The forecast calls for light rain in spots and it's a warm day so I figured a little rain wouldn't hurt. I also wanted to get a copy of the map of the Belknap Range. The library in Gilford, NH has a copy of it that they will print out and sell to you. They also have other maps available like the Southern Slopes of the Ossippee Range. They sell for $3.00 a piece. Not a bad deal considering how much work went into mapping these areas.
After driving to the Gilford Public Library and speaking with the librarian, buying a few copies of the maps, I decided to head off and hike Mount Major. It's a great mountain with views of Lake Winnipesaukee and Alton Bay. I brought snowshoes and crampons today, but I figured I would leave them in the car.
I began hiking up the Beaver Pond Trail, and after about .4 miles, I came upon this sign. I was 1/4 of the way there already as I would be taking the Boulder Loop trail the rest of the way up. Not too bad. Up to this point, the snow was a little slushy and grainy, and it was a little tough to walk in. Soon after crossing this sign however, the trail had some dry spots and wet spots and the snow became sparce. It feels nice to be hiking on some dry ground for a change. It's been a long winter.
About .1 miles after the sign, the trail started to get very wet and for the next half mile or so, the trail was a stream. The melt-water from all over the mountain managed to find it's way to the trail. I could still walk the trail using the rocks to stp on, but the going was slow. Once through the wet area though, I was able to take in the surrounding boulder field that was left here by the glaciers years ago.
There were hundreds of boulders, some in precarious positions and if it were a nicer day I probably would have explored a little. It was at this point where I began to realize how well marked the trail was. At some points, you could see 4 or even 5 blazes ahead. I'm sure this helps in the winter when the snow is high, but if anything I would say this area is over-blazed as in some spots, the blazes are only 20 feet apart.
After the boulder fields, you come out to what is a false summit. The views are great, but are a little obstructed by trees. You can see Alton Bay really well from this vantage point. There is a sign that says the summit is only 4 tenths of a mile away. The traverse to the summit from here is mostly over open ledges and there is not much elevation gain left.
Soon enough you get your first glimpse of the real summit of Mount Major. At last, I am almost there. Even though this is a short hike, reaching the top is always a sigh of relief. After another minute or two, I made it to the summit and noticed an old foundation. Turns out this is the site of the Mount Major Hut. The Hut had it's roof blown off in 1928.
I took a quick look around the hut's foundation and I sat on a rock and ate my lunch while taking in the views. I took a few pictures of the Lake and Alton Bay and decided it was time to head down the Mountain. The pictures are shown below.
It was starting to rain a little harder and I figured getting back into the trees would protect me a little. I took the Main trail down the mountain and it was quite steep at the top. Leaving the top, I could see the parking lot off route 11. I had quite a ways to go, but the trip down was extremely quick.
Before I knew it, I was back to my car and on my way home. The whole trip took 2 hours and 20 minutes which includes about 15 minutes spent at the summit enjoying the view and a turkey sandwitch. This is a great hike with great rewards. I would say there is probably more reward per mile hiked on this hike than just about any other.
Lake Winnipesaukee as seen from the Summit of Mount Major.
Alton Bay as seen from the Summit of Mount Major.
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