RoySwkr
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This former ski hill and sanatorium site has been preserved by the Monadnock Conservancy who have improved a small trail system. There was a sign N of the peak for Dublin School Nordic Area, but the road in was narrow and twisty and looked better suited to skiing than driving so instead I parked at the E trailhead at the gate on the old sanitorium road. The road had been plowed earlier but not since the most recent snowstorm so there was a few inches of powder on top - with no good parking at bottom I just motored up in my mother's SUV.
There were foot and snowshoe tracks past the gate, unfortunately I twisted my ribs going around it. After the first pair of switchbacks some ski tracks entered from the R, apparently the unofficial connector to the Ridge Trail. I followed the foot tracks to the radio tower, then backtracked to the blue trail where I put on snowshoes. There were previous ski and snowshoe tracks, but either I was heavier or the snow was softening as I sometimes punched through even with snowshoes. The others hadn't broken out the red connector to the summits so I had to do it myself, there was several inches of powder over a thin crust that I always broke through to sink further - I was sinking at least a foot at every step and sometimes over knee deep which wasn't any fun with my ribs hurting. The good news was that it was less than 100 vertical feet to the Ridge Trail which had ski and snowshoe tracks.
I went first to the closer SE summit which had a viewpoint NE, then back to the NW summit which had a large view ledge NW with Monadnock just at the edge. Then back past the SE summit to the ZigZag Trail which lived up to its name. Unfortunately the builders hadn't learned that the reason for switchbacks is to reduce the grade by increasing distance, instead there were steep sections connected by flat sections. About halfway down the ski tracks vanished and I was following downhill snowshoe tracks sinking over a foot each step, but being downhill and not being first made it easier. When I saw my car ahead I thought about heading straight for it instead of using the trail which was maybe 5x the distance, but decided my short stint of breaking was enough for the day. Made it back to the car without meeting anyone, a surprise on a holiday afternoon.
There were foot and snowshoe tracks past the gate, unfortunately I twisted my ribs going around it. After the first pair of switchbacks some ski tracks entered from the R, apparently the unofficial connector to the Ridge Trail. I followed the foot tracks to the radio tower, then backtracked to the blue trail where I put on snowshoes. There were previous ski and snowshoe tracks, but either I was heavier or the snow was softening as I sometimes punched through even with snowshoes. The others hadn't broken out the red connector to the summits so I had to do it myself, there was several inches of powder over a thin crust that I always broke through to sink further - I was sinking at least a foot at every step and sometimes over knee deep which wasn't any fun with my ribs hurting. The good news was that it was less than 100 vertical feet to the Ridge Trail which had ski and snowshoe tracks.
I went first to the closer SE summit which had a viewpoint NE, then back to the NW summit which had a large view ledge NW with Monadnock just at the edge. Then back past the SE summit to the ZigZag Trail which lived up to its name. Unfortunately the builders hadn't learned that the reason for switchbacks is to reduce the grade by increasing distance, instead there were steep sections connected by flat sections. About halfway down the ski tracks vanished and I was following downhill snowshoe tracks sinking over a foot each step, but being downhill and not being first made it easier. When I saw my car ahead I thought about heading straight for it instead of using the trail which was maybe 5x the distance, but decided my short stint of breaking was enough for the day. Made it back to the car without meeting anyone, a surprise on a holiday afternoon.
