Mt. Monadnock Fall Hike

On October 17th, eight of us (Doug, Carlos, Mike, Stephen, Sam, Ram, David and myself) met up at my home in Jaffrey around 10AM before carpooling over to the Marlboro Trailhead.  We waited almost a half an hour for one no-show before heading over to the trail.

The Marlboro Trailhead is located about 0.7-miles down Shaker Farm Road in Marlborough, NH.  Here there is a small parking area near some old cellar holes, which made up a small Shaker colony from Shirley, MA.  They used the property in the late nineteenth century for their annual sheep drives up to the area pastures.

Amazingly, it was a beautiful, sunny day, although it was slightly chilly when we started out.  Thankfully, the fourth time was finally a charm...due to weather issues, this was the third time the hike was rescheduled.  We started up the trail slightly before 11AM.  The trail headed into the woods at a gentle grade for the first 3/4 mile before beginning a steeper ascent to several open ledges.  We took our time on the way up and stopped often due to the short steep sections and to take in the views...mostly to the south and west.  Stratton and Ascutney are prominent VT peaks clearly visible from these ledges on this side of the mountain.  At about half way up we finally encountered light snow on the ground in some of the wooded portions of the trails (we had gotten about a half-inch of snow in Jaffrey a couple days earlier).  As we climbed above treeline, we paused so everyone could bundle up a bit, as the winds made the air much cooler.  We finally reached the summit at a little after 1PM.  It was realtively crowded on the summit, as it usually is on the weekends.  We found an open, south-facing ledge just below the summit and enjoyed our lunches.  Just out of the wind this proved to be a nice spot to relax and soak in the sun.  Shortly after 2PM we decided to wrap it up and start our descent.  To make it interesting, we headed down the White Cross Trail with the intent of heading back via the Smith Connecting Trail.  Admittedly, I don't use this trail much, because it is too crowded, but I thought it would provide a nice way to encircle the mountain back to the parking lot on the opposite side.  We fought the crowds and inadvertantly passed by our desired trail junction.  After a short distance further and several steep sections, we turned around and climbed back up the trail a little.  Anyway, the slight diversion gave us some nice views to the south-east and we got to encounter a rather aggressive Eastern Milk Snake on the trail.

Someone had suggested that the snake might have been a copperhead.  I did a little post-hike research and discovered that it was likely an Eastern Milk Snake (Lampropeltis triangulum), which is a non-venomous constrictor.  It is often mistaken as a copperhead; however, the copperhead is supposedly not found at all in NH (although it is located in MA...albeit as an endangered and protected species).  Also the milk snake lacked the trianglar head characteristic of pit vipers, such as the copperhead.

We quickly returned to the Smith Connecting Trail junction (it was noted only by a very faintly painted arrow on a rock pointing to Bald Rock).  We started across this trail...what a relief...no more people.  We followed this over to the Amphitheater Trail and took this over to Mont Rosa, a prominent subpeak on the southwestern side of the mountain.  This was a nice open area, which provided views over the surrounding area and back up towards the summit.  At Mont Rosa we enjoyed a nice break before starting our descent using the Great Pasture Trail.  This trail ends at the Marion Trail which connected back to the Marlboro Trail about halfway down from the summit and proceeded back down.  We retuned back to trailhead by about 5:30PM.

After the hike we headed back to Jaffrey, stopping off to pick up drinks and snacks at a convenience store, before coming back to my home.  At that time Ram, Stephen and Sam headed home.  The rest of us cleaned up, ordered pizza and just hung out for a bit before calling it a day.  Despite all the re-schedules that this hike had, I'm grateful that we finally got to do it.  It turned out to be a beautiful day...perfect for hiking.  A huge thanks to Doug, Carlos, Stephen, Sam, Ram, Mike and David for joining me!  I couldn't have asked for a better group of guys with whom to spend the day!

I'm beginning to feel that this hike is cursed!  :-)  Rescheduled from August 22nd and subsequently August 29th and September 27th (due to heavy rains / thunderstorms).  Hopefully, the fourth times a charm!

Join me for this hike up Mt. Monadnock.  Mt. Monadnock is 3165 feet in elevation and despite its modest size is quite impressive, especially if you've never had the opportunity to hike it before.  There are ample open ledges with sweeping views along the way.  The total distance will be approximatelly 5.5 - 6 miles depending on timing and the group.  The Marlborough Trail is rocky with short steep sections.  The total elevation gain is 1815 feet.

NOTE:  Dogs are NOT permitted in this park or on any of its mountain trails.

Trailhead:  Due to the fact that there is limited parking at the trailhead, we'll meet at my house in Jaffrey and carpool over to the trailhead.  Directions to be emailed the week of the event.

What to Bring:  Typical summer hiking gear should be appropriate:  shorts or convertible hiking pants, good sturdy hiking boots with thick socks and a windbreaker/raingear (just in case).  Also bring along lunch, snacks and plenty of water.  Optionally, pack bug repellent and sunscreen and anything else that you may require.

Afterwards:  The hike should be completed by 5PM and we'll return to my place to hang out and socialize (for those who wish).  We'll grill or get pizza.  You're welcome to shower and change, as well.