Prancing Up Peaked Mountain

The Fat Man and I decided to stay local and check out Peaked Mountain and Middle Mountain right here in Conway, NH.  If you bag both peaks, it's about 5.5 miles with an elevation gain of 1650.  Modest by New Hampshire standards, but whatever they put in the water here, it ain't available in New Jersey.

The trailhead starts on Thompson Road.  Take Route 16 to Conway, and turn onto Artists Falls Road (under the railroad track).  Then take a right onto Thompson Road.  The Pudding Pond parking area will be on your right.

Parking area sign

Road that leads to the trail

We met Jeff in the parking lot and he told us the views on Peaked Mountain were nicer, so we decided to hit that first.  The sign for the trail was easy to find. 

First signpost

While I was getting my gear together, this noisy squirrel made it known that he was not happy about me being in his space.  I told him to chill and that we'd be gone in a minute.

Nasty little bugger

When you get to the telephone pole, you will be tempted to go the right, but don't.  As you can see, the road forks and the correct path is to the left.  

Don't go to the right

Stay left at the fork in the road

The trail starts off quite nice with a few minor ups and downs.  I was feeling chipper, and thinking the trail was going to be forgiving the whole way, I jogged on the ups, which was something I regretted later.

Pretty woods trail

Very well-marked trail

At the next signpost, we joined the Black Cap Connector Trail, which can take you all the way out to Hurricane Road.  Black Cap Mountain is a little-known gem here in Conway, and going this way would certainly add some extra mileage to that hike.  But Hurricane Road is an experience in itself.  It is the closest thing to a roller coaster via automobile.

Gentle climbs

For most of the way, we were on a woodland road.  It was a cool day, which was lovely.

More of the trail

When you get to the next sign post, you take a right and the next mile to the summit is all uphill.  Most of the way you are on a dirt trail until you get to the ledges, which are less steep than other trails up here.  It is certainly a good workout.  I'm sure the natives probably jog up this hill, but they don't have good bagels here, so that explains everything.

Hang a right here

Get ready to feel the burn

Just when you think you must be close to the top, this sign reminds you that you've really only gone a little more than halfway. 

Cough up a lung from here on

When you get to the first ledge, it feels like a summit, but there are actually a few false summits, so just keep going.  

Mount Cranmore from the false summit

The views from the false summits are quite lovely, especially on a clear and sunny day.

View from the ledges

Great views for modest effort

The big W (Mount Washington)

At the next ledge we found this memorial stone.  While it looks like a good place to stop, keep going.

The path continues to climb to the summit and gets a little gnarly with tree roots in one section.  At this point, the Fat Man announced that we would also climb Middle Mountain.  I didn't say anything, knowing that we still had a long way to go.

Getting closer to the summit

At long last, we arrived at the summit.  It affords 360 degree views of Conway, Middle Mountain, and Mount Washington from the backside.  

View of Middle Mountain from Peaked Mountain summit

We were the only ones there, which made for a lovely lunch.  Within the half hour, we were joined by four other folks, including Jeff, who bagged both summits (overachiever).  He didn't have an ounce of fat on him.  

Time for some lunch and sun

We took the connector trail down, which wasn't too steep.  Like our descent down White Ledges, my knees were starting to hurt.  Despite joining a gym (and actually going to it), nothing prepares you for hiking than hiking.  What goes up, must come down, which is why I don't like to climb too high. Perhaps if we move here and drink the water long enough, we too will gain super hiking powers.  

When we reached the trail for Middle Mountain, the Fat Man announced that maybe we wouldn't climb it after all.  I just smiled to myself, reveling in my vindication.  Any hike that doesn't end with a hissy fit is a plus in my book.  Since I've been planning most our hikes this leg of our journey, so they have been very pleasant.  

Starting our descent

This was a real gem of a hike that afforded fabulous views without having to climb too high.  We will definitely come back and do Middle Mountain at some point.  

Heidi's rating:★★★★★ Great views and great workout.
The Fat Man's rating: 5 Kit Kat bars.

Arethusa (Water) Falls

The Fat Man and I had intended to climb Arethusa Falls yesterday, but when we reached the parking lot the skies opened up and it poured.  The Weather Channel app said there was 0% chance of precipitation.  If you can't trust the Weather Channel, whom can you trust for your immediate weather needs?  

Limmer Boots

We ended up taking the cog railway up to the summit of Mount Washington.  If you are one of the 5% of people who suffer from acrophobia (fear of heights), use the cost of the ticket ($62) to get a half-hour massage at the Mount Washington Hotel or a combination manicure/pedicure in town.  Trust me on this one.

Limmer boot fitting

Before setting out, we stopped at Limmer and Sons, the custom shoemaker.  The Fat Man ordered a pair of their hand-made boots a little over 12 months ago, but there's a waiting list of 18 months before they even start making your boots.  Today he just had his foot outline traced.  They are expensive (about $800), but that's the cost of having a boot made just for your tootsies.

