Misc Mt Monadnock Questions

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DayTrip

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With another bitter cold weekend in the forecast for the Whites I'm thinking I may just stay semi-local and hit Mt Monadnock on SUN. Had a few basic questions for those of you that hike there often.

1) Is the parking area at Gibson Pond Campground substantial? I usually do the Pumpelly Trail when I go up there but parking can be a real hassle on busy days with the narrow roadway. Was thinking of heading up Birchcroft Trail and looping several trails I haven't done before on the way to/from summit. If I get to that lot around 8:30-9:00AM can I expect to find a space typically? I drive a small economy car so cramming myself into drainage ditches along dirt roads is not a real option.

2) Was thinking of ascending Spellman Trail and returning down Red Spot Trail. I noticed on the map though that Spellman has a disclaimer about avoiding when it is icy or wet. Is it really that challenging or is this just a generic warning to inexperienced hikers? I'll have spikes and crampons but didn't know if there were Huntington Ravine type ledges, no trees to bypass ledges, etc. If anyone can comment on whether that is a good ascent choice given the current conditions it would be appreciated.

Any thoughts on this would be appreciated and any info on current conditions with today's snow. Thanks.
 
Can't answer #1. As far as # 2. Spellman is very steep with some sheer ledge and a few scrambles. Nothing technical at all but if the trail is covered in ice it could be pretty tricky I'd think.

Couple examples.
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Gilson Pond is not staffed until the summer camping season begins. Parking there, during season, is substantial but I am quite sure the gate is down now on the inbound road. I suspect you can park on the in bound road heading to Gilson Park but I would call the Park HQ and confirm. It is just as easy to park in the main lot at Park HQ and walk down the road a 1/4 mile or so and pick up Hinckley Trail and follow it over to Birchtoft. Spellman should not present any problems. As of last Sat most trails are snow and ice free (on east and south side) except for real sheltered areas. Microspikes or Hillsounds should be more than adequate. Have done Spellman many times when wet and it is not really an issue. When ice flows develop then it gets tough but again I suspect any remaining ice can easily be gotten around. I'm 20 mins away and it is snowing lightly here now. Hardly enough to cover the ground. I don't think M is getting any more. We'll be up there in the morning perhaps we'll do Spellman and I can give you a first hand account tomorrow.
 
Gilson Pond is not staffed until the summer camping season begins. Parking there, during season, is substantial but I am quite sure the gate is down now on the inbound road. I suspect you can park on the in bound road heading to Gilson Park but I would call the Park HQ and confirm. It is just as easy to park in the main lot at Park HQ and walk down the road a 1/4 mile or so and pick up Hinckley Trail and follow it over to Birchtoft. Spellman should not present any problems. As of last Sat most trails are snow and ice free (on east and south side) except for real sheltered areas. Microspikes or Hillsounds should be more than adequate. Have done Spellman many times when wet and it is not really an issue. When ice flows develop then it gets tough but again I suspect any remaining ice can easily be gotten around. I'm 20 mins away and it is snowing lightly here now. Hardly enough to cover the ground. I don't think M is getting any more. We'll be up there in the morning perhaps we'll do Spellman and I can give you a first hand account tomorrow.

That would be fantastic! I have plans SAT so if I go it will definitely be SUN so having the latest info would be great. JustJoe's photos make that trail look very fun but I could see ice being an issue in those spots.

The map showed a year round lot at the Gilson site. That is why I was considering it, plus the loop around the pond itself versus the drudgery of the trails leaving the main lot. Is the main parking area with the huge lots open year round (i.e. I'll be paying a parking fee)?
 
Can't answer #1. As far as # 2. Spellman is very steep with some sheer ledge and a few scrambles. Nothing technical at all but if the trail is covered in ice it could be pretty tricky I'd think.

Couple examples.
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You have the most comprehensively ridiculous collection of high quality photos for New England hiking. Truly incredible. Whenever I see the "JustJoe" handle near a post of mine I'm always glad because I know you'll have a highly relevant group of photos that will answer my question exactly and leave no gray area. Your replies are much appreciated!
 
There's a winter lot for the campground just before the gate. I've parked there to go up Birchtoft.

