Wildcat Ridge
Where: Wildcat Ridge
When: August 12, 2025
With: Solo
I might have climbed these peaks in March 1998, when Brian, Brad & I set out to do a winter Carter-Wildcats traverse. I was recovering from strep though and bailed out after the first day/night. If I'd been actively working on the NH 4K list back then, I might have been inclined to push on, but it was just a hike with friends then.
Fast forward to recent times and the 48 NH 4000 footers list. The peaks in the area east of Mt. Washington had become the final entries on my list (except Owlshead, which I was saving for last). Gradually, they were picked off until I had just the Wildcats left to climb. After considering several approaches to get them, I settled on an out & back hike from the Wildcat Ski Area, using the ski trails to get to the Wildcat Ridge Trail. I'd planned on a 5AM departure from home, but I was awake early, out the door by 4:15, and at the Wildcat Ski Area at 7:30.
The day was forecast to be warm, so the early start in the morning coolness was helpful. There's an official, designated route up the ski slopes for hikers, mostly along a rough gravel road. Steep at times, with loose, uneven footing, but not especially tough to walk. I took a shortcut early through a grassy ski slope, and the official route left the road and up another slope later. For the most part though, the hiking was just plodding up the road.
I made it to the top at 9:00. I'd skied here many years ago, and the Mount Washington Observatory has a webcam showing the summit and a view across the valley, so it all looked familiar. I wandered around, took some photos, then checked my map. The last summit on the Wildcat Ridge Trail (Wildcat E) was a short distance south and I decided to add it to my peaks, just for completeness. It only took about 5 minutes to get to the small cairn marking the top, then I was back to start my journey along the rest of the ridge.
The Wildcat Ridge Trail is part of the Appalachian Trail, though by-passed this year because of a closed bridge on the other side of Pinkham Notch. The section from the base of the Notch to where I now stood is known as the steepest section of the AT, with rough climbing up ladders and through a rock chimney. Now up on the ridge, it eased off somewhat, but still had some difficult stretches, beginning with a rocky climb to the summit of the first 4000 footer of my hike, Wildcat D. Fortunately, it was a short stretch and I was quickly at a platform on the apparent summit offering expansive views. My trail app said the actual summit was a bit further along the trail, but it made no sense. The platform was definitely on the highest point, and there was even a US Coast & Geodetic Survey summit medallion embedded in the rock underneath the platform.
So, one 4K peak done (#46), one to go. I set off, crossed the true summit (according to my app), and the trail headed down. A lot. It was a steep, rocky scramble that seemed to go on forever. At the bottom, I turned and looked back up, knowing I'd have to climb back up all of that later. For now though, my sights were set in the other direction. The first goal was the summit of Wildcat C, a rugged 0.8 miles away, with a series of climbs and drops along the way. I kept checking my trail app to assess my progress, convinced I must be nearly there. No!
Finally I was there. A small cairn on the side of the trail marked the spot and a check of my app confirmed it, then I was off to Wildcat B. A shorter walk, which began (of course) with another steep descent into a col, then eased off. Somewhere in this stretch I began to encounter other hikers, the first I'd seen all day. First there were two women, engaged in conversation and startled when they noticed me approaching, then a group of three women & two men, who pretty much ignored me as they passed. All were heading in the opposite direction.
There was one final meeting, a big, friendly guy with tattoos, hiking shirtless in the heat. He said the others had likely hiked up from the hut, as he had. Our conversation wound around to the Perseid meteor shower, peaking that night, and I said I'd be back in the Boston area. I asked if he'd be out on the trails to see the meteors and he said he would...he was hiking southbound on the AT to Georgia! I took a look at his backpack and said it was the smallest I'd seen on any thru-hiker. He thanked me for the compliment, saying he'd done the northbound hike last year and had learned what he needed (and didn't need). He claimed he touched everything he carried every day. If he didn't touch it, he figured he didn't need it.
I got to the Wildcat B cairn soon after these meetings, followed by an easy, 10 minute walk to Wildcat A (also known simply as Wildcat Mountain). 4K peak number 47 for me! A woman was sitting at a viewpoint there, relaxing with a Kindle and a spectacular view across Carter Notch. She was staying at the hut with friends for a two-night trip focused on the Perseids. They'd seen a few the previous night and hoped for more that evening.
We chatted a bit while I looked around and took pictures, then it was time for my return trip. Back I went along the trail, meeting a few more folks along the way. Some new faces, others returning from their own out & back walks. I met one young woman just after I left Wildcat A, heading toward A. She was doing an out & back hike as well, but walking the entire Wildcat Ridge trail, including the tough, steep part coming up from the Notch.
I made my way along the trail, picking my way carefully down the rocky descents and gauging my progress by the cairns at the intermediate summits. About an hour after leaving Wildcat A, I was at the base of the climb up to D, where I rested a bit before beginning. The young woman I'd met earlier arrived and headed right up without an hesitation. "I came down it, so I can go up it!" she exclaimed. I watched her climb, took a deep breath and followed. It was tough, to be sure, but my thought when I topped out was that it hadn't been as bad as I'd feared.
I made a quick stop at the spot indicated as the true summit of D (not!), got to the platform, and made the short scramble down the rocks back to the ski area summit. It was about 90 minutes after I'd left Wildcat A. All that was left was to walk back down the ski slopes. I stowed my hiking poles in my pack, but they might have been useful. The steep, rocky, bone-dry dirt roads didn't offer much traction, and I went down once when my feet slipped out from under me (no harm done). The constant, steep downhill plodding was also tough on my thighs. I walked on the grass to the side of the road whenever I could, hopeful for a softer surface and a bit more traction.
The trail on the ridge had been in the shade of the trees, with a soft breeze to keep the temperature comfortable. Now out on the wide-open ski trails, in the full sun, it got pretty warm. I drank water as I went and sought out whatever shade I could find, but I was mighty glad when I finally arrived back at the Wildcat base. I opened all of the doors of my car, which had been baking in the sun all day, and found a shady spot to have some lunch before heading back home.
Total distance: 9.9 miles, 3621 feet of climbing, 5:10 moving time, 5:35 total time
NH 48 4000 footers #46 & 47
