It was a beautiful day so we just had to hike! Mt. Cardigan is in central New Hampshire at 3,155 feet.

Markus Donovan, Dave Menard, Rick McCurdy, Jon Normand and myself hit the West Ridge trail all the way up. The trail was a bit icy but we managed to side step those spots.

From the parking area we started our ascent. I liked this trail because it spreads flat spots with moderate ups over a good area. Up at the top the rocks gave us quite a scramble. We met a few descending hikers, and at the top were a couple guys who were drunk. Unfortunately there was a pretty thick haze to the air, so distance panoramas were kind of hard to really get. But being up on the cliffs provided a wonderful feeling of being on top of the world.

We drank water and stopped frequently. The hike provided us a good cardiac experience, but not so bad that we huffed and puffed. Rick and Jon wore shorts!

We made the top in 1 hour and that was including the stops for air, views and pictures. It was an exceptional day, a little cold and windy on the summit, but views were magnificent, especially seeing Mt. Washington covered with snow. Winter is definitely here!!! I had visited this mountain maaaaany years ago. I’m glad to have finally returned.