BIGEarl
Well-known member
Double Hit & Run, Old Speck and Baldpate, 9/18/2010
September 18, 2010: Old Speck and Baldpate – East Peak
Trails: Two Hikes…
Old Speck: Old Speck Trail
Baldpate – East Peak: Appalachian Trail
Summits: Old Speck (NE4K), Baldpate – East Peak (NEHH)
Hikers: Solo
I’m not a weatherman so this is only a guess; the truck thermometer showed 36 degrees when I left the trailhead for Old Speck – I’d guess winter isn’t far away. Bring on the snow!
I arrived to the trailhead lot in Grafton Notch State Park a little before daylight. I understand the times just after sunset and before sunrise are the best for seeing satellites because of the earth’s shadow. I decided to wait for daylight before starting out on the trail and focused my attention on the sky. In no time I zeroed in on three satellites, all on a crash course with each other. One was coming in from the north, another from the south, and the final one from the west. All appeared to be headed straight toward each other. I watched as they all came together and then continued on their way. Hmmm…. Must be they were all at different elevations.
Daylight arrived and I set off on the Old Speck trail. My target for this part of the day was only 3.8 miles away. I was generally interested in completing this portion of my day by noon since the afternoon hike was almost identical in terms of distance and elevation. It didn’t take long to find a comfortable pace and I settled in. Even though I had a comfortable pace established and the conditions were great, I was having a tough time enjoying the hike. Something didn’t feel right. I kept thinking once I get back to the trailhead I’ll call it a day and skip the other hike. I really wasn’t interested in going through seven hours of driving for only Old Speck so I stayed with it and kept working to get myself into the hike.
Everything was wet. There were small mud pits, lots of small mud pits, but all were relatively easy to get past. The wet stone surfaces weren’t a problem at all, the traction on them was great. The wet roots were a different story and required extra care. I slipped a couple times on wet roots but managed to stay upright through the hike. By the time I reached the upper junction with Eyebrow Trail I was physically up-to-temperature and running well, but my thoughts continued to be someplace else. I stuck with it and started through a very pleasant section of trail that had many clear slabs, and a few views. Near the upper junction with Eyebrow I came across an Appalachian Trail survey marker embedded in the ledge. In the course of the day I came across four others. I have never seen one of these before and wonder why there seem to be none in New Hampshire.
I started thinking my mental state was partially due to the trail. While Old Speck Trail is a very nice trail, early morning is a gloomy time there. The trail is very sheltered passing through thick growth for most of its distance. The trail is also generally on the shady side of the mountain during early morning. The sun wasn’t getting through anywhere. I knew it was a terrific day but on the trail everything was wet, and dark. I convinced myself this was part of the problem and once the sun was a little higher in the sky things would improve. By the time I reached the Mahoosuc Trail junction I was coming around. From there, it’s a short .3 miles to the summit and I was eager for some sunshine and views.
I reached the summit of Old Speck, got a couple ground-level pictures and headed for the tower platform. Sometimes solitude is nice; the tower platform would have been a tight place with more people since roughly a third of it is lost to the access hole in the deck. I was finally enjoying the day. The views were terrific complete with the valley fog in all directions. After a short time the camera stopped taking pictures. The batteries were fine, and everything else seemed to be working properly. I turned the display on and tried for another picture. The camera reported a full memory card. Evidently, videos take up a lot of space. Now, I’m grumpy – again. I was forced to either stop taking pictures or delete some from the camera. I had not yet fully transferred backups from the camera to my computer and was concerned. After thinking about it for a while I decided to make some space and get rid of some pictures and videos. It’s probably a good idea to have a spare card on-hand, just in case.
A few more pictures and I was done. The reverse hike to the trailhead was a little different than the one coming in. I was actually enjoying the hike and I met some others on the trail. A short distance past the Eyebrow Trail upper junction I started to see others on the trail. In the short final section leading to the trailhead I met roughly forty others including a scout troop of ~10. Things were starting to get busy. I made it to the trailhead and stopped for a quick break before heading across the street to Baldpate.
All fueled and ready to go I headed across the road for my afternoon hike to Baldpate – technically it was still morning. Right from the start this one felt better. Maybe it was the sun, maybe it was something else; it doesn’t really matter. I made it through the series of small bridges at the start and the climb started.
