Jacob didn’t come to NH last year (2019). So it was disappointing that he and I didn’t get a chance to get some other peaks under our belt. In 2019 we didn’t stay on Squam Lake for the first time since they were born. There was an issue with getting the house and his friend Trey wasn’t coming up so I think he felt he had more fun things to do in Florida. In hindsight he should have come up. You don’t need the lake and a friend to enjoy your family and the other treasures of NH…though he did spend a week with Aunt Beth, Aunt Jamie, Tiffany, and Madison when they were down for Bahamas.

This year he came up for 5 of the 10 days we were in NH. We ended up staying at Beth’s house this year because it was last minute decision with the Covid pandemic going on. It turned out to be a great time with us enjoying the local sites around Campton (Bebe River, Perch Pond, Pemi kayaking, horseback riding, hiking into Squam Lake, blueberry picking, family dinners, etc).

Jacob got a chance to spend time with Gram and Gramp and helped him on his property playing with all his machinery toys and helping Eddie clean up form Isaias storm and prepare for Kurt O’Connel party.

He was up for doing a hike this year so we picked Moosilaukee because it was a moderate day hike and would be perfect for a clear cool day. I was worried whether I would be in shape to climb it as I had done the Welch-Dickey loop 4 days prior with Jennifer and was still sore and had a knee discomfort. A couple of Advils and this turned out to be a non-issue especially since Jacob carried the day pack with the water and snacks 3/4 of the way.

The Appalachian Trail (AT) is 2186 mi long and 161 mi of it goes through N.H. Jacob and I had already hiked a number of its sections in the previous 29 4000-footers we had climbed, including Lincoln, Lafayette, Garfield, S. Twin, Jackson, Wildcats A & D, Carter Dome, South Carter, and Middle Carter. The only other ones that the AT actually traverses are North and South Kinsman which we will do in 2022. 100 miles of the AT is within the White Mountain National Forest (WMNF) and Moosilaukee is the first of the 4000-footers that the North Bound AT hikers will encounter, followed by South and North Kinsman. The Carriage Trail section of this hike we would do is part of the AT.

We did this hike on a Thursday which was 2 days after the Hurricane Isaias decided to come into New England which we had just escaped from the previous Friday. While Grafton County in NH as under flash flood warning and we expected to see huge increases in river water levels, it didn’t materialize because the storm went more west into Vermont. The winds were another issue and caused us to be without power in Campton for 2 days. While there were a couple of blowdowns on the Moosilaukee hike the rivers we crossed were not high and the trails were dry.

I woke up early because I had been up the previous night fretting about the hike and reading the hiking trip logs. I was especially worried about adding another 2 miles to the hike since the Dartmouth Ravine Lodge (rebuilt in 2017) that is at the base of the trails was closed because of Covid. This meant the road was blocked and you had to hike 3/4 mile from the winter road gate and even further if you got there late and had to park much further down the road with the only parking being single file along the road. NH was inundated with tourists not only because it was height of season but Covid had driven everyone out of the cities and away from their lock downs.

I got up at 5:30 am left the house at 6:05 am. It was a cool clear morning which meant we would be lucky for the hike up beating the heat that would come later in the day. We only had one day pack with 1/2 gallon of water each which ended up being more than enough since we hydrated heavily before leaving car. A few snacks was the only other thing were were carrying.

I took I-93 up to Lincoln and the Kancamagus exit then West on 118/112. It really is a remote area but I didn’t realize how close the mountain was and I’m sure you could see it from Campton. It was 45 minute drive but maybe 30 miles. We got to the road gate at 6:50 and were the third car there. I was relieved that we wouldn’t be hiking any more extra than the 3/4 mile to Ravine Lodge.

Jacob and I had some good conversations on our hike. We talked a little bit about a summer physics book assignment, past hiking trips, future college plans, and other miscellaneous topics that made for great father-son conversation.

We started up the gravel road at 6:58 am and it took 15 minutes to cover the 3/4 mile and get to the lodge and the trail head. Along side the road were a lot of raspberries and wild flowers. It was a cool 50 degrees with Jacob and I both wearing a long sleeve shirt over a t-shirt.

The Gorges Brook dumps into the Baker River that flows to Plymouth and then dumps to the Pemigewasset River. We started up the Gorges Brook trail at 7:13 am for the 3.7 mile hike to the summit. The trail crosses the Gorges brook a couple of times and is mostly in the woods except for the last 1/2 mile. We only saw one person on the entire hike up and that was a guy and his dog at the very beginning who were running. We got to the top at 9:04 am  for a 1:50 hour hike. We didn’t stop very much and had a good pace working up a sweat. The summit of Moosilaukee is at 4802 ft and the Ravine Lodge and trail head is at 2460 feet.

When we got to the top there was a father and two kids already there. They had come up from the other side and had camped at a shelter the previous night. There commented they were from Connecticut and that their home was still without power and the storm has caused the worse loss of power in Conn. history. Jacob and I only drank a pint of water each on way up because we had hydrated and it was cool out keeping the sweating reduced. You could see the remnants of an old hotel (foundation) that had been there years ago.

They views were fantastic. We spent 40 minutes taking it all in and having a snack. You could see Vermont and the Connecticut River Valley clear as day to the West, Squam and Winnipesaukee to the South and East, and the Presidential Range to the East and North.

As we started down a guy was running up from the loop trail we would start down (Carriage Road), he passed up and 30 seconds later he passed us again after tapping the top of the mountain. Looked like he was just running up the mountain for a morning workout:)

The Carriage Tr is part of the Appalachian Trail. We were on it for 2.0 miles but didn’t see any Thru Hikers. 2.0 miles down we left the Carriage Tr turning onto the Snapper Tr which would loop us back to the Gorges Brook Tr we started on. We got back to the Gorges Brook Tr at 11:05 am for 1:20 time looping back. In another 17 minutes we were back at Ravine Lodge at 11:22 am. The total hiking time for the Gorges Brook 7.5 mile loop was (R/T to Ravine Lodge) was 3:27 with an elevation gain of 2342 ft.  An additional 0:25 was spent walking the gravel road back to the parked car.

There was a very large number of cars parked along the road where we started in the morning and the skies were clouding up. I was very glad we started early, didn’t see but a couple people, enjoyed the cooler weather, and got the views of a clear sky.

We continued on 112 to take the longer route back. Over to Warren, then Wentworth, Rumney, and Plymouth. Essentally following the South side of the Baker River. Moosilaukee is prominent along the drive. Stopped at the farm stand on fairgrounds road in Plymouth to get some excellent tacos at the food truck.

This was a fantastic hike to see how much my son is growing up and maturing. Proud dad!