Mt. Cabot
Where: Mt. Cabot, NH (4170')
When: 9/17/2024
With: Solo
My alarm was set for 5:00, but I was wide awake at 4:00, and when Jane got up around 4:30 I decided to call it a night. I pulled out of the driveway a few minutes after 5:00, and was at the trail three and a half hours later. This was the first long trip (432 miles round trip) for my new Subaru Crosstrek, and I'd had to delay this hike by a month or so while I put 1000 break-in miles on it. It did just fine though.
There were two other cars in the lot when I arrived: a pickup truck with MA plates and a sedan with Virginia plates. A woman was by the sedan, packing up, and she started up the trail before I had a chance to say "good morning". The temperature was in the mid-50s, so I removed the North Face sweater I'd been wearing and stowed it in my pack, and left my puffy Patagonia jacket in the car. I took a photo of the trail head sign for the timestamp and was on my way.
I decided to try something new this trip, and starting recording on the OSMand app on my phone. Concerned about battery usage, I usually just check the app at various points on a hike to confirm which trail to take at intersections or to check my progress. This time though, I thought I'd try to record the whole hike, figuring I'd just keep an eye on the battery. I reassured myself that I still had a paper map, so I'd be fine if my phone ran out of power.
At a junction a short distance from the trail head, the York Pond trail split off to the left, heading toward the Kilkenny Ridge trail. I went to the right, on the Bunnell Notch trail. It also connects to the Kilkenny Ridge trail, but closer to the Mt. Cabot summit. A few minutes later I spotted the woman from the sedan, but I stopped to convert my pants to shorts and she went on ahead. We met up again a short time later, exchanged a few comments on the weather, then I passed by and never saw her again.
The trail had a lot of variety: groves of young maples, open sunny meadows, rocky scrambles, birch forests, and more. It kept the walk interesting. Reports from previous visitors had mentioned a lot of water on the trail, but we've had an extended period without rain, and everything was bone dry for me. In many places the path looked more like a dry stream bed than a hiking trail.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that I didn't have much trouble ascending the trail. Certainly there were some tough spots, but no points where I had to stop, put my hands on my knees, and suck air for a while. I was able to just keep pushing up the trail at a pretty constant pace. The mountain bike riding I've been doing has probably helped my conditioning, or perhaps the trail just wasn't that tough. I managed to maintain an average pace of 2 mph for the hike.
I reached the top of the Bunnell Notch trail (3 miles in) after about an hour and a half, and turned right on the Kilkenny Ridge trail toward Mt. Cabot. A check of the map indicated there would be another trail junction (with the Mt. Cabot trail), then a series of switchbacks before the summit. I was surprised when I found myself on an obvious switchback without having seen a junction. I checked my app and sure enough, I'd passed the junction. I realized later that the Mt. Cabot trail was one that had been closed because of a property dispute with the owner of the land at its base. Still, I thought I would have noticed its junction when I passed.
There were a couple of points of interest as the trail climbed on the switchbacks up the slope. The first was a rock in the trail with a distinctive pattern I'd seen before, a result of blasting the top off an obstructing boulder too big to move. Dynamite is placed into a hole drilled in the rock, and the top of the rock is sheared off, leaving a fan-like pattern. The second point was at the end of a side trail I noticed, which led to an open rocky outcropping (Bunnell Rock) with expansive views of the Weeks Range (Kilkenny Ridge). I stopped a bit to enjoy the views and take pictures before returning to the trail.
After a bit more climbing and a few switchbacks, the trail leveled off and I spotted an outhouse through the trees. The Mt. Cabot cabin was a few steps away. Built for a former fire tower operation, it now provides shelter for hikers. Two double bunks in a back room could sleep eight, while a front room had a table for dining. A fire pit a few yards away completed the site. No views, but a nice place to spend a night.
Continuing on, the trail descended a bit into a col between the cabin and the Mt. Cabot summit then climbed back out. A side trail along the way led to a water source (I didn't check it out), and then I was at the summit. Well, I was in an open area with a sign affixed to a tree which I assumed was a summit marker (it was a trail sign). As I entered the area, a man came walking out a path directly opposite. I assumed it was the continuation of my trail, but he said it led to the true summit, a small hump of rock just a few yards away with a tree growing on top. It was just about two and a half hours and 4.9 miles after I'd started my hike.
