vegematic
Active member
I like a day when I can sleep in, get in a nice hike, and end the day with the tired muscles that come from a good, hard mountain workout. Not that this is a tough hike...I've just been eating way too many Christmas cookies and getting way too little exercise.
Kevin and I got to the Cherry Mountain west trailhead on 115 at about 10:45 and were hiking by 11:00. Temps felt about in the teens, very little wind and mixed clouds and sun (but more clouds). While we were getting ready another car pulled in with two men from CT who were doing the same trip as us. There was only 3-5 cm of snow so we started out barebooting. Under the snow was a nice layer of glare ice however, so we shortly strapped on our snowshoes. This was my first trip on my new shoes (MSR Ascents). As advertised on the kiosk in the parking lot this trail goes straight up the mountain. There are no switchbacks, it just climbs straight up on a high bank of a brook. The woods down low are very pretty, open, deciduous woods. The going was a little tricky because there was not nearly enough snow to flatten out the trail...all the rocks and roots and uneven ground were there, but we were wearing snowshoes because we wanted the traction. My feet and lower legs did a bit of twisting and turning but those MSRs have super traction. I would have been wiping out all over the place on the ice otherwise. The first mile - mile and a quarter were pretty easy going. There were a few blowdowns across the trail but nothing that wasn't easily stepped over or around. The climb was steady but not too bad and the sun made a couple of appearances. Then the trail made a definite upward tilt and the woods changed from deciduous to evergreen. There wasn't anymore snow than below but the footing was a little better. I deployed the "televators" on my snowshoes and we continued up. A little after 12:15 I thought I saw sky ahead of me and soon we were on the ridge where the Cherry Mtn trail turns right to descend to the Cherry Mtn road. We were now apparently on a snowmachine trail (White Mountain Guide said so and there were signs) but there was not much more snow here than there had been in the parking lot. Therefore, no sleds. We took a left and climbed the last 200 vertical feet to the summit. The summit was flat and mostly cleared although trees around the perimeter prevented a single 360-degree view. There were several good viewpoints, however and we took advantage of them. One particularly striking view was toward the south and took in Crawford Notch, Bretton Woods, and the Twins, among others. The cloud ceiling was low, dark, and abrupt and made for an interesting mood. I'll try to post some photos when I get them downloaded. We indulged in some hot tea that we carried up in a new stainless steel thermos (a gift from the outlaws). We headed down following the same route we had climbed and the descent took a little less than an hour. The uneven footing and snowshoes took their toll, though, and my knee began to act up about halfway down. Yaktrax (or something similar) would have been better equipment for this trail on this day if you had them. We didn't.
I think this would be a great little climb for someone who is new to winter hiking. The route is well sheltered from the weather but you get some steep terrain for practicing with crampons, and a summit that offers views and shelter from wind.
-vegematic
Kevin and I got to the Cherry Mountain west trailhead on 115 at about 10:45 and were hiking by 11:00. Temps felt about in the teens, very little wind and mixed clouds and sun (but more clouds). While we were getting ready another car pulled in with two men from CT who were doing the same trip as us. There was only 3-5 cm of snow so we started out barebooting. Under the snow was a nice layer of glare ice however, so we shortly strapped on our snowshoes. This was my first trip on my new shoes (MSR Ascents). As advertised on the kiosk in the parking lot this trail goes straight up the mountain. There are no switchbacks, it just climbs straight up on a high bank of a brook. The woods down low are very pretty, open, deciduous woods. The going was a little tricky because there was not nearly enough snow to flatten out the trail...all the rocks and roots and uneven ground were there, but we were wearing snowshoes because we wanted the traction. My feet and lower legs did a bit of twisting and turning but those MSRs have super traction. I would have been wiping out all over the place on the ice otherwise. The first mile - mile and a quarter were pretty easy going. There were a few blowdowns across the trail but nothing that wasn't easily stepped over or around. The climb was steady but not too bad and the sun made a couple of appearances. Then the trail made a definite upward tilt and the woods changed from deciduous to evergreen. There wasn't anymore snow than below but the footing was a little better. I deployed the "televators" on my snowshoes and we continued up. A little after 12:15 I thought I saw sky ahead of me and soon we were on the ridge where the Cherry Mtn trail turns right to descend to the Cherry Mtn road. We were now apparently on a snowmachine trail (White Mountain Guide said so and there were signs) but there was not much more snow here than there had been in the parking lot. Therefore, no sleds. We took a left and climbed the last 200 vertical feet to the summit. The summit was flat and mostly cleared although trees around the perimeter prevented a single 360-degree view. There were several good viewpoints, however and we took advantage of them. One particularly striking view was toward the south and took in Crawford Notch, Bretton Woods, and the Twins, among others. The cloud ceiling was low, dark, and abrupt and made for an interesting mood. I'll try to post some photos when I get them downloaded. We indulged in some hot tea that we carried up in a new stainless steel thermos (a gift from the outlaws). We headed down following the same route we had climbed and the descent took a little less than an hour. The uneven footing and snowshoes took their toll, though, and my knee began to act up about halfway down. Yaktrax (or something similar) would have been better equipment for this trail on this day if you had them. We didn't.
I think this would be a great little climb for someone who is new to winter hiking. The route is well sheltered from the weather but you get some steep terrain for practicing with crampons, and a summit that offers views and shelter from wind.
-vegematic
. See you at the Gathering!
