There are two trails up Mount Pemigewasset. The Mount Pemigewasset Trail, which starts from the Flume Visitor Center, is the most popular. I've done that trail a dozen times. But this was a first for me on the Indian Head Trail, which starts a short distance away. Conditions on Saturday, April 26 were difficult at best:
- the trial was very poorly marked, causing an excruciating number of stops along the way to find the elusive yellow blazes
- much of the trail was flooded, causing even our waterproof boots to get soaked
- a good portion of the trail, especially at the beginning and near the summit, had piles of snow 3' high, causing post-holes unless you used snowshoes
Even though it was 70 degrees by mid-day and we were in shorts and t-shirts, we definitely needed, and used, our snowshoes. We constantly put them on and took them off, bare booting it in the stream and at crossings. The last half-mile near the summit is very steep, giving me a chance to practice steep descents in snowshoes. The hike took 6-1/2 hours, despite the moderate mileage. That's the slowest I've ever gone on a trail, --even slower than the Caps Ridge Trail up Mt. Jefferson!
The views from the summit are just as spectacular this time of year as in the summer -- a nice reward for soaked boots and a frustratingly slow pace.
4.5 miles, ~1,500' elevation gain
Summit: Mt. Pemigewasset = 2,557 feet
Route: Indian Head Trail (very poorly marked)
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