Mount Eastman

Eastman was the second hike of my weekend-during-the-week in NH. I went up on Thursday and hiked Thursday and Friday, with an overnight at the Coho Hostel in between. Mount Eastman is on the opposite side from the Baldfaces from Meader and Eagle's Crag, so I was familiar with the area and was able to hit the Emerald Pool after the hike again (part of why I chose it, of course).

My alarm went off at 6:30 and I was out of bed by 6:45. I started the coffee, used the bathroom, got dressed, stripped the sheets off the bed, put my lunch in my bag and was ready to hit the road by 7:15. I got to the trailhead at around 7:45 and headed out a little before 8. Which was pretty good, even though I had hoped to start hiking a little earlier. The drive over was really pretty, except there was one part of the road that was covered in fog - I could bearly see to drive! And then I came out the other side and it was really pretty again - cool and weird.

To hike Eastman you start on the same trail as for the Baldfaces for almost the first mile. It's a pretty chill start. When you first turn away from the Baldfaces onto slippery brook trail it's chill for a bit longer. There was a section of the trail that was almost like a dirt road - it looked like someone had been widening it - maybe a snow mobile trail for winter? After you cross a brook (which was really low due to to the drought, and almost nothing to cross) things started to get more intense. According to all trails, the hike was 8.86 miles with 2595 feet of elevation gain, which is no joke. But, the trail wasn't one of those white mountain trails that's just a pile of rocks. While it was pretty relentlessly uphill for much of the hike, it was also fairly easy to navigate and just hike, rather than having to climb up rocks and such. Kind of refreshing! It took me a little less than three hours to get to the top.

I didn't see anyone until I hit the ridgeline, and then I bumped into a couple with their two dogs (really cute dogs, really chatty woman). They had come up the other side and sped off to the top. I enjoyed the ridgeline, which was a really nice one - it was .9 mile from hitting the ridge to the top of the mountain, though probably half of that was uphill. 

I got to the top, tagged the cairn that is there, and found a nice rock with a view to sit on. The couple was sort of nearby and as soon as I took out my sandwich their dogs came over to say hi. Like I said, they were cute dogs, but there was no way they were getting my sandwich - I was so hungry!

I sat in the sun up top for about 45 minutes eating and admiring the views. The other folks left like 10 minutes after I got there - it seemed like they bushwacked down, because they headed off away from the trail. The weather again was perfect! Sunny and warm, but not hot. I had started the morning wearing a smartwool top over my tshirt, but had taken the smartwool off around the turnoff for slippery brook, and I didn't need to put it back on. The sky was blue, there were a few fluffy clouds, and the trees were so nice. I could see as far as Mt. Washington and over to Maine. I really didn't want to leave. But, finally I had to get up and head back down. 

The hike down was quite delightful. My left knee has been a bit sore, but because there weren't a ton of rocks to go down it wasn't a huge issue. The only thing that was a bit sketchy was that at one point I heard what I thought was a couple of gun shots and I realized that it must be hunting season. And I was alone on a trail in very neutral colors. But, hunters usually stay away from hiking trails and I did think they were kind of far away, and I didn't hear any more. 

I was pretty excited to get to the Emerald Pool, but as I got close I heard people. Of course, after seeing almost no one all day... When I got to the area of the pool, though, the people were sitting in the sun a little above it, and I got the pool to myself. I stripped down to my underware and stepped in. I will say that the water was a lot colder than the last two times - according to my watch it was 48. It felt so refreshing after my hike and a bopped around for a little bit, but since I still had .7 miles to go, and didn't bring a change of underware, I got out after about 2.5 minutes so I wouldn't get too cold. I dried off, put my hiking tights and shirt back on, and headed out. It only took about 15 minutes to get back to my car - my knee felt so refreshed even from that little dip. A trail runner had passed me on the way out, and he was sitting in his car right next to mine, so I went into the outhouse to change into dry clothes. I stopped for ice cream again on the way out, and then had the long drive home. 

I enjoyed this hike for sure, but I think if I went back I would do one of the other hikes there - either the two baldfaces or the meader/eagle's crag, just because the views from those were a bit nicer. Still, two thumbs up, really nice day!

Table Mountain

It's fall foliage season and so I decided to take a long weekend and head up to NH for Thursday and Friday, doing two hikes and staying at the Coho in between. It was a fun during-the-week-weekend. 

I started with Table Mountain on Thursday. It's a short hike with a really nice view - I would never drive all the way up to NH to do a 4 mile hike, but since I was up there it fit the bill perfectly. I drove up rt 93 and then took the Kancamagus highway across NH, which was really gorgeous with the trees all changing. The driving was a little tricky because I swear half the drivers were in slow mode and the other half were in crazy driving mode. But I made it.

Table Mountain is in Bartlett off Bear Notch rd. The parking lot is pretty small, but thankfully there was only one car there when I arrived, and a different car there when I left. I saw one person the entire time I was hiking - the people in the other car were just letting their dogs out for a break or something. So, one on a Thursday is a perfect time for that hike.

The hike is a little less than four miles with a little less than 1400 feet of elevation gain. So, it's not nothing, but it wasn't super intense either. It started with a gradual uphill on the approach and then only got steep close to the top. A bunch of people commented on all trails that the steeper areas were pretty slabby, with a skree on top of them, making it kind of slippery, and they weren't kidding! We are still in a drought here, so at least it was dry, but the way down was harder with trying not to slip (which I didn't). The top is viewless, but there is an amazing slab with a lookout just a bit below the top. After I'd tagged the summit I sat down with my cheese and avocado sandwich on durum bread, which was delicious. I got so lucky with the weather - it was sunny with just a few clouds, cool but not cold - just a perfect day. I admired the view for about a half hour, looking at all the taller peaks and thinking how I had hiked all of them. 

After I went to the Coho, checked in, took a shower and then went shopping in North Conway. I planned to go to the outlets, but they closed at 6. But, there's a sierra there, so I did a little shopping there. After, I returned to the hostel where I sat in the common room, played on my phone, and chatted with some of the other guests. It was so much warmer inside than a tent would have been, and they had the coziest comforters, but one woman in the shared room kept waking me up. IDK - it was way easier in the morning since I didn't have to pack up a tent, but I didn't sleep as well... I'll have to think about which is better for the future. Anyway, nice day, good hike, two thumbs up.