Day 5: Tecumseh
Trails: Start Tripoli Rd. Traverse Mount Tecumseh Tr. Finish at Waterville Valley Ski Resort.
Distance: 5.42 mi, Elev Gain: 2408 ft, Book Time: 3:54, Actual Time: 3:00
On top of Tecumseh.
Thundershowers were forecast for the afternoon, so I left home at 4am, hoping to get up and back down before the rain. I drove to Waterville Valley Ski Resort, left the car in lot #6, and biked 5 miles on Tripoli Rd to the Mount Tecumseh Trailhead. I had to push my fixie up a couple of short, steep, dirt sections of the road. For the Presi Traverse, I'll do the bike shuttle on my SS MTB instead--lower gears for the uphills and I can coast the downhills.
I hit the trail at 7am, wearing the Eagle bandanna I found on Mt Hancock last weekend.
The trail up from Tripoli Rd was dirt covered with few rocks, so I took the rubber tips off my poles. I made good time--book to the summit is 2:43 and I did it in 1:45--but it was hot and humid and I sweated a ton.
On the way up, I saw 4 toads. On the way down, I saw 4 people.
The view of Moosilauke from the first of the three knobs on the way to the summit.
The White Mountain Guide alerted me to "a restricted but interesting north outlook" just before the summit.
A view of the Tripyramids from the summit. I plan to hike them next weekend.
A view of the Osceolas from the summit. I hiked them last weekend.
The Mount Techumseh Trail passes near this ski slope of Waterville Valley Ski Resort.
The upper part of the trail to the parking lot at Waterville Valley Ski Resort was the typical steep, rocky White Mountain trail. The lower part hada few nice stream crossings and far fewer rocks.
Three hours after I started hiking, I was back at the car, stripping off my sweat-soaked clothing and putting on a fresh t-shirt and shorts. I finished before the predicted thunderstorms but it poured on the drive back home. Four hours of driving for three hours of hiking, but it was worth it. I had to be home for book club tonight, but will be back in the mountains tomorrow for the rest of the 4-day Fourth of July weekend.
I drove back to the start of the hike to pick up my bike and then continued 5 miles on Tripoli Rd to I-93. There were scores of people camping in the woods on both sides of the dirt road. "The Tripoli Road Dispersed Camping Area offers a rustic, roadside,camping experience with no amenities. There are no formally developed sites, no potable water sources, and no fire rings or restroom facilities." Information on permits is at http://icampnh.com/about/tripoli-road/
I had lunch at The Cascade Coffeehouse in North Woodstock, a delicious BBQ sandwich and New England clam chowder. Sipping my coffee, I perused the photos and history contained in White Mountain Guide - A Centennial Retrospective. The trail guide we all depend on was first published in 1906; now I research my hikes in the 27th edition, published in 2003 (with the Bondcliff cover) before creating my custom route and cue sheet online at www.wmgonline.org.
I also discovered this lichen field guide I think Julie would enjoy.
I drove back to the start of the hike to pick up my bike and then continued 5 miles on Tripoli Rd to I-93. There were scores of people camping in the woods on both sides of the dirt road. "The Tripoli Road Dispersed Camping Area offers a rustic, roadside,camping experience with no amenities. There are no formally developed sites, no potable water sources, and no fire rings or restroom facilities." Information on permits is at http://icampnh.com/about/tripoli-road/
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