There is a lower and upper parking lot at the start of the Arethusa Falls trail.  You can save yourself a hump up the hill by parking in the upper lot.  There's an outhouse with a no-frills, open-holed crapper by the lower parking lot.  It was a far cry from the pristine toilets I had grown accustomed to at Mount Willard and The Lincoln Woods Trail.   

Top of Arethusa Falls

Like Black Cap and Mount Willard, the 1,000 foot elevation gain on the Arethusa Falls Trail was steady, but gradual.  There were some sections that were a big step up (if you are under 5'2"), but still doable.

Tree root ankle twisters

Arethusa Falls Trail

Unlike our disappointment with the underwhelming Franconia Falls, Arethusa Falls is a very impressive waterfall.  In fact, at more than 200 feet high, it is the tallest waterfall in New Hampshire.  

Click on the sound file below to hear the powerful falls for yourself.

 
Arethusa Falls by Heidi and The Fat Man
 

Arethusa Falls Trail

You can also click on the Fat Man's Mantra sound file (below) to hear his directive when you are starting to get weary on the trail.  He is quite the taskmaster.

On the trip back, we took the Bemis Brook Trail, which eventually brings you back to the Arethusa Falls Trail.  It was only an extra half mile, but it was a steep descent and the trail was largely covered with exposed root trees.  If you like that kind of thrill, go for it.  While the view of the Fawn Pool was impressive, I would avoid it next time.


Fat Man's Mantra by Heidi and The Fat Man


The gliede (the guidebook that lies) said it was a "pleasant walk," but I have learned that the authors of these guidebooks are seasoned hikers.  What's easy for them is moderate for the Fat Man and I.  Perhaps when we get stronger and lose more weight, we will be able to climb higher and longer.

Speaking of losing weight, today we decided to take pictures of our bellies as a baseline to track our progress.

My belly baseline

The Fat Man's belly baseline

We hope to share much flatter abdomens in the near future.  My goal is to lose 10-15 pounds.  The Fat Man hopes to drop 10 pounds.  As I am writing this he is eating warm apple crisp with Hagen Daz vanilla bean ice cream.  Truth be told, I ate two large pieces of chocolate from the Bavarian Chocolate Haus in North Conway and am feeling somewhat remorseful.

Heidi's rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ What a majestic waterfall!
The Fat Man's rating: 4 Snickers bars

Black Cap Bonanza

This morning the Fat Man presented two hiking options: Arethusa Falls (3 miles, 1,000 feet elevation gain) or Mount Willard (3.2 miles, 900 feet elevation gain).  Both were immediately rejected and I presented him with two new options: Black Cap (2.2 miles, 650 feet elevation gain) or Bald Mountain and Artist’s Bluff (1.5 miles, 550 feet elevation gain). 

Black Cap was accepted and we made some sandwiches (turkey and Swiss cheese again), loaded up Horace the Honda with our gear, and sped off.  

On the Black Cap Trail

Black Cap is a gem of a mountain that is frequented by many locals from the Conway, New Hampshire region.  It is one of the few hikes that the gliede (the guidebook that lies) gets right because you have one of the finest vistas in the White Mountains for relatively little effort. 

You cut out most of the elevation by driving up Hurricane Mountain Road, which is long, windy, and narrow.  It is an adventure in itself, especially on the ride down.  Save your brakes by putting your car in low gear.  Pray that no one comes up the hill because in certain spots there isn’t much room to spare and there is no shoulder.

Rock ledges on the climb

The ascent on the Black Cap Trail is gradual, so you only cough up half a lung on the way up.  We use hiking sticks (“four points of contact are better than two,” the Fat Man always says), which I recommend to hikers of all skill levels.  They are especially helpful on your descent.

It only took us 45 minutes to reach the summit from the starting point, which takes you through spruce trees in Conway State Forest.

 Close to the Black Cap Trail summit

You can pick up a trail map from a little kiosk about half a mile up, which is good to have on hand.  The wind was slightly breezy and cool on this crisp September day (it can get very windy up there).  We were able to see Mount Washington in the distance, Chocorua, and the Conway valley.  We had the mountain totally to ourselves for a good 30 minutes, just enough time for the Fat Man to take a snooze.

Summit of Black Cap Trail

The Fat Man snoozing

The big boulders on the final leg of the trail may be a little steep for severely vertigo-challenged climbers, especially on the way down. You can take a little side path — the spur of the Black Cap Connector Trail — instead.  We did the rock scramble both up and down and it was truly a delightful little jaunt.

Heidi’s rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Gain with no pain.

The Fat Man’s rating: ★ ★ ★ and mild pulmonary edema.