Monadnock- A photographic journey

Yesterday I hiked Mount Monadnock in southern New Hampshire. Monadnock is one of the most hiked mountains in the world. It regularly has 100,000 people a year on its summit. The reason is proximity to major cities. It doesn't hurt that it is the tallest point for fifty miles in all directions. I did not want to hike the normal route because it is so crowded with people. Instead I chose to hike a route the Mountain Wanderer did in June 2014. This route is much longer but well worth it. On my hike to the top I did not see a sole until I got to the summit.

Although it was in the low fifties at the bottom, the summit was thirty six degrees. It was cloudy and the sustained winds were twenty miles an hour. In short it was freezing. I stayed on top just long enough to eat. I didn't study the views of the northern mountains. Like everyone else I found a rock to block the wind and ate. Since I had all this extra time, I stopped many times to enjoy the view from rock perches on the way down. Total time took me five hours and forty five minutes. I would have stayed longer if the summit would have been more hospitable.

A view of the mountain from an approach road
The weather called for crystal clear skies but
it was cloudy most of the day

The first trail I hiked is the Parker Trail
It starts near this small reservoir

Glacial Erratic

The next trail was the Cliff Walk
It had this surprise ladder to climb

Hard to believe farming was done on
the side of a mountain, but this stone wall
says differently

My first view. On Cliff Walk

As you can see in the picture below there are two signs. The closer sign heads straight for the summit. The one to the left is the Mount Rosa Trail. It takes a round about journey going over a small side peak of Mount Rosa. It is longer but rarely used. I reached deep to pull out my inner Frost

I shall be telling you this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood and I-

I took the one less traveled by

And that made all the difference

So even though I hadn't seen a person on my hike, I
took the Mount Rosa Trail because it was the less
popular trail

Monadnock summit 600 feet above from Mount Rosa

Weather Vane on Mt Rosa Summit

Tough to get lost on this mountain
Trails are very well marked

Some shrubs dressed in their fall best

Hazy, but Wachusett Mountain to the south

People on Monadnock Summit

Mt Rosa 400 feet below

On my way down I took the popular White Dot trail
Here is a steep pitch that was fun
to navigate

I found a rock perch to get comfortable on

Cool tree near the end of the hike

The busiest path is the White Cross. Although I
had a few people on the White Dot, the White
Cross is like an ant highway.

Entrance sign

A view driving out, The sky was clearing nicely...
now that I was down

As I was driving back I saw Wachusett while waiting
at this red light.