amstony
New member
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2004
- Messages
- 732
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- 142
Monday was a rare weeky day off for me, so at 2:00 PM, when I'd completed my list of "Honey-do's"...... it ocurred to me that I could go hike, since their was plenty of daylight left. I quickly considered Tecumseh, Kearsage, Watatic, and a few others and decided on Pack Monadnock in NH, since it was a relatively short 1/2 hour ride (25 miles one way) and I'd still have plenty of daylight left for the ride home. Plus I had not been up Pack in close to 18 months.
After the 45 minute ride.........ah yes school busses........how quickly you forget most others were at school or work today, I arrived at Miller State Park in NH on Rt 101, which encompasses Pack Monadnock. What I first noticed was there was a whopping 4 cars in the parking lot, a far cry from a weekend. Pack is a "developed" peak with an elevation of 2,290 feet. and has a fire tower on the summit. 2 trails and the summit road can take you to the top. I chose the Wapack Trail for the ascent, which is a 1.4 miles long with an elevation gain of 790 feet in this section.
As I started out on the trail I met a couple coming down the Davis trail from the summit and quickly thereafter another hiker walking down the summit road. Other than that I saw no one else the rest of the day. The Wapack was very rocky and unbelievably wet. Water was pouring down in sections like a stream, making for slippery conditions and slow going
. After about 20 minutes I came out to an opening and had a nice, but a little hazy, view of Monadnock off to the East. Off in the distance you could also see Mt. Wachussets and Watatic, so the view was not too bad.
I continued on up and the trail became wetter and muddier, and I started to think about the possible damage I was doing the trail, and how isn't "mud" season over???? At this point I was over 1/2 way to the summit so it was a moot point. After a 52 minute trek, (book time is 75 minutes) I arrived at the summit. North Pack Monadnock was visible and I briefly considered going over there but it would add several hours to the hike, a possible decent in the dark and dinner was waiting! No one was on the summit and I decided to keep on going and headed down the Davis Trail. The Davis trail has no views and was a little drier, but still VERY slippery, but at least not as steep or rocky. The decent took 38 minutes. I was the only car left in the lot and as I left a NH parks employee was checking the lot and heading out. Then it was a short 35 minute drive home.
All in all a nice way to end the day ! Total distance was 2.8 miles, with a 790 foot elevation gain.
After the 45 minute ride.........ah yes school busses........how quickly you forget most others were at school or work today, I arrived at Miller State Park in NH on Rt 101, which encompasses Pack Monadnock. What I first noticed was there was a whopping 4 cars in the parking lot, a far cry from a weekend. Pack is a "developed" peak with an elevation of 2,290 feet. and has a fire tower on the summit. 2 trails and the summit road can take you to the top. I chose the Wapack Trail for the ascent, which is a 1.4 miles long with an elevation gain of 790 feet in this section.
As I started out on the trail I met a couple coming down the Davis trail from the summit and quickly thereafter another hiker walking down the summit road. Other than that I saw no one else the rest of the day. The Wapack was very rocky and unbelievably wet. Water was pouring down in sections like a stream, making for slippery conditions and slow going
. After about 20 minutes I came out to an opening and had a nice, but a little hazy, view of Monadnock off to the East. Off in the distance you could also see Mt. Wachussets and Watatic, so the view was not too bad.I continued on up and the trail became wetter and muddier, and I started to think about the possible damage I was doing the trail, and how isn't "mud" season over???? At this point I was over 1/2 way to the summit so it was a moot point. After a 52 minute trek, (book time is 75 minutes) I arrived at the summit. North Pack Monadnock was visible and I briefly considered going over there but it would add several hours to the hike, a possible decent in the dark and dinner was waiting! No one was on the summit and I decided to keep on going and headed down the Davis Trail. The Davis trail has no views and was a little drier, but still VERY slippery, but at least not as steep or rocky. The decent took 38 minutes. I was the only car left in the lot and as I left a NH parks employee was checking the lot and heading out. Then it was a short 35 minute drive home.
All in all a nice way to end the day
! Total distance was 2.8 miles, with a 790 foot elevation gain. 