The early part of the trail was a mild climb initially and then a long section of relatively level traverse with a few small ups and downs. This covered roughly 2 miles and led to a large mud pit and spur to the Baldpate Shelter. From here to the summit of West Peak the trail becomes very steep, and rough, and wet. Much of this distance has running water on the trail. Fortunately, the footing is good for the full distance and again the only real concerns were wet roots. From previous reports that I read or heard, this section of trail was generally disliked by everybody. I went into it expecting something similar to the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail below the LOC Hut. It was in fact similar. My approach was also similar – find a comfortable pace and just climb. Eventually, I hit the summit of West Peak feeling great – physically and mentally. I didn’t feel the climb was a particular problem, but I did get a pretty good workout.
From the west to east summits there is a pretty good elevation loss and re-climb. Looking across to Baldpate East Peak it was clear the best part of the hike was just ahead. The final two to three hundred feet in elevation were open ledge. I charged into this section of hike. The trail leaving the west summit drops fast and then wanders through sections of ledge until it finally reaches the open climb. Baldpate East Peak could have been the prototype used for Eisenhower – it’s a big bald ball sticking up. The marked trail is easy to follow with many cairns showing the way. There are also blazes painted on the ledge but they’re not needed – following the cairns is easier. With all of the extra stops to enjoy the views, the final climb was a little longer than it needed to be but very enjoyable. The trail led to the top of the granite ball and off in the distance I could see a signpost marking the actual summit. I completed the short walk, got a few summit pictures, and made my u-turn for the exit hike.
The reverse hike went as expected. Once I cleared the east summit for a second time the climbing for the day was done and all that was left to do was hike back to the trailhead. On the hike in I met only six others on the trail, on my exit hike there were over twenty. Everybody I met had overnight gear with them.
I made it back to the trailhead at Grafton Notch ahead of plan, just like in the morning. After making a quart of Gatorade, and changing, and packing, I was on the highway south.
The day had a terrible start but came around after a while and ended well. I was even pleasantly surprised at the level of traffic on I-93 considering the Highland Games and race weekend at NHMS. Hopefully, next time out will be better right from the start.
Pictures will follow.
September 18, 2010: Old Speck and Baldpate – East Peak
Trails: Two Hikes…
Old Speck: Old Speck Trail
Baldpate – East Peak: Appalachian Trail
Summits: Old Speck (NE4K), Baldpate – East Peak (NEHH)
Hikers: Solo
I’m not a weatherman so this is only a guess; the truck thermometer showed 36 degrees when I left the trailhead for Old Speck – I’d guess winter isn’t far away. Bring on the snow!
I arrived to the trailhead lot in Grafton Notch State Park a little before daylight. I understand the times just after sunset and before sunrise are the best for seeing satellites because of the earth’s shadow. I decided to wait for daylight before starting out on the trail and focused my attention on the sky. In no time I zeroed in on three satellites, all on a crash course with each other. One was coming in from the north, another from the south, and the final one from the west. All appeared to be headed straight toward each other. I watched as they all came together and then continued on their way. Hmmm…. Must be they were all at different elevations.
Daylight arrived and I set off on the Old Speck trail. My target for this part of the day was only 3.8 miles away. I was generally interested in completing this portion of my day by noon since the afternoon hike was almost identical in terms of distance and elevation. It didn’t take long to find a comfortable pace and I settled in. Even though I had a comfortable pace established and the conditions were great, I was having a tough time enjoying the hike. Something didn’t feel right. I kept thinking once I get back to the trailhead I’ll call it a day and skip the other hike. I really wasn’t interested in going through seven hours of driving for only Old Speck so I stayed with it and kept working to get myself into the hike.
Everything was wet. There were small mud pits, lots of small mud pits, but all were relatively easy to get past. The wet stone surfaces weren’t a problem at all, the traction on them was great. The wet roots were a different story and required extra care. I slipped a couple times on wet roots but managed to stay upright through the hike. By the time I reached the upper junction with Eyebrow Trail I was physically up-to-temperature and running well, but my thoughts continued to be someplace else. I stuck with it and started through a very pleasant section of trail that had many clear slabs, and a few views. Near the upper junction with Eyebrow I came across an Appalachian Trail survey marker embedded in the ledge. In the course of the day I came across four others. I have never seen one of these before and wonder why there seem to be none in New Hampshire.