We talked for a bit, then he departed back toward the cabin and I made my way to the actual summit for a few photos to confirm my visit. There were no views, so the photos weren't especially exciting, but they verified that I'd reached the summit of my 39th 4000 foot NH peak (out of 48), which was the primary reason for my hike.
I returned to the trail sign to review my options. I could go back the way I came (the shorter option) or continue along the Kilkenny Ridge trail and make it a loop hike. The map showed two points of interest along that way. The first was named The Bulge, a secondary summit along the ridge. The second was something called The Knob. It was at the end of a short side trail, and I guessed it might be another viewpoint. The trail also passed a remote pond (Unknown Pond) with campsites. Given the length of the drive to get here, who knows if I'll ever visit this area again to see those points? And I always prefer a loop hike over an out-and-back. I opted for the loop.
The trail dropped steeply from the summit, and was rough going over rocks & roots. It dropped into a col, then began climbing moderately before arriving at an open space with a small rock cairn. A check of my app confirmed I was at The Bulge. Another steep descent followed, then a trail junction where the spur trail to The Knob departed. A couple with a dog had just come down from the spur trail and the dog made a point of checking me out and barking (in a friendly way) as they departed.
I noted the 0.3 mile distance to The Knob and began my climb. My legs were fairly tired, and I didn't relish the idea of more climbing, but I figured a) this might be my only opportunity to visit, b) this might be the best views I'd get on the hike, and c) the rest of the hike would be all downhill. So up I went. It was a narrow trail, with rocks & roots (again), and seemed longer than I would have liked. Several times it made a turn just when I thought I was reaching the end. Then large rock outcroppings began to appear, culminating in an open rock summit.
A number of paths led in various directions, and I chose one that seemed most used. It led to the top, and I scrambled up. The summit had two large exposed rock areas, one slightly higher than the other. I made a cautious climb onto the upper one, where I found a brass medallion with "Knob" engraved. The views were certainly spectacular in all directions, with the first hints of fall colors appearing on the mountains all around.
I looked around, took some photos, then carefully dropped down to the lower rock. I could have just begun my descent, but I realized I hadn't been off my feet since the start of the hike, about three and a half hours. I sat down, drank some water and some energy drink, and had a ten minute rest.
Refreshed (somewhat), I returned along the spur trail to the Kilkenny Ridge trail. My hope was that the rest of my journey would be on relatively smooth paths, allowing for somewhat mindless plodding back to my car. Nope. The Kilkenny Ridge trail continued to be full of rocks and roots, with steep drops and small climbs nearly all the way down to Unknown Pond. My hike was interrupted just once when I met a man with a large white dog, heading up the trail I'd come down.
The trail finally smoothed out just as the pond itself came into view. I followed it around to the north end of the pond, where it joined the Unknown Pond trail. The couple with the dog I'd met earlier were there, and we chatted a bit before they headed north on that trail while I went south. The Kilkenny Ridge trail split off left a little bit later, then a side trail to the Unknown Pond tent site also went off left. My path led straight, the final leg of my journey.
Once again, I hoped for easy, ploddable walking. An old logging road or railroad bed leading to the pond, perhaps. Alas, no. More rocks, roots, and steep drops. Also large patches of mud. Many were somewhat dry, and could be walked across, but others were soggy pits. I occupied myself by enjoying the area and taking pictures along the way. Autumn leaves, waterfalls, etc.
Finally, the trail did become an easy to trod path and emerged at a parking area off the road I'd driven in on. A short walk of about 100 yards up the road brought me back to where my car was parked, with a view of Mt. Cabot through the trees above the road. It was almost exactly 6 hours since I'd started. Both of the other cars were still there, and climbing into the pickup was the man I'd met at the summit of Mt. Cabot, who'd returned on the route I'd taken up. He'd been up in the area for several days, taking time off from work to hike while staying at the AMC's Highland Center in Crawford Notch. I told him I was driving back home, and after another three and half hour drive, I pulled back into the driveway.
