Trip report
Mt. Pemigewasset [Indian Head] Snowshoe
Hiking/Walk DATE: 01/21/2012 - 01/21/2012
Trip/Event Location: Lincoln, NH
US
Trip Leader(s): Gandalf , JDNnh
Max # People: 15
Trip Guiding / Event Fee: No, I will not be asking participants for money
Difficulty Level: Moderate
A moderate snowshoe climb up the Indian Head cliff nets us a panorama southward over the Pemigewasset River valley, with Mt. Wolf and Mt. Moosilauke looming to the southwest.
Almost 2 1/2 hours from ...Go up I-39 North and take Exit 34A. Take a right into the Flume Visitor Center. As you drive into the Flume Visitor Center, bear left to the north end parking area. We'll be driving a blue Toyota FJ Cruiser.
Trip Report/Photos
With four to six inches of fresh snow reported a day before, snow falling when we arrived, and low temps (11 degrees at the start), we expected a cold but interesting day. Mount Pemigewasset, at the south end of Franconia Notch, is the buttress for the Indian Head, whose impressive profile looks down upon the motels and restaurants along old US 3 and to I-93 curving to the south. Eleven GO members went to visit the summit on a wintery 21st day of January. The summit’s cliff-top also has views of peaks far and near. The mountain extends north from the cliffs forming the Indian Head and the trail to the top in the direction starts in the parking lot for the Flume Visitor Center. On this day, we found ice climbers preparing for their climb up frozen waterfalls inside the Flume and snowmobilers taking a break from riding. We chose the Mt. Pemigewasset Trail for our ascent, rather than the Indian Head Trail. Parking is never a problem with the Flume Visitor Center. The trail conditions from start to finish were perfect for snowshoes but one member was fine using MicroSpikes. There was lots of fresh snow with a 2-4 inch base and well packed from previous hikers. We saw a few animal prints here and there. Kevin led the way and while we hardly ever saw him, he said he was within listening distance from the group. When we arrived at the point where the Indian Head Trail comes in, there was not any recent evidence of hikers having used this trail. After the Indian Head Trail Junction, it was a hop, skip, and a jump to the top of the mountain. From the top, there are nice westward views towards Mount Wolf. To our left the ski trails on Loon Mountain east of Lincoln.
Walking upward to the left we stepped onto the lookout ledge for the Franconia Range. Dave got even by giving Rick a whitewash for a previous incident earlier on the trail and I could not help but get into the action! I think Rick likes having white stuff on his face J
From the south, the peaks are as follows: pointed Mount Flume and its massive slide, then somewhat nearer Mount Liberty, with its stepped rock summit; next is Little Haystack Mountain. The next is Mount Lincoln. Then comes the highest of them all, Mount Lafayette, and just to the left, the dome of North Lafayette.
After a break it was 3:30 PM and time to head down. As we descended we saw an awesome alpen glow of the Franconia Range. To sum it up, the trek to Mt. Pemigewasset is short (about 3-½ miles round-trip). But sometimes, big things come in small packages. I think this small hike provides a very "big bang for the buck"!
Thanks everyone. We had another good day in the mountains.
There are 45 photos in Album (Note: Move mouse pointer over larger pic and click on NEXT for better viewing)
What Members Are Saying About This Trip/Event
- Yet another very worthwhile hike, I'd never done before. Excellent afternoon out, Mike and Jon. Thanks! - shep5
- Awesome hike! That is a great trail for a beginner trip. Beautiful watching the amber sun reflecting off Franconia Ridge. Good friends, good food, great time! - WalkaboutBrian
|
|
||
shep5
Jan 24, 2012 at 8:28 AM
Comment: Yet another very worthwhile hike, I'd never done before. Excellent afternoon out, Mike and Jon. Thanks! 
WalkaboutBrian
Jan 23, 2012 at 8:14 PM
Comment: Awesome hike! That is a great trail for a beginner trip. Beautiful watching the amber sun reflecting off Franconia Ridge. Good friends, good food, great time! |
||
