When I saw the posting in the Trail Conditions regarding trails in the Ossipees and the remark that Mt. Roberts trail was untracked you might as well have offered me a bowl of chocolates!! I was itching to use my 36” wooden snowshoes as they hadn’t touched snow for almost 2 years. This would be the perfect trail – fresh deep untracked snow on a trail that never gets steep and offers stunning views for much of its route. Although the forecast was for cold and windy they also said sunshine. 
My husband said he would join me so I got lunch and gear ready and we were on our way. Like a child with a new toy I couldn’t wait to set foot in the snow with my big ‘shoes. And just as reported the snow at the trailhead had been untouched. As we started along the beginning which is a wide carriage road we barely broke the surface and were marveling at the hushed ‘woomph’ sound around us as huge sections of the snow pack separated and settled. We ducked under the only downed tree for the day, too big for us to do anything with.
The trail makes a big turn and the first open view appears across the open fields of the Castle in the Clouds property. My heart sank…tracks emerged across the field and up the trail…someone cheated. It looked like during the week two others had taken a short cut and had now broken the trail in snowshoes but smaller ‘shoes so they sank more then we were and had made a nice channel, one that was wide enough that it was no problem with the bigger ‘shoes. Or so I thought at first.
You see my big ‘shoes only have cleats at the toe pivot, no heel or side cleats like the newer ‘shoes. The track had hardened in the cold overnight so I was now finding myself often pivoting over air from the indent of the previous ‘shoe pivots. Not so much a problem when it’s level but on inclines I might as well have had sleds on my feet. I sighed and adapted by just getting out of the track often and making my own tracks. The wind was cold but the sky was a stunning deep blue and the sunshine was splendid. We moved along cleaning up the downed limbs along the way. The trail was now approaching the open ledges which are a highlight of the route. Wide open views with more islands in the lake than I can count and more mountains on the horizon than I can name. I was finally getting the rhythm of track when it appeared that they lost the trail. No…they had gone off the trail to enjoy a spot for a break and this is where they turned back. We were less then half way there and now we had sunshine, views and fresh untracked snow again – well except for all the critter prints (I couldn’t even see the bottom of the moose prints!). There is enough snow over the open rocky ledges that we didn’t need take the ‘shoes off at all.
Knowing the summit would be too windy and cold to stay long we had our lunch in a sheltered spot with the sun on our backs then made a quick walk to the summit, fixed the sign, snapped a few more pictures of the expansive northern view and turned back down the trail. We could have made a loop on the carriage roads but the views as you descend are breathtaking so there was no question as to our return route. I, not so gracefully, skied a bit on my ‘shoes being sure to do one good face plant before we were done. The trail never disappoints me; maybe that’s why I gladly adopted it when the opportunity arose.
My husband said he would join me so I got lunch and gear ready and we were on our way. Like a child with a new toy I couldn’t wait to set foot in the snow with my big ‘shoes. And just as reported the snow at the trailhead had been untouched. As we started along the beginning which is a wide carriage road we barely broke the surface and were marveling at the hushed ‘woomph’ sound around us as huge sections of the snow pack separated and settled. We ducked under the only downed tree for the day, too big for us to do anything with.The trail makes a big turn and the first open view appears across the open fields of the Castle in the Clouds property. My heart sank…tracks emerged across the field and up the trail…someone cheated.
It looked like during the week two others had taken a short cut and had now broken the trail in snowshoes but smaller ‘shoes so they sank more then we were and had made a nice channel, one that was wide enough that it was no problem with the bigger ‘shoes. Or so I thought at first.You see my big ‘shoes only have cleats at the toe pivot, no heel or side cleats like the newer ‘shoes. The track had hardened in the cold overnight so I was now finding myself often pivoting over air from the indent of the previous ‘shoe pivots. Not so much a problem when it’s level but on inclines I might as well have had sleds on my feet.
I sighed and adapted by just getting out of the track often and making my own tracks. The wind was cold but the sky was a stunning deep blue and the sunshine was splendid. We moved along cleaning up the downed limbs along the way. The trail was now approaching the open ledges which are a highlight of the route. Wide open views with more islands in the lake than I can count and more mountains on the horizon than I can name. I was finally getting the rhythm of track when it appeared that they lost the trail. No…they had gone off the trail to enjoy a spot for a break and this is where they turned back. We were less then half way there and now we had sunshine, views and fresh untracked snow again – well except for all the critter prints (I couldn’t even see the bottom of the moose prints!). There is enough snow over the open rocky ledges that we didn’t need take the ‘shoes off at all.Knowing the summit would be too windy and cold to stay long we had our lunch in a sheltered spot with the sun on our backs then made a quick walk to the summit, fixed the sign, snapped a few more pictures of the expansive northern view and turned back down the trail. We could have made a loop on the carriage roads but the views as you descend are breathtaking so there was no question as to our return route. I, not so gracefully, skied a bit on my ‘shoes being sure to do one good face plant before we were done.
The trail never disappoints me; maybe that’s why I gladly adopted it when the opportunity arose.
