Hot Hike to Mount Tecumseh

Summit: Mount Tecumseh (3,995')
Trail route: Mount Tecumseh Trail
Trail conditions: Dry, wet, muddy, frozen/icy monorail
Weather: Started warm and then got hot
Total miles: 5
Total time:  3:20

Hot weather was in the forecast and I wanted to get an early start on the trail. Mount Tecumseh is a short hike and I needed it for May so this would be the perfect choice before the day got really hot. The down side to this hike is that it's a two hour drive for me.

I was up and on the road early. I hadn't driven far when a moose started to run out in front of me but turned and ran down the side of the road before going back into the woods. A close moose encounter but no harm done.

I arrived at the Waterville Valley parking area to find several cars already there. Appears that I wasn't the only one wanting to beat the heat. I was on the trail at 6:45. It was a warm start but as I got away from the water crossings it got very hot with no breeze. I was hoping it would get cooler in the higher elevations.

When I made the turn at the ski slope view and started the relentless up the first patches of snow were on the trail. They were easy to get around initially but as I got higher up the trail it became difficult to walk beside and it became necessary to put the microspikes on. The monorail was mostly icy and very slippery. I was soon playing the on and off microspike game.

When I arrived at the loop juction I took the microspikes off and had no problem getting to the summit although there were a few stretches of frozen monorail that I was able to walk beside. There was one hiker coming down from the summit just as I was arriving so I had the place to myself.

The number of flying insects on the summit was amazing, none were biting but there was a loud buzz in the air the entire time I was on there. A few photos and I was on my way down. I managed to keep the microspikes off except for one stretch that I was not able to walk beside. Once past the monorails it was a quick trip down.

When I got back down to the lower part of the trail it was getting very hot. I passed several hikers that were just starting up and I was glad that I got an early start happy that my hike was almost done on this hot day.

This was my eleventh time hiking Mount Tecumseh. One more time in July and I will have hiked it in every month of the year thus gridding out this summit!

Enjoy the photos and videos!

 Painted trillium

 A patch of painted trillium

 Hobblebush blooming

 Lots of water flowing

 The first of many sections of icy monorail

 Bottom of the hiking boots got wet but easily crossed

 View from the ski slope

 More monorail but able to walk beside it

 Water running down the trail through here

Put the microspikes on here

Unstable snow/ice bridge

Loop trail junction to the summit and I took the usual left 

High thin monorail just before the summit

View from the summit

Tripyramids

Osceolas

Mount Tecumseh summit...3,997 feet

Mount Moosilauke

Heading back down the monorail

Muddy section of trail

Trout lily

Nice and cool at the water crossings

Parking lot is in sight

Mount Tecumseh from Waterville Valley

A bear far up on a Cannon Mountain ski slope

Zooming in on a black bear grazing

Having Fun in the Great Outdoors!