I've been wanting to hike the Baldfaces since I read about them on the terrifying 25 - well, wanted to and didn't want to. The hike sounded really fun and also really hard, which it was. I decided that since it was almost a 3 hour drive to the trail I would try going up the night before, camping, and just driving 35 minutes to the trailhead. I stayed at the "Back 40" at this hostel in north conway - it wasn't bad, except that the "bathroom" was a bucket! I slept much better than I usually do the night before a big hike, and woke up at 7. But then I had to pack up my tent and all my stuff, and it was about 7:30 when I left. I stopped at a nearby cafe for coffee and a pastry and was on the road at about 7:45 and at the mountain at about 8:30. Which is earlier than if I had driven up, but later then it would have been if I stayed in the hostel. I think the camping idea is good for a shorter hike, but maybe not a big one like this.
Everything I read about the Baldfaces said not to hike them when wet because there are some slabby climbing bits. Sitting in my tent in the evening, listening to it rain, I planned out doing a hike next to the one I wound up doing - I would still like to do the alternate hike. But when I parked at the trailhead, there were a ton of people headed out to the hike, so I decided if they could do it, so could I! And that's what I did.
The hike starts out pretty flat, and then goes gradually uphill. For the first bit it's just a stroll in the woods. I took my time and enjoyed being out there - it was brisk but not cold and the leaves are starting to change. There is a little lean-to shelter that was super cute and would be nice to sleep in. I took a little break there and had a snack. That's when a bunch of people caught up to me (of course), because right after the shelter things got real. There are some ledges that you need to climb after the hut - they were all dry and quite manageable, but also about 1000 feet of elevation gain in less then a mile, which is a lot.
It was quite a slog getting up the mountain - I didn't even take any photos. And, as soon as I got to the top, this cloud bank rolled in and blocked the view! Ugh! I did look like it was pretty fast moving, so I ate an orange and rested for a little bit before walking the ridgeline to the other baldface. I do love a ridgeline, and this was a good one! No views because of the clouds, but a really nice pine forest and tons of blueberry bushes. There was another 500 feet elevation gain to the top of the second mountain - pretty tiring TBH. When I got to the top of the second mountain, the fog rolled away and I got to enjoy the view as I ate. I had a delicious (though somewhat smushed) avocado and cheese sandwich on whole wheat bread and watched the clouds.
After about a half hour I reluctantly left, thinking about how ephemeral hiking is. I mean, you work so hard to get to the top of the mountain, eat a sandwich, and then you have to hike back down. The way down was also steep, not like the way up, but the first mile or so there was a lot of butt scootching. I took Bucknell Ridge trail, and really enjoyed the viewpoints. I got to look at South Baldface at multiple points on the way down, and be impressed with myself for hiking up it.
The best part of the hike was the Emerald Pool at the end. It's a pretty deep pool at the base of a small waterfall, and with the way the light falls on it, it does look pretty green. My feet were killing me, and I was all kinds of sweaty, so I started by sticking my feet in, but soon realize that wouldn't be good enough, and stripped down to my underware for a dip. The water was so nice - pretty chilly and clear. After just a couple minutes my feet felt better and I felt great. I didn't stay in that long because I still had .75 mile to hike, and I didn't want to get hypothermia. Also, I was in a popular pool in my underware. Best 2 minutes of the day, though!
I finished my hike, got to the parking lot, changed into clean clothes and just needed one last pee before leaving. There was an outhouse, but no one was there, it smelled really bad, and there was this really nice tree. Of course, just as I squatted down this guy came flying at me on a mountain bike. I did a funny hop around the tree, in squat position, but I still think I flashed him a little. Usually I have such good pee karma! In the end the hike was 10 miles, 3455 feet elevation gain and 7 hrs and 15 min moving. It was fun, especially the ledges, and I would do it again, but also it was no joke.
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