Adventurous
New member
I woke up to another very cold morning at Barnes. I packed up my tent and was very surprised that the fly wasn’t wet…that was until I noticed that the moisture had turned to frost. I headed over to Pinkham for breakfast before heading over to the trailhead. I wanted to be on the trail by 8am since I needed to leave around 3pm. 8am didn’t quite work out – I hit the trail at 8:35 so I had a bit of time to make up.
I headed up the Signal Ridge Trail and was pleasantly surprised to find that it was a very easy hike for the first 2 miles. The hike along Whiteface brook is very pleasant with many pools and cascades. The water was low so the crossings were easy. The trail is very dry with the exception of a small section of corduroy. The trail up to the ridge is a very steady climb. It just keeps going and going and going. The trail teases you limited views through the trees until the point that it switchbacks up to the ridge. It’s only a preview of the views to come. The footing along this section isn’t very good – it’s full of jagged rocks.
I soon reached Signal Ridge and was in awe of the views. You can see the tower on top of Carrigain from the ridge. I spent some time soaking in the views and taking pictures. The temperature had risen to the upper 50’s/low 60’s so it was very comfortable. I left the ridge and headed over to the summit. There was only one person on the tower and he was leaving so I had it all to myself. I did a time check to see if I was on schedule – shockingly - it was only 11:10am. I had plenty of time to lounge around and enjoy the views in solitude. I stayed until hordes people started to arrive shortly before noon. I hit the trail at 11:55 and was back at the car at 2:15. I am not a fast hiker so I was very surprised that I was able to complete this hike so quickly. Carrigain was NH48 - #34/48 and NE111 - #89/115.
I headed up the Signal Ridge Trail and was pleasantly surprised to find that it was a very easy hike for the first 2 miles. The hike along Whiteface brook is very pleasant with many pools and cascades. The water was low so the crossings were easy. The trail is very dry with the exception of a small section of corduroy. The trail up to the ridge is a very steady climb. It just keeps going and going and going. The trail teases you limited views through the trees until the point that it switchbacks up to the ridge. It’s only a preview of the views to come. The footing along this section isn’t very good – it’s full of jagged rocks.
I soon reached Signal Ridge and was in awe of the views. You can see the tower on top of Carrigain from the ridge. I spent some time soaking in the views and taking pictures. The temperature had risen to the upper 50’s/low 60’s so it was very comfortable. I left the ridge and headed over to the summit. There was only one person on the tower and he was leaving so I had it all to myself. I did a time check to see if I was on schedule – shockingly - it was only 11:10am. I had plenty of time to lounge around and enjoy the views in solitude. I stayed until hordes people started to arrive shortly before noon. I hit the trail at 11:55 and was back at the car at 2:15. I am not a fast hiker so I was very surprised that I was able to complete this hike so quickly. Carrigain was NH48 - #34/48 and NE111 - #89/115.
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