Summit: Mount Monadnock (3,170')
Trail route: White Dot Trail, White Cross Trail
Trail conditions: Mostly dry with some muddy sections
Weather: Cool and sunny, cold and windy on the summit
Total miles: 4
Total time: 3:39
Today I would continue my quest to complete the 52 With a View summits. I was glad to have Marty join me for this hike on Mount Monadnock. This is a very long drive for me for a relatively short hike, seven hours of driving and a less than four hour hike.
This area received a lot of rain from a Nor'easter yesterday. Today was bright, clear and cool, my kind of weather. I arrived at the parking lot just after 7:30 AM and Marty was already there, we were the only two people so far. This is a very popular mountain for hiking and I expected there would be many more people arriving.
It was a good hike up the White Dot Trail with a lot of fun ledge scrambling. There was a small group of hikers on the summit that had come up another trail. They left and we had the summit to ourselves for a few minutes, a lone hiker arrived shortly after the group had departed. It was very windy and quite cold but we managed to find a spot out of the wind. The views were spectacular from the top of this peak. With a cold wind blowing this was not a morning for lingering and basking so we were soon heading down.
At the trail junction we veered onto the White Cross Trail. This trail has its share of ledges and is very rocky and wet. We reached the White Dot Trail completing the loop. It was a short walk back to the parking lot from here and the hike was complete. Lots of people had arrived while we were hiking and the parking lot was almost full.
This was a hike that I was glad to get done only because of the long drive. It was actually a very enjoyable hike and Thanks to Marty for joining me who has done this hike more than once before. Mount Monadnock was hike #48 for me on the list of 52 With a View. I'm hoping for good weather over the next couple of weeks to finish the last four hikes on this list.
Enjoy the photos and video!
The hike starts here
First ledge scramble
Lots of rocks
First view from the trail
Getting into the good scrambling
Went around this
Getting some great views
Ledge walking
Summit up ahead
Follow the large cairns
At the trail junction
Back in the trees
Long stretch of ledge scrambling
Marty coming up
Final scramble to the summit
On the summit with a view to the west
View to the north
View to the east
View to the south
Descending
Downward ledge scrambling
Tricky wet ledge
Wet trail
Coming down the final ledge
Crooked tree
One of the driest spots on the trail has a bog bridge
Back at this trail junction completes the loop
Back at the parking lot
Having Fun in the Great Outdoors!
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