Springtime on Monadnock

This past Saturday called for clear skies and warm weather. Combined with a free Saturday for the two of us, my father and I decided to shoot up to Mt. Monadnock for a casual hike up the hill. We took a different route than I have explored previously, starting up the southerly Parker trail, then heading along the Cliff walk toward the summit. This is a far cry from the busy frontside trails, that were no doubt littered with people that day. On whole, I think we encountered maybe a half dozen folks on the trail. One even commented that he frequently sees no one hiking up Parker, despite it commenting "it's hard to be alone in New Hampshire."  Mostly, it was just us and the reptiles. 

The trail starts out as a nice wind through the woods, with some more open pine groves as the elevation gains. Cliff walk slowly opens up toward the tree line, and the views are as expected, especially on a perfect day like we had. We stopped at Bald Rock for a snack and to enjoy the sunshine before making the final ascent toward Monadnock. As expected given it's proximity to civilization, and the relatively easy ascent, the summit was crowded with folks. Everyone from boy scouts and AMC groups, to college students, to several people I have no doubt were experiencing their first summits were out at the top. We found a lee area to hide from the cool prevailing wind and take a quick break and once again enjoy the great views on this almost cloudless day.

Monadnock from Bald Rock

Did I mention the views were good?

We opted for a quick-er descent down the White Cross trail, which, unlike our time on Parker, was most certainly not isolated. The front side trails are quite rocky, much to the chagrin of my dad, but nevertheless enjoyable. If you're looking for a quick ascent/descent, these are probably your bet. Be sure to stop and look at the quartz veins that somehow formed through the granite. I'm always amazed at the geological phenomena that developed over time in this rock. It's as if someone injected crystal into the granite all over Monadnock - fascinating stuff. At the bottom of the hill, we took a few minutes and poked around the base lodge looking at some Monadnock history and wildlife information, which was quite educational.

A perfect day with no agenda, no timeline, no goals - just a casual stroll up a hill. To top it off, Heather had prepped some delicious pork chops and yams for us to throw on the grill when we returned. Hard to complain with a full belly and tired legs. We'll count this as an early dad's day present for the father and father-to-be.