Mt. Starr King & Mt. Waumbek

Where: Mt. Starr King (3907') & Mt. Waumbek (4006'), Jefferson NH
When: 8/1/2023
With: Solo

The winter was a bust for hiking (too little snow), and the summer's not been great either (too much rain), so it's been quite some time since my last significant hike. I ran up Mt. Monadnock last November, and my last NH 48 peak was last October. Since Mt. Waumbek has a reputation as an easy 4K peak hike, it was a good choice to get me back into the game.

Some new stuff on this hike, starting with a new day pack, an REI Flash 22. I've finally found the right size pack for my warm-weather hikes.  I'd been using an REI Stoke 9, but it's just barely big enough (550 cu. in.) to hold everything I bring (I tend to overpack emergency gear). The next size up in my packs is my REI North Dome, a great pack, but too big (1600 cu. in.) for these hikes. It's better suited for fall/winter hikes, where I'm carrying extra gear (warm clothing, etc.). At 1300 cu. in., the Flash 22 is just right.

This was also the first visit to the Whites for my New Balance trail runners. I did test hikes with them on Wachusett Mountain and Mt. Monadnock last fall, but this was their first NH 4000 footer. I'll say they did quite well. Inside, I wore toe socks for the first time (liners inside regular hiking socks). The jury's still out on them. They seemed okay, but they bunched up a bit on the downhills as my feet slid forward in the shoes. Might just need to adjust my lacing.

Back to the hike... I'd been looking at the weather for a few days, and it looked great. When the new pack arrived yesterday, I packed it up and had it ready to go. I woke up (no alarm) just before 5, took that as a sign that the hike was meant to be, managed to sneak out of the bedroom without waking Wilma (or Jane), and pulled out of the driveway a little before 5:30. Then I spent the next 3 hours driving. Ugh. Not bad driving at all...major highways until the very end...but just a lot of it. Knowing the hike itself would be fairly short just made the long drive that much more annoying, but what'cha gonna do, eh?

I landed at the trailhead slightly before 8:30, making my way up a gravel road to the parking area. One ditch across the road was a bit challenging to cross, but I made it without any problems. I was surprised to see the parking area already nearly full, with 10 cars in place. I found a spot though and backed in, got out to check my parking job, then quickly got back in and pulled forward a bit. My back tires had been right on the edge of a drop-off!

Gearing up was a quick affair, and soon I was striding up the trail. I started off wearing a long-sleeved shirt over my wicking t-shirt, but stopped after a few minutes to stow it in my pack. Though the day was cool (50s to start), there was a good amount of humidity in the air and the shirt was too much warmth.

I started to see others on the trail (which I expected, given all of the cars). An older woman was the first, coming down the trail as she returned from her hike. Then I passed three younger folks (two women & a man) on their way up. I had the path to myself for a time after that before I caught up with an older gentleman heading up. I figured I'd just pass him, but he fell into step with me and we carried on a conversation for quite a while. He was from southern NH, along the coast, and was at the start of his NH 48 list, with 4 (maybe 5) peaks done so far. 

I eventually pulled away from him and arrived at Mt. Starr King, the first summit on the trail, by myself. There was a small cairn and a brass medallion marking the spot, right at the top of a short, rocky scramble. Just beyond was a side path to a limited view, presumably of Mt. Waumbek. I waited a bit to greet my hiking partner, congratulating him when he arrived. "You made it!" I exclaimed, and he went to check out the medallion, noting that it didn't have the elevation inscribed. Then he asked where the trail leading away went. "To Waumbek" I replied. "Wait," he said, "this isn't Waumbek? I'm going to Waumbek!"

We continued along the trail, noting a bandit campsite near the cairn and passing an old fireplace on an open ledge (all that remains of a former shelter), with the trail dropping into the woods just beyond. The trail became increasingly (and unavoidably) muddy in this section, but it was very easy walking. I kept expecting a steep climb from a col, but there was none.

We crossed paths with a number of other hikers between the peaks. I kept count of the groups, trying to match the numbers with the cars below. When my partner paused to chat with one group, I kept going on my own and soon arrived at the summit of Mt. Waumbek, two hours after leaving my car. Underwhelming is how I'd describe it. A jumbled pile of rocks served as a summit marker in an open area, with no medallion anywhere in sight. No views either, though I recalled (and folks along the trail confirmed) that there was a viewpoint a short distance past the summit.

I stayed at the summit just long enough to take a few photos as proof of being there, then continued along the trail. Sure enough, just a few steps away there was an open area with a view (sort of) and another older gentleman there enjoying it. He was from New York. "Where in New York?" I asked. "Manhattan!" Oh, New York, New York! We had a nice chat. He'd been up for a bike tour the previous week, then stayed to do some hiking. He was working on the NH 48 as well, with 30 done so far via several trips over the years (often staying in the AMC huts).

The other gentleman joined us after a bit (I congratulated him on reaching the summit of Waumbek for real!) and the three of us talked for a while and lamented the lack of a good view (clouds covered the peaks we could see). We broke up when the three young folks I'd passed earlier arrived and we relinquished the viewpoint to them. The NH guy stayed behind, while the NY guy & I headed back toward Mt. Starr King, chatting all the way (mostly about skiing). We parted at the old fireplace, where he said he was going to take an early lunch break.

Now back to solo hiking, I tried to make good time descending. The three youngsters had passed us between the peaks (young legs), and for the most part I had the trail to myself, though I encountered folks heading up from time to time. Without any significant steep or rocky sections, it was an easier descent than many hikes I've been on, and I figured I'd be done fairly quickly. But no! Once again, as usual on my trips, the descent took almost exactly the same time as the ascent (though I will subtract the amount of time I spent at the summit viewpoint talking with the other guys). I arrived back at the parking area four hours after I'd begun.

I negotiated the ditch in the access road from the parking area without any problems, then found my exit blocked by a highway worker who was using an excavator to lift rocks and stumps from a ditch beside the road into a dump truck. With no way around him, I turned off my engine and took the opportunity to eat my lunch. Eventually the truck was full and the worker left the excavator, climbed into the truck, and drove off, clearing the way for me to begin my three hour return drive home.

The numbers:

  • 3 hour drives to/from the trailhead
  • 2 hour climb to the summit of Waumbek
  • 4 hour round trip hiking time (1 hour less than the AMC White Mountain Guide estimated time)
  • 7.2 miles round trip
  • #36 of the NH 48 4000' peaks for me
Final thoughts: Kind of a meh hike. Drive, walk, drive. No views to speak of, no especially difficult sections of the trail, no adventures. Even the Waumbek summit was shabby & somewhat disappointing. It checked another 4000 footer off the list though, and I met some interesting people.


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