I started thinking my mental state was partially due to the trail. While Old Speck Trail is a very nice trail, early morning is a gloomy time there. The trail is very sheltered passing through thick growth for most of its distance. The trail is also generally on the shady side of the mountain during early morning. The sun wasn’t getting through anywhere. I knew it was a terrific day but on the trail everything was wet, and dark. I convinced myself this was part of the problem and once the sun was a little higher in the sky things would improve. By the time I reached the Mahoosuc Trail junction I was coming around. From there, it’s a short .3 miles to the summit and I was eager for some sunshine and views.
I reached the summit of Old Speck, got a couple ground-level pictures and headed for the tower platform. Sometimes solitude is nice; the tower platform would have been a tight place with more people since roughly a third of it is lost to the access hole in the deck. I was finally enjoying the day. The views were terrific complete with the valley fog in all directions. After a short time the camera stopped taking pictures. The batteries were fine, and everything else seemed to be working properly. I turned the display on and tried for another picture. The camera reported a full memory card. Evidently, videos take up a lot of space. Now, I’m grumpy – again. I was forced to either stop taking pictures or delete some from the camera. I had not yet fully transferred backups from the camera to my computer and was concerned. After thinking about it for a while I decided to make some space and get rid of some pictures and videos. It’s probably a good idea to have a spare card on-hand, just in case.
A few more pictures and I was done. The reverse hike to the trailhead was a little different than the one coming in. I was actually enjoying the hike and I met some others on the trail. A short distance past the Eyebrow Trail upper junction I started to see others on the trail. In the short final section leading to the trailhead I met roughly forty others including a scout troop of ~10. Things were starting to get busy. I made it to the trailhead and stopped for a quick break before heading across the street to Baldpate.
All fueled and ready to go I headed across the road for my afternoon hike to Baldpate – technically it was still morning. Right from the start this one felt better. Maybe it was the sun, maybe it was something else; it doesn’t really matter. I made it through the series of small bridges at the start and the climb started.
The early part of the trail was a mild climb initially and then a long section of relatively level traverse with a few small ups and downs. This covered roughly 2 miles and led to a large mud pit and spur to the Baldpate Shelter. From here to the summit of West Peak the trail becomes very steep, and rough, and wet. Much of this distance has running water on the trail. Fortunately, the footing is good for the full distance and again the only real concerns were wet roots. From previous reports that I read or heard, this section of trail was generally disliked by everybody. I went into it expecting something similar to the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail below the LOC Hut. It was in fact similar. My approach was also similar – find a comfortable pace and just climb. Eventually, I hit the summit of West Peak feeling great – physically and mentally. I didn’t feel the climb was a particular problem, but I did get a pretty good workout.
From the west to east summits there is a pretty good elevation loss and re-climb. Looking across to Baldpate East Peak it was clear the best part of the hike was just ahead. The final two to three hundred feet in elevation were open ledge. I charged into this section of hike. The trail leaving the west summit drops fast and then wanders through sections of ledge until it finally reaches the open climb. Baldpate East Peak could have been the prototype used for Eisenhower – it’s a big bald ball sticking up. The marked trail is easy to follow with many cairns showing the way. There are also blazes painted on the ledge but they’re not needed – following the cairns is easier. With all of the extra stops to enjoy the views, the final climb was a little longer than it needed to be but very enjoyable. The trail led to the top of the granite ball and off in the distance I could see a signpost marking the actual summit. I completed the short walk, got a few summit pictures, and made my u-turn for the exit hike.
The reverse hike went as expected. Once I cleared the east summit for a second time the climbing for the day was done and all that was left to do was hike back to the trailhead. On the hike in I met only six others on the trail, on my exit hike there were over twenty. Everybody I met had overnight gear with them.
I made it back to the trailhead at Grafton Notch ahead of plan, just like in the morning. After making a quart of Gatorade, and changing, and packing, I was on the highway south.
The day had a terrible start but came around after a while and ended well. I was even pleasantly surprised at the level of traffic on I-93 considering the Highland Games and race weekend at NHMS. Hopefully, next time out will be better right from the start.
Pictures will follow.
Last edited:
