Trip/Event Location: Holderness, NH
Trip Leader(s): Gandalf , JDNnh
Max # People: 15
Trip Guiding / Event Fee: No, I will not be asking participants for money
Difficulty Level: Easy to Moderate
Join our easy/moderate Imbolc Celebration Hike with a 3.7-mile up and back hike to Mt. Prospect! Imbolc marks the gentle transition from winter's slumber to the promise of spring. We’ll look
We will meet at 1PM at the Holderness School Ice Rink parking lot and then drive over to the trailhead since there is limited parking at the trailhead. I’ll be driving a blue Toyota Tacoma truck.
Take I–93 North to Exit 25. At the bottom of the exit ramp, turn left and proceed up the hill on Route 175. You’ll see the Holderness School Ice Rink on the left so take the next left on Mt. Prospect Road. Then take your first left after the Ice Rink into the parking lot.
Mount Prospect, 2,064 feet, is a "locals" mountain in Holderness, away from the craziness that is the Squam Range! It stands alone with a discreet parking lot [street parking], a simple kiosk and no blazes. It’s on private property so it’s not listed in any trail guides. That's what makes this little mountain so great!
We were supposed to be celebrating Imbolc, making the transition from winter to spring. However, we found ourselves at the start with wind chill of 9 degrees and unpacked powder on the trails. If felt more like we back celebrating winter solstice!
Four to five inches of snow fell overnight so snowshoes were our best option. It was the first time we’ve put on snowshoes this winter and we were psyched!
It was so beautiful to be tramping in the woods after a snowstorm! The trail starts off on an old logging road with a couple of steep pitches that warmed us up. The trail has been rerouted and flagged with pink ribbon. Gee, how did they know we were coming!
The new section makes it a more gradual ascent with switchbacks [taking hikers away from a badly eroded section] however Jon kept complaining that he didn’t like this meandering approach and would have preferred going up the old trail with a more direct approach. I personally like this approach as it was better for my knee and any excuse to stay longer in the wintry woods is fine by me!
We made our way up and caught the impressive views off the open summit ledges! We looked over to Squam Range, Squam Lake and Lake Winnipesauke. We continued up to the summit and signed the register.
On the return, Jon kept insisting to go back down the old trail and Gaston was indifferent but I held my ground to stick with the new section. Besides, I thought we would help pack down the trail more. As we neared the end of new section, we saw fresh snowshoe tracks of someone who went up the old trail; Jon rested his case. :-)
It was so cold the only time we stopped was for pictures, sips of water, views and layering changes. We thoroughly enjoyed having Gaston with us sharing his observations, winter experiences and humor. Thanks to Gaston for joining Jon and I on a delightful hike. You now know the worst kept secret by locals! :-)
Outdoor Fitness Level: Very Strenuous
Outdoor Fitness Level: Moderate