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Mt. Tecumseh (West Peak)
Waterville Valley, NH
Trailheads, measurements, times, distances, and maps are all approximate and relative to the hike(s) as shown below.
Looking up the Mt. Tecumseh Trail
Route: Mt. Tecumseh Trail, herd path trail, Mt. Tecumseh Trail, (Mt. Tecumseh West Peak), Mt. Tecumseh Trail
Lead up to and including Friday, the weather forecasts for Saturday looked great - mostly sunny. Suddenly, Friday night and then Saturday morning, the forecast went from mostly sunny to mostly cloudy with thunderstorms. Absolutely rediculous. Here we have people claiming global warming is 100% fact, yet we can't even get an accurate weather forecast 12 hours out. I'm not sold.
Anyhow, the forecast seemed to show the bulk of the activity holding off until later in the afternoon. As a result, I decided to do a quick hike up Bald Mountain near Chocorua. Arriving at the Hammond Trail trailhead, my vehicle was immediately surrounded by deer flies - and they followed me the entire way back to Route 16 - no way was I going to deal with this.
My next idea was to hike Mt. Tecumseh via Tripoli Road.
The first part of the Tecumseh Trail was fairly gradual. For a few moments, some light even broke through the clouds. After awhile, the trail steepened up a bit (still, nothing really that steep), before suddenly becoming rocky and steep.
Reaching the top of the ridge of West Tecumseh, I took a right turn onto a herd path to what looked to be a viewpoint (I could see some silhouettes of mountains, but that was about it).
As I returned to the trail and continued along the ridge, I started to hear rumbling, which I determined to be to the northwest. Watching the radar and satellites earlier in the day, I could see cells were trending southeast rather than northeast. I spent a few minutes pacing back and forth - I'd start to turn back, not hear any thunder for a few minutes, turn forward, hear it again, stop a bit, etc. I should have been taping myself, as it would have been humourous. Finally, I decided to bag it and call it a day. Perhaps not a bad idea, either, as there were a few closer strikes as I descended, and, as I arrived at the parking lot, a heavy downpour started (and continued for perhaps half an hour, as I headed to Lincoln). I didn't pay much attention to finding the highpoint at the top of the ridge (apparently a short herd path), but I must have been fairly close to it.
| Hike Ratings |
|
Getting To Trailhead: |
Easy |
| Destination: |
Mt. Tecumseh (West Peak) |
|
Length: |
Moderate |
|
Steepness: |
Difficult |
|
Navigation: |
Easy |
|
Views: |
Minimal (due to weather) |
|
Crowds: |
Minimal |
|
| Hike Stats |
|
Date Hiked: |
Saturday, July 19, 2008 |
| Hike Commenced: |
11:44 AM |
| Parking Elevation: |
1,820' |
| Destination: |
Mt. Tecumseh (West Peak) |
| Ascent Commenced: |
11:44 AM |
| Summit Reached: |
12:52 PM |
| Time Elapsed: |
01:08 |
| Trailhead Elevation: |
1,820' |
| Summit Elevation: |
3,760' |
| Vertical Gain: |
1,970' |
|
|
| Hike Ended: |
2:03 PM |
| Hike Time Elapsed: |
02:19 |
| Hike Vertical Gain: |
2,050' |
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The Mt. Tecumseh Trail trailhead, just off Tripoli Road
Wet berries on the side of the Mt. Tecumseh Trail
The very hazy view from the Mt. Tecumseh West Peak viewpoint
Directions to trailhead: Take Route 49 into Waterville Valley. Take a left onto Tripoli Road, bear right at a junction near the ski area, continue past the height of land. The Mt. Tecumseh Trail trailhead and WMNF fee parking area will be a few minutes down the road on the left.
Back to Mt. Tecumseh (West Peak) Profile
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