BIGEarl
Well-known member
January 19, 2012: Hale
Trails: N. Twin Trail, Fire Warden’s Trail, Herd Path to the summer trailhead (Haystack Rd.), Herd Path bypass on Little River
Summits: Mount Hale
Hikers: Fitz and me
Fitz and I got together for a mid-week hike to Hale. He needed to be back to Nashua by late afternoon and this hike fit perfectly. As we approached Lincoln on the drive north the temperature displayed 4 below; it’s going to be a cold one. We stopped at The Basin to get the boot warmers started. One more quick stop at Beaver Brook and we headed for Little River Road and our hike.
The trail was tracked out and solid. There was no need for flotation or added traction. The footing was great. We crossed the bridge, made the turn, and headed up the herd path to the summer trailhead at the end of Haystack Road. It was clear sailing. There were two other sets of boot tracks ahead of us on the trail. We made a quick stop at the trailhead to adjust layers and were soon hiking N. Twin Trail. The conditions were the same; well tracked out trail and solid with very good footing. The small amount of ice was easy to avoid.
We cruised to the first crossing and stayed left on the herd path. There was no sign of traffic making the crossing. Soon we were standing at the bottom of Fire Warden’s Trail. It was very well tracked out with a smooth, flat, and wide snowshoe track that ran all of the way to the summit. The recent rain evidently consolidated the snow and the track is solid but the footing is very good. We were able to easily continue bare booting the hike.
We made the turn and after the first pitch found ourselves in a huge birch glade. The route stayed in the glade for most of the climb. What a beautiful area. We made our way up the trail which included several sweeping switchbacks along the way. This is a very easy way to the summit.
Eventually, high on Hale the snowshoe track led into the conifers. We still had a nice wide corridor to follow and the track was rock solid. A short distance below the summit we entered an area of smaller growth and enjoyed some views to The Presidentials. From there to the summit was probably little more than a quarter mile.
When we stepped into the summit clearing we had little more than a light breeze. There were a few sets of fresh tracks that appeared to approach from Lend-A-Hand Trail and Hale Brook Trail. We were the only ones entering from Fire Warden’s Trail. We hung around for a while, got our summit pictures, and started our exit walk. Before leaving the summit we added light traction.
On the way down we met one person making the climb with a pair of skis on his pack. I assume he had plans for a little skiing in the glade. We hit the herd path, made the turn and continued our exit walk. At some point near the bridge I think we both realized we were no longer on the herd path but back on N. Twin Trail. I guess Fitz and I both zoned out for a while. We cleared the trailhead and finished up with the short walk back to Little River Road.
What a great hike! If you’re short on time and want to get a good bang for the buck, believe it or not, this approach to Hale does the job.
I’ve posted some pictures from the day.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Straight to the slideshow
Trails: N. Twin Trail, Fire Warden’s Trail, Herd Path to the summer trailhead (Haystack Rd.), Herd Path bypass on Little River
Summits: Mount Hale
Hikers: Fitz and me
Fitz and I got together for a mid-week hike to Hale. He needed to be back to Nashua by late afternoon and this hike fit perfectly. As we approached Lincoln on the drive north the temperature displayed 4 below; it’s going to be a cold one. We stopped at The Basin to get the boot warmers started. One more quick stop at Beaver Brook and we headed for Little River Road and our hike.
The trail was tracked out and solid. There was no need for flotation or added traction. The footing was great. We crossed the bridge, made the turn, and headed up the herd path to the summer trailhead at the end of Haystack Road. It was clear sailing. There were two other sets of boot tracks ahead of us on the trail. We made a quick stop at the trailhead to adjust layers and were soon hiking N. Twin Trail. The conditions were the same; well tracked out trail and solid with very good footing. The small amount of ice was easy to avoid.
We cruised to the first crossing and stayed left on the herd path. There was no sign of traffic making the crossing. Soon we were standing at the bottom of Fire Warden’s Trail. It was very well tracked out with a smooth, flat, and wide snowshoe track that ran all of the way to the summit. The recent rain evidently consolidated the snow and the track is solid but the footing is very good. We were able to easily continue bare booting the hike.
We made the turn and after the first pitch found ourselves in a huge birch glade. The route stayed in the glade for most of the climb. What a beautiful area. We made our way up the trail which included several sweeping switchbacks along the way. This is a very easy way to the summit.
Eventually, high on Hale the snowshoe track led into the conifers. We still had a nice wide corridor to follow and the track was rock solid. A short distance below the summit we entered an area of smaller growth and enjoyed some views to The Presidentials. From there to the summit was probably little more than a quarter mile.
When we stepped into the summit clearing we had little more than a light breeze. There were a few sets of fresh tracks that appeared to approach from Lend-A-Hand Trail and Hale Brook Trail. We were the only ones entering from Fire Warden’s Trail. We hung around for a while, got our summit pictures, and started our exit walk. Before leaving the summit we added light traction.
On the way down we met one person making the climb with a pair of skis on his pack. I assume he had plans for a little skiing in the glade. We hit the herd path, made the turn and continued our exit walk. At some point near the bridge I think we both realized we were no longer on the herd path but back on N. Twin Trail. I guess Fitz and I both zoned out for a while. We cleared the trailhead and finished up with the short walk back to Little River Road.
What a great hike! If you’re short on time and want to get a good bang for the buck, believe it or not, this approach to Hale does the job.
I’ve posted some pictures from the day.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Straight to the slideshow
