Outdoors in New England
Hiking Mount Monadnock.
PHOTO PROVIDED
The Old Toll Road, Monte Rosa and Smith Summit trails offer scenic views and fewer crowds on New Hampshire’s iconic peak.
One can reasonably argue that with the untimely collapse of the Old Man of the Mountain nearly 25 years ago, our beloved Mount Monadnock moved up a notch on the list of the Granite State’s most iconic topographical features. Our backyard peak, the name of which is loosely translated from the original Abenaki — menadena — as “the mountain that stands alone,” attracts upwards of 125,000 hikers a year, making it the most climbed mountain in America.
Hiking Mount Monadnock.
PHOTO PROVIDED
The irony for those of us who spend quite a bit of time on the mountain that stands alone is that it is very hard to actually stand alone while on Monadnock. Most first time hikers of our region’s quintessential summit use the White Dot and/or White Cross traits from Monadnock State Park Headquarters, to the west of Jaffrey off of Route 124. Though they represent one of the most direct routes to the top, trails from the north, west, and south are less crowded and every bit as scenic.
My hiking colleagues, Tony and Dave, and I recently explored a track that avoided the selfie-seeking, flipflop wearing masses, departing from the south, at the Old Toll Road trailhead. The starting elevation from that location is 1500 feet, higher than all the other main trailheads to the summit except for Pumpelly (1510 feet). Given that the most direct route to the summit from the Old Toll Road trailhead via the Old Toll Road and White Arrow trails is only 2.3 miles, this is one of the least strenuous avenues to the rocky pinnacle, short of a helicopter drop off.
Our ascent during our recent outing was a bit longer, approximately 2.7 miles, as we detoured slightly to the west, taking the Monte Rosa trail and then the Smith Summit trail. Following a relatively gentle 500 foot ascent along the broad Old Toll Road we turned left on to the Monte Rosa trail, beginning the real climb. Between the turnoff (2110 feet) and the Monte Rosa weathervane (2510 feet), the trail rises sharply for approximately six-tenths of a mile, affording the hiker an outstanding vista to the south and southwest from the apex of the Monte Rosa path.
For those of you who don’t know – and include me in that group until I did research for this article, the origin of the name Monte Rosa apparently lies with guests of the former Old Halfway House Inn, famous among this country’s literary aristocracy in the second half of the 19th Century which burned to the ground in 1954. Looking up to the subpeak where the current weathervane performs its solitary sentry, guests at the inn believed that the mountain took on a pink sheen in the evening sun, hence Monte Rosa.
Backtracking roughly a quarter of a mile from the weathervane overlook, we then continued on to the summit via the Smith Summit trail. While the overall route to the mountain’s apex that we chose might have been a bit less demanding than some of the other main trails, there’s nothing easy about the climb up Smith Summit, as it ascends six hundred feet in seven tenths of a mile, much of which is through and over big boy size boulders. The route does, however, offer the adventuresome hiker stunning views to the south and the west.
From the time we joined the Monte Rosa trail until we reached the summit, we did not see another human being, leading to my choice of title for this missive. Once up top we were joined by a steady stream of hikers, to include a family with young children (both under 10 years old) summiting for the first time. Another irony of Mount Monadnock is that one invests a great deal of time and sweat equity in reaching the top, only to realize that the winds and cooler temperatures up yonder quickly chill the body, normally leading to a rather short stay at our region’s terrestrial zenith.
This routine played out on our recent hike as, following a brief refueling stop, we bid adieu to the summit crowds and started our descent. We opted to take the most direct path back to civilization, slowly making our way down the steep and challenging White Arrow trail until we reached the comparatively friendly confines of the Old Toll Road. The White Arrow is difficult, though, as it descends sharply over 1000 feet in one mile through boulder fields and steep sections before it eases as it joins the Old Toll Road.
Although the route down was still quiet by Mount Monadnock standards, we did pass several groups during our descent that were trudging up the mountain. Exchanging hiker salutations and providing encouragement to the groups, we continued on to our car basking in the ineffable glow of another glorious day spent on our neighborhood’s topographical treasure.
In closing, it is worth repeating that climbing this iconic peak is not easy and requires good physical fitness. If you are new to hiking, I would strongly recommend training on some of the smaller peaks in the region before giving Mount Monadnock a go. Most importantly, purchase a Hike Safe card from New Hampshire Fish and Game as it serves as your hiking insurance should you run into any trouble in the wilds of the Granite State. Now get out and enjoy the trails!
Peterborough, N.H. resident Robert Beck is an avid hiker who, along with his close friends, takes every opportunity to enjoy the wonderful outdoor opportunities that our local Monadnock area, as well as the wider northern New England region, affords.