Wildcat Ridge Trail

[KRobi]

Thanks to all that responded to my Owl's Head ?
New question.
My wife and I would like to do the Wildcat's Friday. Due to having just the one car, I would leave a bike at the end of the hike and ride back to get the car. As it is downhill from Pinkham to 19MB, I would leave the bike at Pinkham and do the hike up 19MB to Wildcat Ridge Trail and across then down to Pinkham.
Is this a reasonable plan? Most importantly is Wildcat Ridge Trail DOWN to Pinkham a reasonable descent? Thanks for any info you have.
Doubling back and coming down Polecat would only be a last resort as my wife is trying to do the NH AT (in pieces) so she needs that section of WRT from Wildcat D down to Pinkham.
Ken

 

[mirabela]

It sounds like a reasonable plan to me. Just hide the bike well, or lock it up at Pinkham.

The WRT down to Pinkham is certainly steep, but if you're comfortable on steep, rocky trails it shouldn't be too terrible. It's been a while for me, but I don't remember it being particularly worse than, say, the trip down into Carter Notch off of Carter Dome. Steep & rocky, but not gratuitously unsafe.

 

[kaseri]

You can always hike down the Polecat ski trail. The descent is easy going but you'll have a bit of a road walk to get to Pinkham. It wouldn't be horrible though.

 

[bryan]

sounds like a nice trip idea to me. the bike ride from pinkham notch to 19 mile brook trailhead is real fast and easy. the descent from wildcat e to the notch will be steep and rough, but nothing you should worry about. there are some good trees in the pinkham lot to chain a bike to. i assume they have a rack there somewhere as well.
have fun.

bryan

 

[Willoughby]

Alternate loop

You could turn the loop around: Go up Wildcat Ridge Trail from Pinkham - covering the AT section - and along the ridge as far as Wildcat A, then double back to the top of the ski trails, and walk down Polecat. I did a roadwalk from the ski area back to Pinkham, and if I could walk it then you could bike it instead. The views from Polecat across the notch are very nice.

Speaking for myself, I was much happier going up that section of the WRT than down it.

 

[Raymond]

Isn’t Nineteen-Mile Brook one of the worst parking lots for break-ins? Might be safer to leave your car at Pinkham Notch. On the other hand, if your bicycle were left at Nineteen-Mile Brook, someone would probably slash its tires.

It is a long trudge back up to Pinkham, though. Be friendly to folks you meet on the ridge, and maybe someone will recognize you on the road and give you a lift.

My first time on the Wildcats, I went down the ski trails. It wasn’t very much fun wading through chest-high grass and weeds, baking in the sun. There probably aren’t any ticks, anyway.

 

[Hiking with Kat]

Two weeks ago left my care at 19 mile brook parking lot over night with no incident. Not sure how safe it is, but it is easily to see the cars from the road which probably adds a small amount of safety.

 

[Drumhaggart]

If you're not opposed to the cost, you could park at Pinkham and take the shuttle to the 19-Mile Brook trailhead. I did it this way when I did a Carter-Wildcat traverse last summer (I took the shuttle to Gorham however).

BTW, on the descent into Pinkham Notch via the Wilcat Ridge Trail there is a spot where the trail reaches a rocky knob and appears to drop steeply (about 12-15 feet almost vertically) along the right hand side of the knob. The trail ACTUALLY turns left at the rock knob and descends the other side at a more moderate incline.

This was pointed out to me from below by another hiker - as I clung to the sheer face, about 1/3 of the way down, trying desperately to shrug off my pack so that I could drop/fall the last 8 or 9 feet unencumbered.

Have a good hike!

-Steve

 

[--M.]

Personally, I enjoy the ascent from Pinkham to E and recommend it for fun. Conversely, I would have little difficulty, but would miss the fun of ascending, if going from A to E.

I would warn against overstating the break-in problem, even at 19MB: I don't know the odds, but it's hardly guaranteed that you'll be victimized.

I did this from E to A and down 19MB and immediately got a ride from a brandy-new Lexus with a family (including small children). I was shocked that they picked up my grimy 200-lb. body in their new car full of kids, and even more shocked when they saw my awkwardness and said "Jump in, we just finished King Ravine!" I'd say that stretch of road is excellent for hitchhiking, a very specific cultural norm.

And maybe a bike-ride from 19MB back to Pinkham with no pack would be just the thing to finish off a good hike!

Have fun!

 

[DiamondRidge]

I second the statement that its an excellent hitchhiking road - sometimes you can get a ride before you even leave the lot!

 

[Mike P.]

They've nabbed one group of kids responsible for seeral trailhead break-ins. (no one can say if they were responsible for 100% of them) It's also more of an overnight problem at 19 mile.

I've descended both Polecat & WRT & both are okay. They do have a bike rack at PNVC. Since your wife is AT section hiking, she'll have to come down WRT. A couple of the spots on 16 generate decent speed but nothing too bad. did it my last time over the Wildcats.

(I've been thinking of a bike ride from C-Notch down towards Webster Cliff but that seems a bit steep for an occasional rider)

 

[KRobi]

(I've been thinking of a bike ride from C-Notch down towards Webster Cliff but that seems a bit steep for an occasional rider)[/QUOTE]
Mike P.
Did this bike spot you describe on Monday after doing Webster Cliff and then coming down Webster-Jackson (AT section).
This was a great ride even if I was using my son's college (leave out in the weather) bike. Oh yeah I forgot to check the air pressure and the rear tire was real low. That being said I did the approximately 4 miles in 12 minutes and would not have needed to pedal except for the above mentioned bike issues.
The only real steep section was the beginning by the cascades. After that it's just fun.

 

[Daniel Eagan]

When my wife and I did the Wildcats, I left our car at 19MB trailhead and hitched back to Pinkham Notch. I got a ride in about ninety seconds. We really enjoyed ascending and descending the Wildcats that way. (We went on to Hight but you don't have to.)

 

[Mike P.]

When my wife and I did the Wildcats, I left our car at 19MB trailhead and hitched back to Pinkham Notch. I got a ride in about ninety seconds. We really enjoyed ascending and descending the Wildcats that way. (We went on to Hight but you don't have to.)

I've done the hitch hike thing also for this trip & on a Saturday or Sunday Rt. 16 is teaming with other hikers heading to PNVC so you shouldn't have to wait long.

I'ddon't have a real preference for direction, I guess I like descending into Carter Notch over descending to PNVC but I like going across the ridge from A-E better than E-A. Out of my four trips, I've gone A-E three times, twice down Pole-Cat (Winter & Spring) & down to PNVC (summer- 98) and the other up from PNVC hitching from 19Milel.

 

[peakbagger]

The option of going up the AT from Pinkham than doing the ridge and doubling back to the Polecat is not a bad day. There still may be some wild strawberries along the upper Polecat and possibly blueberries whihc makes it worth the trip. From the wildcat parking lot its about 6 tenths of mile to Pinkham.

 

[KRobi]

Thanks to all of you that responded. We ended up going up the Wildcat Ridge Trail and out 19MB. This was probably a good choice for us on this steep a trail although I can see it being enjoyable both ways for many on this forum. We didn't even need to hitch a ride as a nice couple from Maine said they would give us a ride as they were going to Pinkham. They also sold us on going to Maine and doing Katahdin.
Thanks for all your input.
Ken