Mt. Cabot via Mt. Cabot Trail 11/19/11

[RollingRock]

The weather was due to be gorgeous, so I decided to hike up Mt. Cabot, from the west side. I haven't hiked up from this side in a long time and I was curious to see how much the former Mt. Cabot trail has changed.

Because there is no longer an official trail, there is no sign that indicates the start at Heath's Gate, but from past experience I knew this was the start.

It was about 9:00 AM when I started. I passed through Heath's Gate and ventured on up the old tractor road (or logging/recreational vehicle road) through old pastures. The grade is very smooth and easy for the first ½ mile or so. Consistent use by four wheeled vehicles made for a nice walk. At about ½ mile, there is a junction at which one may proceed straight, turn left, or turn right. All options include a gate, but it is fairly obvious that the way forward continues straight, considering there is no signage to indicate where to go. This junction is where the former York Pond Trail began

. In fact there was no signage AT ALL until I crossed Bunnell Brook. Because there are no signs it feels like a bushwhack for a while.

After the initial ½ mile, the road becomes a little more steep, although steady. The "road" ends at about 1 mile, where the logging seems to have stopped. The way forward is to continue straight ahead on a more primitive logging road that is severely eroded and very muddy.

I never did see any indication at when I entered the White Mountain National Forest boundary. After about 50 minutes of hiking I started to see the old yellow blazes of the Mt. Cabot Trail so it appears this is when I entered the boundary. After about an hour I started to see traces of snow on the ground.

At about 2.2 miles, I reached Bunnell Brook, and a sign that said 'last water.'

After the crossing I looked for the Bunnell Notch Trail junction and it's gone. It might have been more obvious if there was not any snow on the ground. It's taken me 70 minutes to get to this point. The grade gets steeper. I thought this section of the Mt. Cabot Trail to the Kilkenny Ridge Trail was easy to follow.

Once I reached the Kilkenny Ridge Trail there was about an inch of snow on the trail and I saw footprints. The crux of a climbing a typical 4,000 footer then began: rocky, fairly steep, and unforgiving. There was some icy spots but it was not an issue.

After 90 minutes I took the side trail to Bunnell Rock, a ledge at the cliff-top with spectacular views to the south ~ probably the best view on the trail. I could see the Franconia Ridge.

After the great views, I charged up to get to the summit, but not before I got to the Cabot Cabin. I got here 2 hours and 15 minutes into the hike, where the Forest Service (NOT the AMC) has a small hut with a small kitchen area and bunkroom with four bunks. The western views from the cabin's porch are awesome, and my plan was to spend more time here on my return from the summit. It was a beautiful sunny day but very breezy up top; thankfully I was not above treeline.

As the trail continues on, an eastern view on the trip presents itself about 100 feet away from the cabin at an open rocky area where the fire tower was formerly located. The trail to the summit is easy to follow and there are quite a few 'cleared' blowdowns to navigate around. It took me about 15 minutes to reach the summit of Mt. Cabot from the cabin. The trip took me about 2 1/2 hours from Heath's Gate. I didn't take many breaks and basically kept moving.

The summit provides no views, as it is completely secluded. There is a small sign to indicate the peak. I had lunch inside the cabin with some hot apple cider. It's good to know that the wind was not getting inside the cabin. It's well made. It did not take me long to start getting cold including my hands and feet so it was a quick lunch.

I left the cabin at about noon and returned the way I came. The trip back down was naturally much faster than the way up, so I made it down in about 100 minutes. I did not see anyone all day.​

 

[RoySwkr]

The summit provides no views, as it is completely secluded.

There are no views from the sign. If you follow a herd path N, you reach a spot higher than the sign with N views (the N bump on 7.5' quad). A herd path W gives W views inferior to those from fire tower site.

 

[una_dogger]

Oh -- there is a sign on the true summit as well - still there this past Saturday and quite weathered

 

[RollingRock]

There are no views from the sign. If you follow a herd path N, you reach a spot higher than the sign with N views (the N bump on 7.5' quad). A herd path W gives W views inferior to those from fire tower site.

Wow, I never that. Thanks for the tip!

Oh -- there is a sign on the true summit as well - still there this past Saturday and quite weathered

I actually was there the same day as you. I made a mistake on the date of the title. It should have said 11/19. It would have been cool to have run into you.

 

[David Metsky]

I actually was there the same day as you. I made a mistake on the date of the title. It should have said 11/19. It would have been cool to have run into you.

Fixed that for you.

 

[Kevin Rooney]

where the Forest Service (NOT the AMC) has a small hut with a small kitchen area and bunkroom with four bunks.

Always thought that was maintained by the local Boy Scouts, not the USFS.

 

[RollingRock]

where the Forest Service (NOT the AMC) has a small hut with a small kitchen area and bunkroom with four bunks.

Always thought that was maintained by the local Boy Scouts, not the USFS.

You are correct. There was a sign that said it was being maintained by a scout troop from Lancaster. That said, the cabin is still owned by the Forest Service and NOT the AMC.

 

[una_dogger]

Any other cars parked at the small lot near Heath's Gate?

Sorry we missed you - we had an alpine start of 10 am

 

[MichaelJ]

Yup, we came the long way from the north past the pond, over the Horn and Bulge, and summited around 1:40. Amazing, we heard from so many friends that their hikes were windless that day, yet the Obs reported 60+ and it was blowing pretty strong around Cabot.

 

[peakbagger]

The cabin was slated to be converted into a USFS cabin that required reservations with a lock on the door. This was supposed to go into effect in 2011. I do not believe there is any group that is actively maintaining the cabin these days.

I did some clearing on a couple of the blowdowns during the Flags on the 48 day, but many require chainsaws or 2 man saws. I was very impressed on the ring counts on some of the blowdowns, they are very old trees.

 

[RollingRock]

Any other cars parked at the small lot near Heath's Gate?

Sorry we missed you - we had an alpine start of 10 am

I was the only vehicle parked there. This has always been my favorite approach both for the ride up, grade and quickness. I never saw any 'no tresspassing signs' the whole way.

Yup, we came the long way from the north past the pond, over the Horn and Bulge, and summited around 1:40. Amazing, we heard from so many friends that their hikes were windless that day, yet the Obs reported 60+ and it was blowing pretty strong around Cabot.

I was also surprised how windy it was. Thankfully we were under the trees.

The cabin was slated to be converted into a USFS cabin that required reservations with a lock on the door. This was supposed to go into effect in 2011. I do not believe there is any group that is actively maintaining the cabin these days.

That may be true there is no longer anyone maintaining the cabin but it's very clean and well kept by everyone who is using it. There still is a sign inside the cabin that says it's being maintained by the Lancaster scout troop but it could just be an old sign.