Mount Moosilauke: A calm walk through the woods
When I chose Mount Moosilauke, it wasn’t for the views, or the milage. I was not expecting anything special from this hike, it was just another one of the mountains that my camp cabin was named after. As I said in previous posts, I am not only aiming to hike 100 miles, but I am also hoping to hike all the mountains that my cabins at sleep away camp were named after. I was in the Moosilauke cabin for two years at my camp, so this was a big one for me.
My app said that Moosilauke was an easier hike with a smaller amount of elevation gain, so I was planning to just fly through it and get home before dinner. Little did I know that I was about to embark on one of my favorite hikes of the summer.
The parking lot for the trailhead is a bit confusing, and fills up fast, so get there early. You will also need to leave enough time to get to your starting point. For this hike, finding the trail head is its own adventure. The trail begins after a short walk down a road through what we believe was a Dartmouth college outdoor program base camp. We felt a little out of place there, but we continued, and soon came along a bridge that took us onto the trail. From there, we began our journey.
The beginning of the trail is a bit confusing. There are quite a few twists and turns, but once you choose a trail that you want to take to the top, it becomes a bit easier. At first, the trail is difficult. It is rocky and steep, and there are quite a few areas where you need to use tree roots as a ladder, but after a mile or two, the trail starts to level out a bit and the hiking becomes less intense.
Once the trees begin to thin out, you will be able to turn around and begin to survey the land around you. The views from this hike are pretty spectacular from any view point, but the views from the top are unmatched. The last mile up to the summit is pretty much all through a meadow and it is gorgeous. Nick and I ran into a few geology students and their professor and had a short conversation with them. The rocks are pretty amazing, and the students pointed out the difference between the rocks at the bottom, which were pale gray, and the rocks at the top which were rusty. They were figuring out why that was, which I thought was pretty interesting.
Once you can see the summit, it is smooth sailing from there. The hike is pretty much flat, with small inclines every once in a while. As long as you follow the cairns, which are the largest cairns I have ever seen, you will be able to find your way to the top without a problem. Make sure to stop and look at the beautiful alpine greenery on your way up, there are some pretty spectacular flowers up there.
Once you are at the top, there a sign with the mountain’s name that is perfect for pictures, and there are rocks to sit on so you can have lunch. Just make sure you leave enough time to summit one more peak and then make your way down. Nick and I ran into a few other hikers, two of which were making their way through the Appalachian trail, which Mount Moosilauke is a part of, and we had a great time listening to them tell their stories of their adventures.
The hike from the summit is pretty unbelievable, but after a while, the trail descends back into the woods. At this point, you are given a choice to either continue down the trail and finish your hike, or hike up to the second peak and see another view. Of course I, being the bad time manager I am, decided to hike up the second peak. As beautiful as it was, I do believe that this was my downfall that led me to driving home on the highway at 1am in a rain storm. If you are running out of time, I would suggest you skip this part of the hike, but if you can, hike up to the top, because the views from there are the best ones on the whole hike.
After a long break on the second peak, we decided it was time to get going again. The hike down from the summit is pretty chill and mundane, which was nice considering everything we had just done. We weren’t out of breath, which gave us the ability to have some pretty great conversations, but by the end, we were too tired to speak.
Overall, the hike was about 10.5 miles, which was pretty long. We were moving fast to beat a storm that was moving in, so we did have to rush a bit, but the hike was not too difficult. Once we left the parking lot, we ended up in a little town called Woodstock where we stopped for dinner. I definitely recommend the fried pickles at the Woodstock Inn and Brewery.
I had a really great time hiking Moosilauke, and I know Nick did too. It’s a great hike for the whole family, and for all levels of hikers, whether you are hiking the whole Appalachian trail, or trying hiking for the first time. I am definitely going to hike this trail again.
For Those Who Wander 