Hiking up Rumford Whitecap

It's true when people say that the height of a mountain doesn't matter when it comes to scenery. A good example of this is Rumford Whitecap, a small mountain with a height of 2,202 feet. The mountain is part of the Mahoosuc Land Trust, alongside mountains like Old Speck and Goose Eye. The mountain offers expansive views looking toward several notable peaks.

Looking northeast.

We arrived at the trailhead for the Red/Orange Trail, a well traversed path leading to the summit with few junctions. The trail was packed down, and easy to follow. It started easy, and after a continuous incline, it flattened, only to  wind up the mountainside.

Looking up the trail.

As we climbed higher and higher up the mountain, the snow began to get deep, with a maximum height of around three to four feet. The trail was still easy to follow, and it became evident of the true depth of the snow, as several signs and blazes were nearly engulfed in snow.

Is this the new trail? Maybe...

The forest began to open up, as the trail brought us over several snow-covered ledges, with minimal views. This didn't last long, as we were soon awarded with beautiful views looking back down the trail. The untouched snow off the trail added to the beauty of the mountain.

Looking southwest toward the Evans Notch area.

Continuing up the trail.

Looking ahead we could see the trail wind through the snow. We soon found ourselves atop the mountain, with some of the most incredible views from a mountain of this height. There were views in every direction, looking out to the Mahoosuc Range, the Rangeley area, and the Weld area.

Looking to Puzzle Mountain, with Sunday River ski area clearly visible in the distance.

Old Speck framed between Puzzle Mountain and Long Mountain.

Some notable summits that are visible include Puzzle Mountain, Old Speck, Baldpate Mountain, Old Blue, Saddleback Mountain, The Horn, Tumbledown Mountain, Black Mountain, Mt.Zircon, Caribou Mountain, and many more. Many of these peaks were beautifully snow dusted.

A wider view of the Mahoosuc Range.

Black Mountain can be seen to the right, with peaks like Tumbledown and Saddleback visible.

Mt.Zircon can be seen in the foreground. The distant bald mountain is Speckled Mountain (Peru).

Looking toward Tumbledown Mountain (right) and Saddleback Mountain and The Horn to the left.

The skies were clear, and the views were incredible. The view of Old Blue and Saddleback Mountain were most impressive, as both appeared towering above the surrounding landscape, completely snow-capped.

Old Blue Mountain

Saddleback Mountain and The horn can be seen beyond the wind turbines.

Tumbledown Mountain, Little Jackson, and Jackson Mountain.

The winds were whipping at us, and we eventually left the summit and began down the mountain. This peak is certainly worth the little effort it takes to reach the summit. With a packed down trail in the winter, this mountain certainly makes for one of the best winter hikes in Maine.

Moxie Falls in the Winter

Moxie Falls is an impressive drop along Moxie Stream. The primary drop exceeds 90 feet, making it one of New England's tallest waterfalls. Many people visit these falls in spring and summer, but the falls are a completely different story in the winter.

The impressive drop of Moxie Falls.

Before we hiked to the falls, we drove around the small village of Lake Moxie. The town center was host to a few houses, a garage, a helipad, and possibly a meetinghouse. The area was completely desolate and silent, with the exception of the constant noise of the water passing through the dam on Moxie Stream. There were also pleasant views over to Mosquito Mountain and Moxie Bald Mountain, which is situated across Moxie Pond.

Welcome to Lake Moxie!

Another building in the center of town.

Mosquito Mountain towering above Moxie Pond.

Moxie Bald Mountain

Now, it was time to hike to the falls. The trail was busy, and the snow was high, but the trail was packed down and easy to follow. The path is a mile to the falls, and it made for easy walking. The trail then dropped us into the boardwalk area, which is home to several viewing decks looking out to the river.

Looking up Moxie Stream.

After continuing down the trail, we found ourselves at an impressive view of the towering falls. Large formations of ice framed the water as it loudly crashed into more icy masses below. After the drop, Moxie Stream continued to flow down a steep, craggy ravine, lined with several enormous icicles.

Moxie Falls. Notice the blue ice in the bottom right.

A closer look.

While these falls were impressive, they only marked the beginning of our three day excursion to Maine. If your in the area on a hot summer day, or even a cold, chilling winter morning, then you should definitely visit these falls, and the quaint town of Lake Moxie.

Sunrise from Mt.Monadnock

A new month, a new sunrise! It's finally time to strap on the snow boots and climb up Mt.Monadnock, a classic hike known for it's scenery and convenient proximity to cities like Boston and Manchester. While the mountain easily gets crowded on a pleasant summer day, less hikers can be found around the mountain on an early morning in the midst of winter. The sunrise from here is delightful, along with all other sites along the slopes of the mountain.