And yeah, what everyone else is saying about Spellman. It's a super fun and super steep trail, but if it's all ice, it will be dicey.
 
Yes, the main parking lots are plowed and open all winter and there is a $5 parking/hiking fee. I'll inquire about the parking at Gilson Pond area while I am there which would save you the parking fee since no one would be there.

Thanks. Appreciate it. $5 isn't the end of the world and the lots are close enough together I could drive up to Gilson and see what the story is. If it's full or inaccessible at least I have a bail out plan without having to drive all over the place trying to find a parking space.
 
As Dingo said there is a winter lot at Gilson on the right just before the gate. It does get plowed and can fit about 20 cars if everyone parks responsibly. Hopefully they will get it plowed today, but they were short on staff. I hiked M this morning. Sorry I didn't do Spellman. Couple guys coming down at 8 as I was heading up said the wind was 40-50 range and they were having problems staying upright. I didn't want to walk into that kind of wind on the ridge for a mile. It was cold enough. Monadnock got hit last night with a squall that dumped 4-5" of new snow. They had to plow the lots and road so conditions for hiking were rather poor. Not enough snow to form a nice base, just enough to cover all the ankle buster smaller rocks. Areas that had ice had soft wet ice so traction was not a problem. Only semi problem area I saw was place called Paradise Valley on the White Dot, that little dip down before you head up the ledges. That ice was pretty hard and my older hillsounds didn't get a real good grip. I wore those old hillsounds all day. Even with the new snow I don't think you would have a problem on Spellman if you decide to try it with a good pair of Hillsounds. It is just the wind that will be the killer, even tomorrow as I think it is suppose to be colder. It is a long mile on that ridge. Have fun.
 
As Dingo said there is a winter lot at Gilson on the right just before the gate. It does get plowed and can fit about 20 cars if everyone parks responsibly. Hopefully they will get it plowed today, but they were short on staff. I hiked M this morning. Sorry I didn't do Spellman. Couple guys coming down at 8 as I was heading up said the wind was 40-50 range and they were having problems staying upright. I didn't want to walk into that kind of wind on the ridge for a mile. It was cold enough. Monadnock got hit last night with a squall that dumped 4-5" of new snow. They had to plow the lots and road so conditions for hiking were rather poor. Not enough snow to form a nice base, just enough to cover all the ankle buster smaller rocks. Areas that had ice had soft wet ice so traction was not a problem. Only semi problem area I saw was place called Paradise Valley on the White Dot, that little dip down before you head up the ledges. That ice was pretty hard and my older hillsounds didn't get a real good grip. I wore those old hillsounds all day. Even with the new snow I don't think you would have a problem on Spellman if you decide to try it with a good pair of Hillsounds. It is just the wind that will be the killer, even tomorrow as I think it is suppose to be colder. It is a long mile on that ridge. Have fun.

4-5 inches. Was expecting no more than a dusting. Wow. Thanks for the update. I guess I'll decide on which trails once I see what the trails are like.
 
Did wind up going up today. Woke up with a scratchy throat and a bit of a headache (my wife has been extremely sick past 3 days) so I thought maybe I'd pass but the prospect of watching TV all day got me in the car. Gilson lot was fully plowed and I was only car at 10:15 AM when I got there (got a pretty late start) and 4:00 PM when I left. Almost turned around and called it a day a few times because I didn't feel 100% but wound up doing the Birchcroft/Red Spot/Pumpelly/Cascade Link loop. The upper elevations were a little sketchy in spots in microspikes, especially descending Cascade which was very awkward. Only one guy had gone up it past Spellman junction (which looked heavily used) so it was 2-3 inches of fresh powder on pretty solid ice. There were numerous places in the "medium" elevations where the ice covering rocks broke off in sheets underfoot an made for some interesting walking here and there. I actually took a nice little spill on Pumpelly so I descended very cautiously on Cascade. Was glad a guy I met (who was going up to the summit for the third time today!) had come up this way because the trail was not at all obvious with the fresh snow for the first 0.1 miles or so. Not sure I would have been able to follow it over the early ledges. It was -15 deg F at the Pumpelly/Red Spot junction and I was concerned about the footing so I skipped the summit.

Thanks for the intel on the hike Kerry13. Was a pretty good day all in all. Glad I went.
 
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