Pleasantly Surprised

Sometimes when I'm on the way to somewhere, I look for short hikes for the fun of it. If time allows, I hike it.
Generally I don't expect too much from these smaller hikes. When you hike a lot, you kind of come to assume that the less time you spend going uphill, the less reward you get at the top.

Nicole and I were headed to NH, and our route took us on 302 west towards Fryeburg.
We drove past Shawnee Peak Ski area, and took a left on Wilton Warren Road.
A couple miles down the dirt road, we actually drove right past the trailhead and had to backtrack. The only sign is a small wooden one that says "Fire Warden's Trail".

We donned the snowshoes and started our ascent up Pleasant Mountain. The trail was well traveled and very open. There was no steep section to be had. We took our time, admiring the views of the White Mountains to the west. The weather was 50ish degrees. Very uncharacteristic.

One of the coolest parts of the hike was right before the top, on the east side of the mountain before getting to the lookout tower. There was zero wind. The sky was blue, and it had to be 50 degrees. I could've hung out there all day. If only we had brought a beer on this perfect day!

A quarter mile later and we were staring at some pretty amazing views of the Whites. On this side, the west side, a cold wind was blowing directly at us.
We sat on top until we were too cold, and then descended. About 2 hours to the top, and a little over an hour to the bottom of the 2009 foot mountain.

I think the gradual climb and short distance of this climb makes an awesome starter for your winter hiking season...and I am looking forward to hitting this one in the spring as well. The small streams are sure to be even more beautiful when they are flooded with runoff!

Happy Trails!

krp