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Pinkham's Grant, NH, Bean's Grant, NH
Trailheads, measurements, times, distances, and maps are all approximate and relative to the hike(s) as shown below.
Upper Polecat to Wildcat D
After reinjuring my knee jogging (stepped in a hole, doh), I took some time off. Finally, with a decent weather forecast for once, I took the afternoon off from work and headed up to Wildcat. Not wanting to deal with a water crossing or 3 extra miles of rocky trail, I decided to ascend via the ski area.
Seeing that there had been some vehicular traffic on it, I decided to take the easy Polecat trail up to the top of the ski area. Though hiking ski trails can be boring and hot, Polecat is a very scenic trail - covered in wall to wall wildflowers in many parts. With the exception of a crossover trail I took to save time, the ascent was moderate at best - a fairly easy first hike back in action after over a week of inactivity.
Despite the gondola being open, the ski area summit was fairly quiet. As always (when clear), the views were excellent.
I then took the short, steep ascent up to Wildcat D to discover the lookout tower was roped off. Without this, there are no views from the actual summit (though there are a few lookouts nearby). Seeing that the stairway was stable (the deck looks like hell, but there are some new boards nearby), I decided to take a few steps up as to actually see something (strong views of Mt. Washington).
The hike to Wildcat C seemed to take forever - you're dropped into the ravine near Thompson Brook for a short spell, before ascending up to C. There are a few moderate views from near the top of C, looking back toward D and at Mt. Washington. Not being an official peak, it's hard to determine when you're actually there - I wasn't sure of its location until my return trip.
A few more rocky dips brought me to Wildcat B, which again seemed to take forever, despite only being 15 minutes. With the exception of a directional view just after the summit, there are no views to be had. This view made Wildcat A seem far off, however it was in reality only 10 minutes away.
I didn't realize I was on Wildcat A until the view appeared right in front of me - and what a few it is - looking straight into Carter Notch, as well as points to the north and south.
After talking to a few AT thru-hikers, I decided to head back, taking some time to figure out where the B and C highpoints were. Soon enough, I was back to the ski area.
Descending down Polecat became a bit painful, as my knee pain from the jogging injury crept back up. Arriving in the base area, the gondola had just been shut off. 18 and 19 done.
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The end (beginning) of Lower Polecat next to the summit chairlift/gondola
Looking west at Mt. Washington from Wildcat D
Wildcat Ridge Trail to Wildcat C from Wildcat D
Wildcat Ridge Trail to Wildcat C
Looking west at Mt. Washington from Wildcat C
Wildcat Ridge Trail to Wildcat B from Wildcat C
Wildcat Ridge Trail to Wildcat B
Looking north at Wildcat A from near the Wildcat B summit
Wildcat Ridge Trail to Wildcat A from Wildcat B
Wildcat Ridge Trail to Wildcat A
Looking northeast from Wildcat A
Back to Wildcat D Profile
Back to Wildcat C Profile
Back to Wildcat B Profile
Back to Wildcat A Profile
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