Chocoroua 8-11-07

On August 11, 2007 Shelby and I decided to finally hike Chocoroua. It's one of the most popular mountains in the White Mountains and one of the most photographed Mountains in the world. It has an extremely distinctive peak. We had heard a lot about the mountain, but had never tried it as we have been since we started focused on the 4000 footers. This mountain is 3475', but is just as strenuous as many 4000' mountains as the elevation gain is over 2700' and there are some very steep sections.

We started up the Piper Trail which again... it one of the most popular trails in the White Mountains. The trail has a pretty steady incline and you do not have any decent views for the first 3.1 - 3.2 miles or so. We reached the outlook in no time really as we made pretty steady progress up the mountain. It was a very hot day though and we did go through a lot more water than normal. Once at the first Outlook, you could see some spectacular views to the South and Southeast. Also, you could see Carter Ledge.

We finally made it to the top and there are 360 degree views from there. There are views of Whiteface and Passaconaway from the top which is great because I've actually hiked them before. The trail up past the first Outlooks was extremely steep but a lot of fun. There is a lot of scrambling and the last 200 feet or so to the summit is a free scramble. There isn't a trail as it is 100% ledge.

Anyone nervous on exposure or extremely steep sections should avoid this mountain as once you gain enough elevation the exposure is everywhere. The picture to the left is of Mount Washington from the Summit. The ledge piece at the bottom of the picture is the trail up Chocoroua. Many people don't follow the trail rather they just make their way up until they reach the summit.


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We stayed on the Summit for a half our or 40 minutes or so, not completely sure but it was great. We now headed down and considering how steep it was we made great time as the footing was great so there wasn't a lot of time picking steps. it was steep but easy. We stopped for a minute to check out the Liberty Cabin. The liberty cabin has been destroyed twice in storms and has always been bolted down but the chains give you a taste of what weather in the White Mountains can really be Like.

We headed down and took the Liberty Trail to the Hammond Trail, to Weetamoo. We saw Weetamoo rock and it was huge, but we didn't stop to take pictures. I wouldn't even venture to guess how big the rock is. There is a rock over by the Castle in the Clouds however that I feel would be close. If you've ever seen it you know what I mean. We finished the hike in about 6 and a half hours. Not bad considering the hour or so we spent looking at scenery. This is a classic alpine summit. One of the most distinctive in the world and one of the most heavily photographed. The "View from the Top" is even better.