Mount Pierce - NH

Ah the winter holidays.  Time for family, food, and showcasing my adorable kitty to my family!  And for those of us undeterred by frigid temperatures, it’s a perfect opportunity to hike.  So with a little cooperation from Mother Nature and some good timing between school vacations and work holiday, my faithful hiking companion Tim and I made for the White Mountains to knock another 4000’er off of the list.

The key to hiking in the winter is to be prepared.  It is always better to have some gear but not need it than need something and not having it.  As an example, on this hike, I brought a few extra pairs of socks.  While I did not need to use any, I was prepared if I had accidentally gotten snow in my boot, stepped in a giant puddle, or if my feet got too warm and started to sweat.  You should also bring a little extra food and water.  Because your body is trying to maintain its proper temperature, you burn more calories.  Finally, when hiking in the winter, you need to be smart.  This kind of coincides with being prepared.  When hiking in the winter, you probably should be wearing more than shorts and flip-flops.  Furthermore, the weather at the start of the trail could differ greatly from the weather at the summit.  Finally, if you have any doubts about your gear, your physical fitness, or the weather, it is probably in your best interest to turn around.  The mountain will still be there next time.

With my words of wisdom out of the way, time let you live vicariously through me!  Tim and I had mentioned hoping to hike around Christmas the last time we went hiking.  He was off of school for the holidays and I had a few days off.  It was just a matter of the weather… which turned out to be nearly perfect!  Mid-30’s with little to no wind at the base; about 20 with a few gusts and some clouds at the summit.  You can’t get much better than that!  We decided on Mt. Pierce, named after the greatest president of the United States of America from New Hampshire Franklin Pierce.  The trail we took, Crawford Path, is the oldest continuously used trail in the United States.  Because it was once a horse path used to bring supplies to the summit of Washington, the trail is a very moderate ascent covering roughly 3.1 miles with 2350’ elevation gain.  Unfortunately, cloud cover set in at about 4100’ leaving us with limited visibility from the summit.

Hiking in a Winter Wonderland!

Summit Selfie

Tim posing in front of Mt. Eisenhower (hidden by the clouds)

Izzy kitty!

At the summit, albeit still 10:45am, I enjoyed a delicious Wolaver’s Oatmeal Stout.  Wolaver’s is an organic brewery related to Otter Creek.  On a cold winter’s mountain top, I couldn’t have asked for a better beer.  This stout is smooth and about as close to black as a beer can be with hints of chocolate (and Wolaver’s description says coffee as well).  Nothing like a good, hearty stout to replenish some of the calories lost en route!

Mount Pierce
            Views – 3.5 (Some views during the climb; summit cloudy)
            Time –  4.5 (Less than 3 hours round trip!)
            Difficulty – 2 (Despite winter conditions, one of the easier hikes I have done)
            Beer – 5 (Wolaver’s Oatmeal Stout)
            Overall – 4.5 (Great winter hike)