I started late, and in the rush to get out I forgot my camera on a gorgeous day 
Bad start, but apart from that everything was wonderful.
I started, as I usually do, at the Depot Camp trailhead and used the Pipeline XC ski trail to reach the ski area, adding half a mile each way plus 300 feet to what would otherwise be a very short hike. I started up the ski slopes to the Northside lift, I had forgotten how steep the last few hundred feet are (or forgotten how unfit I have become). The foliage was great along the ski slopes; I rarely looked back as my plan was to descend by the ski slopes.
Then up the trail to the summit, using the Sossman Trail in both directions. There are tantalizing views of Moosilauke through the trees, but no big deal as I would see it in all its splendor from the outlook. Long lunch at summit enjoying the fairly wide view.
Then the scenic descent ... alas no photos to share
The view from the western outlook on the Sossman Trail may be growing in, but if you move around you get excellent views from Moosilauke to the Franconia Ridge. Then a quick look from the eastern outlook; I would have much better views from the upper ski slopes.
The real point of this hike is the descent by the ski slopes. I wandered around the upper end as the trees often blocked part of the view. There is a knob off the service road just a bit below the tower which probably is the best viewpoint, check out the panorama here. One day I will lug a tripod up there and make a panorama!
Away from that knob most views to the north are spoiled, for the photographer, by the ski lifts; I do not find the intrusive in real life as opposed to photographs.
By the time I reached the Schwendi Hütte I had had my fill of views, and I descended by the service road, with views of the Tripyramids and Sleepers or Osceolas depending on the direction of the road. The Valley Run had a mowed path under the quad (most of the slopes were unmowed with tall vegetation, not very inviting) which I followed to the ski area then down the Pipeline to my car.
If you care about views, let me suggest that you make it a point of descending by the ski slopes on days when there are views.
Bad start, but apart from that everything was wonderful.
I started, as I usually do, at the Depot Camp trailhead and used the Pipeline XC ski trail to reach the ski area, adding half a mile each way plus 300 feet to what would otherwise be a very short hike. I started up the ski slopes to the Northside lift, I had forgotten how steep the last few hundred feet are (or forgotten how unfit I have become
). The foliage was great along the ski slopes; I rarely looked back as my plan was to descend by the ski slopes.Then up the trail to the summit, using the Sossman Trail in both directions. There are tantalizing views of Moosilauke through the trees, but no big deal as I would see it in all its splendor from the outlook. Long lunch at summit enjoying the fairly wide view.
Then the scenic descent ... alas no photos to share
The view from the western outlook on the Sossman Trail may be growing in, but if you move around you get excellent views from Moosilauke to the Franconia Ridge. Then a quick look from the eastern outlook; I would have much better views from the upper ski slopes.
The real point of this hike is the descent by the ski slopes. I wandered around the upper end as the trees often blocked part of the view. There is a knob off the service road just a bit below the tower which probably is the best viewpoint, check out the panorama here. One day I will lug a tripod up there and make a panorama!
Away from that knob most views to the north are spoiled, for the photographer, by the ski lifts; I do not find the intrusive in real life as opposed to photographs.
By the time I reached the Schwendi Hütte I had had my fill of views, and I descended by the service road, with views of the Tripyramids and Sleepers or Osceolas depending on the direction of the road. The Valley Run had a mowed path under the quad (most of the slopes were unmowed with tall vegetation, not very inviting) which I followed to the ski area then down the Pipeline to my car.
If you care about views, let me suggest that you make it a point of descending by the ski slopes on days when there are views.
