Mt. Israel (2,630ft)
Elevation Gain: 1,700 feet
Trail: Wentworth Trail
Distance: 4.2 miles
roundtrip
Duration: 4.0 hours (include stops along the
trail, and at lookouts and summit)
NH
52 With A View
Difficulty:
Easy to Moderate
Danger:
Low to Medium (Open ledges on trail)
It
was good to get out and do some winter hiking. I’ve been spending a lot of time
bouldering and rock climbing and will soon be ice climbing. So hiking a
moderate mountain was just what I needed. I had no problems finding the
trailhead. The Mead Camp parking lot was plowed and there was only one other
truck in the lot. I spent a few minutes checking out the trailhead path. I had
brought my snowshoes but after looking at how pretty packed down the trail was,
I decided to just wear my Hillsound Trail Crampons. I brought 2 liters of hot
water to drink, along with the usual snacks, my 3lb DSLR, my survival and first
aid kits, emergency Bivy, emergency blanket, stove and extra clothes. Yes, my
backpack is heavy, and that’s not usual for a solo winter hike. However, at the
end of the hike my lower back was a bit achy. Other than a couple with their
dark chocolate Lab named Katahdin, I
didn’t meet any other hikers today.
I
make a copy of the trail map and put them with the trail description in a
ziplock baggie and put it in the front of my jacket so it’s easy for me to get
to. I used to just make a copy of the trail description straight out from the
AMC White Mountain Guide book, but the print is too small for me to see…getting
old! So I typed the trail description out in large font! :D
Photos
along the Wentworth Trail
According
to the AMC White Mountain Guidebook, “about 100 yards northeast from the summit
to ledges there are more views to the north and east.” But I didn’t bother
going further. I spent 25 minutes at the summit and most of that time was spent
trying to Facebook “check-in.” I made 3 attempts but couldn’t get a network
connection. So I just ate my protein bar, drank some more water and took photos
with my DSLR. As usual, at the summit I took a moment of silence and still and admired the views!
Photos
from the Mount Israel summit
