|
|
|
|
(Danielle, Tim & Dave - Total Distance: 6.5 miles)
| |
|
On a cool fall day we (Danielle and Tim) took our friend Dave on a hike up his first 4,000 footer. We began our hike by crossing the Baker river on a new bridge and headed up the Gorge Brook trail. The first half of the trail is along the side of the brook with a couple of crossings over old bridges. Eventually the trail diverged away from the brook and into the trees. Soon, the trail began to climb more steeply as it wound it's way up the ridge to the summit. As we made our way up the trail an opening appeared that offered a nice view of the nearby mountains. Before we knew it we reached treeline and made it out into the open. As we continued on our way to the summit the trees completely disappeared and were replaced by grass and a lot of cranberries. |
|
|
| The rest of the way up the mountain was rather easy, but completely exposed to the elements. Once on top, we found an old foundation and took shelter away from the wind while we rested and ate some snacks. The cloudy sky did not ruin the views. We could see the trail we hiked up, the mountains off to the north and east, and the rest of the wide open summit. From the top we followed the Carriage Road to South Moosilauke. This trail is mostly level and at one time was used to bring guests up to a mountain top hotel. |
| A spur path hidden behind some bushes and trees at the first trail intersection will lead you the short distance to the summit of South Moosilauke. Up on top there are great views looking back to the main summit and into the nearby ravine. We enjoyed the views for a little while before taking summit shots of each other and heading off to the car. |
 Danielle on SouthMoosilauke (Click image for larger view) |
 Dartmouth Cabin (Click image for larger view) |
We continued to follow the Carriage Road to the bottom where we again returned to the Dartmouth Cabin. The lodge is a quaint rustic hotel with a library on the bottom floor, large fireplace, animal heads on the walls and cozy dining area on the main level. It would be a lot of fun to stay here for a night or two. After the hike we all headed to the Woodstock Inn for a couple of well deserved beers and a fantastic dinner. |
|
Hiked
on: May 29, 1999
| |
 Moosilauke summit |
Mt. Moosilauke has a wide open summit. Danielle and I lucked out with clear sky's and warm temperatures on the day we did the hike. We took the long way to the top so we could also bag Mt. Jim and Mt. Blue. We did not see another hiker until we got on the Beaver Brook trail just below the summit. |
 Tim on the summit |
 Danielle on the summit |
|
At the base of the mountain are cabins run by the Dartmouth Outing Club. When me and Danielle finished our hike we ran into the main cabin to use their showers, only to discover some people were setting up a wedding reception. We had time to get cleaned up and out of there before the festivities began. |
 View from the summit |
 Mt. Moosilauke South Peak |
|
