Outdoor Diversion: A Frozen Mount Cabot After the Rain

Summit: Mount Cabot (4,170')
Trail route: York Pond Trail, Bunnell Notch Trail, Kilkenny Ridge Trail
Trail conditions: Trail was well packed but deep snow when stepping off the path
Weather: Cold with temps in the teens and 20's, steady breeze making it feel colder, cloudy with flurries to start and clearing skies
Total miles: 10
Total time: 6:00

After recent warm weather and heavy rain there was bound to be some drastic changes in trail conditions. Cold temps and high winds were forecast for the high summits with high water in the streams and rivers. Because of these conditions I would be hiking to Mount Cabot with Jill, Amy, Guy and Jim. This hike is protected from the wind and there is only one small water crossing to deal with. I was expecting a solid trail to the summit.

The trailhead is only 15 minutes from my house so it's a short drive and I get to sleep in. Skies appeared to be clearing although there were still a lot of clouds as I drove to the trailhead. As I got closer to the York Pond fish hatchery the road became extremely icy and that continued all the way to the parking area for York Pond Trail. It would not be an exaggeration to say I could have skated in to the trailhead on the road.

I arrived to find Guy sleeping in his car, he had arrived early. Amy and Jim came along and Jill shortly thereafter. We had to put our microspikes on as soon as we got out of the car. We also made the group decision to leave the snowshoes behind. It was a cold start to the hike.

The trail was hard packed and the microspikes were perfect. We arrived at the one water crossing that required careful footing to keep from getting wet. We each had our own unique way of crossing. Jim walked across on a small icy tree that had fallen across to the other side, Guy crossed the same tree extending his trekking poles to help balance him while Amy sat down and scooted across. I crossed on some icy rocks and Jill crossed further down on some other icy rocks. We all made it across with dry feet!

We continued up and the trail took a slight turn for the worse. There were several sections of bare rocks and flowing water coming down the trail. It was a little tough on the microspikes. Once past this area and on the Kilkenny Ridge Trail it was smooth hiking again. We arrived at the cabin and went inside for a short break and something to eat. While we were there fellow hikers Rich and Arlette showed up having just come down from the summit. They were the only other hikers we saw all day.

We departed the cabin and headed up to the summit. Just above the cabin we got a view to the east. As we continued on the trail became confusing and we had to decide left or right at one point. Three of us went left and two went right. There was some occasional postholing when stepping off the hard packed trail but we all made it to the summit without any problem. We made sure that we went to the actual summit just past the signs. It was very cold and we stayed just long enough for a few photos before continuing our hike back to the trailhead.

It was after starting back that I stepped off the hard pack and went deep into the snow with one leg and back down deep again with the other leg before rolling out onto the trail. That used up a lot of energy but it was my only fall for the day. We made good time descending and were back at the water crossing again. Dry feet prevailed as we all had successful crossings.

After 10 miles and 6 hours we arrived back at the trailhead. It never did warm up much today and it was still cold at the end of the hike. It was a great day of hiking with Jill, Amy, Jim and Guy. This was our first official winter hike of the season. I'm looking forward to an exciting winter hiking season full of fun and adventure with awesome hiking friends!

Enjoy the photos and videos!