This was a birthday weekend, so we were looking some weekend activities that might give us some time on a mountain, some fresh air, and would leave us a bit of time to have some “play” (relaxation) time.
Mt. Hale fit the bill perfectly. We chose the Hale Brook trail, round trip to Mt. Hale – 38th of the 48’s. Book time on the hike was 3:20, though other postings said as much as 4 hours or more. We decided on the hike, and tacked on an overnight stay at the Mt. Washington Resort – perfect!
The day arrived, with not a cloud in the sky. Last week’s rare snowstorm, dumping nearly a foot of very heavy snow in Mass and NH was a distant memory thanks to some warmer weather during the week.
We started out at the trail head a few minutes after 10AM and were on the summit just shy of 11:30. Initially, just leaves on the trail, about 1/2 up, we began to encounter some snow (and a little ice-covered rocks in the few small stream crossings).
At the summit, probably only 2-3 inches of the white stuff – not much, indeed, it made most of the hiking a bit easier having that little white cushioning beneath the shoes. Of course, it was also just cold enough to cause a little ice on some of the stream crossings – just enough to cause us both to take a step into the water!)
The hike down went quickly, not nearly as slippery as we’d thought heading up. Even so, we’d purchased some Trax for the hike – they did came in handy for the first portion of the descent.
Mt Hale doesn’t really have much for views at the summit – the trees around the rock pile just block out any views, but there were some really choice views of Mt. Washington and the Northern Presidential peaks on the way down. And with the leaves off the trees – it was a real treat.
We arrived back at the parking area in just 3 hours. All in all, a very “pleasant” hike – nearly a walk in the woods (but with a bit of elevation gain). The hike up, enough exertion to keep us plenty warm, the hike down, likewise.
Overall, the hike turned out to be exactly what we sought – some good outdoor time and not too strenuous – leaving us plenty of time to head to the Mt. Washington Resort (only a few miles from the trailhead) – a quick check in, followed by some very relaxing time in the spa!
The perfect birthday present!
