I have been looking forward to doing this backpack for a long time. I managed to combine three of my favorite hiking categories, moonlight hikes, hikes to fire towers and backpacking. Kearsarge North, just outside North Conway, New Hampshire is ideally suited to this combination. The trail is only three miles, it is not technically difficult and there is a fire tower at the top that is both open and big enough to sleep in.
I talked to Chris, who often hikes with me and he was onboard. This would be my fourth trip up the mountain, my second in winter so I felt familiar enough with the trail to try it at night. Due to it’s proximity to North Conway and the relative ease of the trail and the very attractive, accessible fire tower at the top we felt the trail would be well packed.
We got to the trail head parking lot about 5:00 and discovered one car with NH plates parked there.
We got our boots and gaiters on and after a couple of pictures at the sign, we headed off. Since sunset is about 5:15 we still had nearly 45 minutes of light left but we kept the headlamps near at hand. I knew the 18th was date of the full moon but I was not sure of the time it would rise or what the cloud cover would be. We were both prepared for full dark with two headlamps apiece and extra batteries. As the sun went down and night settled in Chris turned on his headlamp and I, as long as I stayed close, was able to see well enough without.
Since the trail is so accessible, many people use it and many do not use snowshoes. Today’s temperatures warmed up the snow and softened the trail to the point that with heavy packs, we needed snowshoes. Many people who did not use snow shoes, chopped up the trail to the point that it was uneven and hard to walk on in places. We made our way up the trail to the point where it makes a left turn to the lower ledges. I saw what I thought was a headlamp coming down toward us. We got to where I thought I’d seen it and Moses the Hiking dog, looking off trail, started growling and barking. I started looking around and saw fresh deer tracks headed off in the direction he was looking. I realized, what I had seen was these deer, several of them, between us and the rising moon giving the illusion of a moving light. I bet we gave them a surprise! We continued up the trail to the beginning of the lower ledges and started to get some views of Mount Cranmore, lit up for night skiing. The lights of North Conway were soon in view as well.
As we hiked along the moon rose to fully illuminate the ledges and we were able to see without lights for a few of the more open stretches.
After the ledges, the trail ducks back into the woods on the Northwest side of the mountain and climbs gradually to the ridge which connects it with Bartlett Mountain to the West. Since the Moon was on the East side, we both used headlamps for this section. Soon enough we were on the last push to the summit, the fire tower and dinner. Since it was nearly 9:00 food was on my mind and long overdue. I turned off my headlamp and negotiated the last several hundred feet to the top in full, magnificent moonlight. I threw down my pack and removed my snowshoes. Grabbing up my pack, I headed up the stairs to the Tower cab. As I gained the deck I realized, there was someone there ahead of us.
A couple from southern New Hampshire had set up a small tent inside the fire tower, really not sure why unless for privacy. We set up both stoves, Chris to heat water for drinks and me to cook dinner. On the menu was Parmesan Noodles with Chicken.
I had cooked the chicken at home so all I had to do was cook the noodles for 5 minutes and adding the chicken at the end to heat it through. I let it sit for a few minutes to thicken the sauce and we dove in. I think I could have eaten the whole thing myself but split it with Chris and then ate a bagel which I’d intended to munch on, on the ride over. We also had a dessert of Summit Bars, Chris had made the day before. We melted some snow to have water ready in the morning.
The wind which had been steadily rising all evening had reached a fairly steady 30 miles per hour with gusts at 40-45. I made a couple of trips outside to walk around the deck and enjoy the full moon views. The whole landscape was lit up and with the snow reflecting it made the lakes stand out and the Presidential Range was bathed in light, standing out in remarkable detail. I wished for a camera capable of capturing the awesome sight. My attempts were woefully inadequate. On the windward side, I had to hold on to the railing to keep from being blown around. Winds were below the velocity required to
knock you down but walking was akin to being a drunken sailor. Inside, we laid out our sleeping pads and bags and made ready for the night. We crawled in our bags and I thought I’d sleep well since I had been up since 4:30 AM and it was now 11:00 PM. Sleep was slow to come though. The wind seemed to ratchet up a notch and now besides that sound there was a rhythmic thumping as some of the underpinning of the tower flexed in the wind. There are four very stout cables that anchor the building to the ground and there were points where I doubted their ability to do the job. With each strong gust, you could feel the tower move a bit as it strained against it’s earthly tethers. I may have dozed a bit but found no sleep until the wee hours. I heard the couple stirring, getting up to go out and do their business. Chris got up to do the same and I decided I might as well make it unanimous. I discovered then that the woman was smoker and when she didn’t come back in with her husband, I looked out to see her standing in that crazy wind having a smoke! Such is the strength of nicotine addiction. I pulled on my puffy down jacket and a knit hat, gloves and down booties and made my way out into the still howling wind. To my surprise it really wasn’t that cold, perhaps 25 degrees but the wind was biting. I hurried through my chore and climbed back up the stairs and into the tower. After that the wind subsided a bit or exhaustion took over because I finally got to sleep.
When I woke up it was full daylight, about 6:30. Within a few minutes everyone was stirring and we got on with the business of getting coffee water heating and breakfast started. Chris was the breakfast cook and was making pancakes. He made them from scratch and had actually carried an egg and a cup of milk to add to the mix. The views this morning while not bad, were nothing like they were during the night. The Presidentials were socked in and in fact it had snowed a bit in the night.
We leisurely packed up, reflecting on how different it would have been to do it after having spent a night in a tent. The wind was still blow pretty hard. With a couple of parting photos we headed down the mountain.
Our hike down was uneventful. We met more than twenty people on their way up and couldn’t help noticing the wide range of appropriate gear or lack there-of. One guy had crampons on and an ice ax strapped to his pack. This was total overkill as there were no places where there was more ice than you could easily step over and no wind packed snow or exposure to a fall that would warrant this equipment. What he should have had but didn’t was snowshoes. Many people did not have snowshoes and the trail was bound to be more chewed up as a result. Then there was the couple who had no pack, no water, nothing. In summer, no problem. Fall and Spring, depends on the weather. Doing a three mile hike in winter requires a pack, period. Snacks, extra clothing, map, compass, water and a few other essentials should be in there. If you are immobilized for any time in winter, hypothermia will quickly become your enemy. A slip and fall with a badly sprained ankle, if there is no one else around can become life threatening. There are volumes written about winter hiking. Read up people!
