekend weather was looking rather grim and gloomy. The forecast was calling for occasional showers today with snow this afternoon and evening continuing into Sunday. I decided to hike Mount Waumbek (4,006'). This is my "go-to" summit during inclement weather and I also needed it for April. With warm temps and rain the past two days I wasn't sure what the trail conditions would be.

I woke up this morning to steady rain falling. A check of the weather and radar showed a band of showers coming through. It was really difficult to get myself motivated. I was taking my time getting ready in hopes that the rain might pass and there would be a break in the precipitation. I was in no hurry to get out into the rain. I finally dragged myself out the door and was on my way.

It was a wet drive with rain and mixed precipitation all the way to Jefferson, NH. I arrived at the trailhead parking lot to find the road was completely bare and no problems getting in. There were several cars already here and more hikers were arriving. The last time I hiked here the road was not plowed out and I had to park on the other side of Route 2. As I was getting ready to hike I noticed the light rain had stopped. That was good timing.

The beginning of the Starr King Trail was bare but it wasn't long before I got into some soft ice. A couple of hikers just coming back down told me snowshoes would not be necessary. I was glad to hear that as I had left them behind. When I got to the old spring I stopped and put on my Hillsound Trail crampon pros. This was a little overkill but they worked out well. Microspikes would have been just right. I like the trail crampons because of their anti-balling feature, they are easy to put on and once on they stay in place.

There were some muddy and wet sections that I had to walk through but further up the trail was solid and very pleasant to hike on. As I was hiking along I saw something moving out of the corner of my eye. I looked over to see a mink looking back at me. I had never seen one before. It stood there while I tried to get a photo. Then a group of four hikers came up and it it ran off but not before they also saw it. They passed by me and a little further up the trail one of them hollered out there was a moose. Sure enough a moose was about forty yards off the trail eating. We all stood there getting photos and and it did not seem to bother the moose at all. It paid no attention to us and continued to keep eating.

I continued up the trail to the summit of Starr King. As expected there were no views. I took a few photos and kept going to Mount Waumbek. The col between the summits was well packed. The one thing I did notice was the cold air. While it really wasn't that cold with a temperature of 30°F and no wind there was a dampness in the air that made it feel bone-chilling. I added another layer.

When I got to Mount Waumbek the clouds were lifting and allowed partial views. Beyond the viewpoint the trail was unbroken. There is still a lot of snow on the summit. I stayed long enough to get some photos and started the return trip back to the trailhead. The temperature was continuing to drop. When I got to Starr King the clouds were parting revealing some of the Presidential summits. A few photos and it was all downhill from here.

The temperature had dropped to 25°F but the precipitation held off. It was a pleasant hike down. This was another better than expected hike, both weather and trail conditions. It stayed cold enough to keep the trail firm. I also appreciated the precipitation holding off while I was hiking. As soon as I got back to the car and was changing a light drizzle started coming down and continued to intensify on the drive home. That's what I call good timing!

Enjoy the photos!