Outdoor Diversion: Mahoosuc Trail to Mount Hayes

Summits: Mount Hayes (2,555')
Trail route: Mahoosuc Trail
Trail conditions: Wet and wetter with muddy sections
Weather: Cloudy start with clearing skies and cool temps
Total miles: 7.5
Total time: 6 hours

Today would be a rare hike for me to a non-4,000 foot summit. Mount Hayes is on the 52 With a View list. I would be joining Jim, Robin, Jill, Amy D, Amy L, and Brenda for this hike today and a very short drive for me.

I could see that a lot of summits were still in the clouds as I drove to the parking area. I was counting on the clouds lifting and clearing by the time we got to the summit. We started our hike at the old railroad trestle in Gorham, NH. It was then a walk down a dirt road that crossed over a canal with a short trail through the woods to another dirt road and finally to the trailhead.

There was still a lot of fall foliage to see even after this past week's rain and wind. Lots of colored leaves covered the trail making it difficult to see what was underneath them. So there was the frequent unseen rocks, mud and water that we walked through but luckily no twisted ankles.

We took the short side trail to Mascot Pond and was glad we did. Had our first view of beautiful foliage across the pond with snow-capped peaks in the distance. This was a good preview of the views that we would see further up the trail.

We navigated through many blowdowns as we continued up the trail. Before the summit we came out onto some exposed ledges that afforded spectacular views of the surrounding higher summits. We spent some time on these ledges capturing many photos as well as watching the gliders fly by after being towed up from the Gorham airstrip far below.

After enjoying the views from the ledges we continued on to the summit. It was a short distance to the top of Mount Hayes from the ledges and with no views we returned to the ledges for lunch. It was a beautiful spot to enjoy the scenery while eating lunch. We spent some time lingering and basking in the sun while absorbing the incredible views.

There was a bright blue sky with full sunshine while we hiked back down through a colorful forest. Once again we had to tread carefully through the carpet of leaves for obstacles beneath. We got back down with no mishaps and continued on out to the parking area.

We all agreed that Mount Hayes would be one of our favorites on the 52 With a View list. A nice gradual hike to the summit with magnificent views from its ledges! I jokingly called this a frivolous hike as it was not a 4,000 footer. It was a day with lots of fun and laughter along the way with awesome hiking friends!

Enjoy the photos!