Sunday River WC

September 16, 2012

Sunday River Whitecap has to be, (I've said this before), my all time favorite Small Mountain. For a half day hike, it offers gorgeous views, extensive above treeline exposure and great wildlife viewing opportunities. I introduced a friend to it today and he was taken by this little charmer of a mountain as well.  At 45 minutes, the drive up route 26 is shorter for me than all of the 4000 footers in New Hampshire and most of the trails to similar sized mountains in Maine. The added advantage is the solitude.
The trail we hiked is an unofficial “bushwhack” from Grafton Notch.  It begins on Rt. 26 on a dirt road which it follows for about a mile. It then leaves the road and ascends to the Grafton Loop Trail via an old overgrown road that has been in pretty much steady use for at least 25 years. I had tried on three previous occasions to locate the path and in 2011 finally located it and marked its location on my GPS.
Larry picked me up at 7:00 and we made the drive to the parking area.  The road was gated so we walked the mile to the actual start of the trail. The first quarter-mile is steep but it then moderates as you turn left on a side road. As I said, I had a waypoint for the beginning of the trail and that saved us time because it is unsigned and rather obscure. We started up and soon saw tracks of a moose, made this morning. I was hoping we would catch a glimpse of him but it was not to be. As it was, the vegetation along the trail is so high and close to the trail, you couldn’t have seen it, had it been thirty feet away. Last time I had only followed the lower portion of the trail and that in winter so it looked very different. Clearly  maintained by someone, the trail climbs, steeply at first and then moderately. A mile on, it intersects the Grafton Loop Trail at the northern end of the saddle that connects Slide Mountain and Sunday River Whitecap. Turning Left on the trail, we crossed the saddle and then began climbing the Northeast shoulder of the mountain. About twenty minutes after hitting the GLT, we got our first Views of the day and stopped for a rest and a snack. The view is East over the area that encompasses the East side of the Grafton Loop trail and the mountains it traverses, East and West Baldpate, Long and Puzzle.

We continued on and I began to hear voices on the mountain above us.  We soon met two guys in their twenties, who were completing the loop. They had stayed a Sargent Brook campsite last night. We had a nice chat with them and then moved along. The views, as always were amazing. To the North, Old Speck

 and Grafton Notch draw you in. Climbing higher, the Mahoosuc range comes into view to the west. And finally, West South West, the Presidentials and Carter Baldface Range appear. At the top there are 360 degree views and today the weather was clear so we could see to the horizon.

Nearing the summit, the wind was howling. Thirty-five to forty miles per hour it was blowing and at 49 degrees, it was cold. We put on nearly every piece of clothing we had in our packs and were both wishing for gloves. We spent about ten minutes at the top, enjoying the scenery and taking photos. Soon, we headed down and as we did, the wind seemed to strengthen and since I’d decided to use hiking poles on the way down, My hands were freezing. We hustled down the trail to a spot that was sheltered from the wind, sat and had a lunch. 
We continued down the Grafton Loop trail to the saddle. At first I was keeping an eye out for the bushwhack trail then, engaged in conversation, I  suddenly realized I didn’t recognize the section on trail we were on. A quick look at the GPS revealed, we had gone past the junction. We retraced our steps a few yards to find the correct course. I kept hoping we’d see some wildlife. About halfway down, we heard a  rustling in the bushes and saw three young partridge, just able to fly scurrying out of the way. Onward and downward, we went, soon getting back to the road leading to the vehicle.  We walked down and headed home.
When asked recently, what my favorite 4000 footer has been, I thought for a moment and replied, “My favorite is not  4000 feet high, it’s Sunday River Whitecap.”  Short hike?, close to home?, phenomenal views?, no crowds? What’s not to like?