The sunrise from the cairn below the summit.

This is our second attempt of achieving a sunrise from Mt.Monadnock this month. Last weekend, we awoke very early in hopes of being rewarded with a pleasant sunrise, but clouds limited our visibility, and the sun stuck around for about a minute. While some people may take this as a failed hike, we took it as an invitation to come back for another.

The sunrise from our first attempt.

Early in the morning, my dad and I found ourselves at the Mt.Monadnock Headquarters, the trailhead for White Dot Trail, the most well trodden route to the summit. The lower reaches of the trail lacked in snow and ice. Almost the entire trail was bare of snow, only on the uppermost bald slopes of the mountain there were some hefty patches of ice.

Eventually, we arrived at the large cairn just below the summit, which made for our viewpoint of the sunrise. The sky began to light up, as several others continued up to the windy summit. Minutes went by, then the sun began to rise.

The sun rising above Temple Mountain.

The sunrise, with the Pack Monadnocks in the center of the photo.

While the sun made for a pleasant sight, it didn't stop the chilling breeze hitting our backs. We didn't stay around too long, but at the same time, it was very difficult to simply walk away from the gorgeous sight. From here, we started our way up to the summit.

Another photo of the sun.

Gap Mountain and Little Monadnock (to the left) during sunrise.

Sunlight...

The wind was hidden behind the summit as we climbed higher and higher up the craggy slopes of the peak. Immediately after arriving at the summit, we were struck with a strong wind gust blowing us from the north. The summit was desolate, and the winds and temperature were the source of this.

Slopes of the summit during sunrise.

Taken from the summit.

Looking toward Town Line Peak.

After trying to enjoy the views from the summit, we headed a few hundred feet down the Dublin Trail until we found the White Arrow Trail, our primary way of getting down. I snapped a few more photos while on the ridge, then ducked down onto the trail to escape the wind.

The last photo of the sunrise.

The White Arrow Trail leaving the ridge.

Looking to Crotched Mountain, with Mt.Kearsarge in the distance to the left.

Mt.Ascutney in the center, with Killington Peak to the far left.

The White Arrow Trail wound down a steep ravine heading straight down through rough terrain. It winded below the summit, with beautiful scenery. There were several small patches of ice and snow here, some treacherous, especially without spikes. There are several good views here looking out to Gap Mountain, Little Monadnock, and even Stratton Mountain and Haystack Mountain in Vermont.

Looking down White Arrow Trail.

White Arrow Trail

Looking to Vermont, with Haystack Snow, and Stratton Mountains visible.

The path slowly morphed from rocky flats to a snowy forest. The trail from here became completely frozen over with ice. Not an inch of the trail from here wasn't covered in at least two inches of ice. Spikes are needed here. From flat spots to steep slopes, the entire White Arrow Trail was an enormous ice waterfall.

The large frozen falls on the trail.

More ice.

After the slippery, strenuous descent of White Arrow Trail, we came out to the ruins of the Halfway House, a former hotel built in 1858 that, at it's peak, could accommodate 100 guests. The building burnt down in 1954, but artifacts can still be found here to this day, along with a view looking southwest toward Troy.

The site of the Halfway House.

Some ruins of the buildings.

The old site of the Halfway House.

The view from the Halfway House.

We found our way to Hello Rock Trail, a footpath mixed with all the other random trails that squirm through the forest in this area. The trail had little ice, and clearly receives virtually no use in the winter. The trail winded up to the Cliff Walk Trail, where we laid ours eyes on Hello Rock, a large prominence along the trail that's made up of a large mossy rock with views over to the Wapack Range.

The top of Hello Rock.

Looking to the Wapack Range from Hello Rock.

After continuing down the steep, craggy slopes of the Cliff Walk Trail, which had more icy falls on it, we made our way to Parker Trail, which walked along the outermost reaches of the mountain. We crossed a bridge at one point which brought us to Hunter Rock, a large boulder used by hunters as a lookout for wildlife.

My dad standing in front of Hunter Rock.

Finally, we walked the rest of the icy trail until we reached Poole Reservoir, which offered a final view looking back up at the immense, bald slopes of Mt.Monadnock. We stopped for a few photos at the dam, then continued through the picnic area to the base.

The dam at Poole Reservoir.

Mt.Monadnock from Poole Reservoir.

As generic as it may be, Mt.Monadnock still made for an impressive sunrise. Ice and snow won't stop us from achieving yet another amazing journey. All the different trails of Mt.Monadnock are worth exploring, and many sites can be found that open a new page in the history of the mountain. Remember to comment, and thanks for reading!