Little Wildcat Mountain
Location: Beans Purchase, New Hampshire
Mileage: 3.15 Miles
Elevation Gain: 1765 Feet
Trails Used: XC Ski Trail, Bushwhack
Views: None, Wooded Summit
Difficulty: Moderate
Hiking Lists: NH 200 Highest/NH 3000 Footers
Brian and I had planned a decent hike today on a few peaks near Berlin, New Hampshire. While bushwhacking conditions have been pretty good lately, much of our route was on snowmobile and ATV trails, which didn’t work out so well. A fresh layer of snow over an icy base made walking tricky, and our Microspikes were nearly useless. After a few falls between us, we decided to turn back and try a short bushwhack near Jackson, New Hampshire, on a peak I hadn’t visited since my New Hampshire 3K finish. We arrived at the Great Glen XC ski area parking lot, geared up, and set out.
We parked at the Great Glen Base Lodge, where the view of Mount Washington was hidden behind a blanket of clouds.
We started on the Sages Path XC Ski Trail but soon left it to bushwhack our way to the summit of Little Wildcat Mountain.
We bare-booted southwest through open woods, where a fresh layer of snow covered the ground. The snow wasn’t too deep at this stage of the hike.
Brian paused for a break in an open section of woods before we tackled the scrappy trees and steep, icy cliff bands just below the summit of Little Wildcat Mountain.
Brian looks thrilled as we get ready to start the steep climb to the summit of Little Wildcat Mountain.
A canister and kitten sign mark the wooded summit of Little Wildcat Mountain, standing at an elevation of 3,325 feet.
Instead of retracing our steps, we decided to head east for a bit, and although it was steep at first, it turned out to be a better route. On the way down to where we parked, we were treated to a beautiful view of South Carter Mountain.
Brian and I headed down from the summit of Little Wildcat Mountain. We quickly retraced our recent tracks and hiked out to the car.
It was a hike reminiscent of my New Hampshire 3K finish from several years back, made a bit more challenging by the ice and snow near the summit of Little Wildcat Mountain, yet still enjoyable. Although we didn’t complete our planned route, this turned out to be a nice alternative for a winter day that wasn’t all that bad.
No comments:
Post a Comment