Mts. Major and Straightback

Submitted by Pat

Stats
Mountains: Mts. Major (1,786) and Straightback (1,909)
Date: January 8, 2017
Time: 3.75 hours
Weather: Clear, cold, single digits
Miles: 5.3
Trails: Mt. Major Trail — Brook Trail — Boulder Trail

  • two hikers take selfie at the trailhead for Mt. Major Trail
Mt. Major SummitIt’s 4°, clear and cold for our hike up Mts. Major and Straightback in the Belknap Range. Nancy and I meet at Ackerly’s Grill & Galley in Alton for breakfast. Her drive north was a stressful with a coating of snow, compounded by not knowing how much de-icer she had left. It takes a while for her to relax.

I love hiking when it’s really cold. The inch of snow we were gifted with last night keeps the trail and the snow bordering the trail looking like a smooth, sparkling blanket. We decide to avoid the steep ledges of the Main Trail and head up the Brook Trail. The walking is easy and I am glad to have on my microspikes. I debate about bringing snowshoes and finally decide to bring them along in case the trail to Straightback Mountain hasn’t been broken out yet.

My pack is a mess. I can’t tighten any of the straps — they are stuck in place by years of being exposed to sweat and moisture and not having been adjusted in a long time. It’s really too small to use as a winter pack anyway. I guess it’s time for a new pack. Woo hoo! In the meantime, this pack feels uncomfortable all day, especially with the weight of the snowshoes hanging off it (that we end up not wearing).

We decide to hide the snowshoes in the woods where the trail to Mt. Major intersects the trail to Straightback Mountain. We see maybe 12-15 people on the trail during the hike. Busy day in the Belknaps. Nancy and I talk about finishing the Belknaps and the Ossipees this winter and moving back to the 52 with a View in the late spring. With lighter packs, we climb the .7 miles to Straightback Mountain where we are greeted by a beautiful view of Alton Bay and Winnipesaukee. White-capped 4-thousand footers rise up in the northern distance. After taking pictures and enjoying the slight warmth of the sun, we head back to the intersection and pick up our snowshoes. We don’t talk much but our time together is peaceful and comforting.

Snowy trailThe summit of Mt. Major — .4 from the trail junction — is broad, ledgy and beautiful. We take more pictures and the wind starts moving more aggressively. Feeling exposed, we start down the orange-blazed Boulder Trail and, yes, it is aptly named because the descent is through steep rocks that would have been easier ascending than descending. Poles help me maintain a decent pace although I have to butt slide a few times because the steepness and the probability of a fall is high. When we leave the boulders behind, the trail is much easier to navigate.

Unfortunately, there isn’t much time during the hike that Nancy isn’t fighting the cold. After sweating on the way up, her clothes are icy and she has to stop and change, a moment during winter hikes that she despises, but feels immensely better once she is in warm, dry clothes again. I see she is struggling to make her hands work in the cold and help hold out shirts and jackets for her.

We continue descending and finally Nancy’s core warms and then her hands, though she isn’t, and probably never will be, comfortable hiking in winter. It would be so much easier for her just to say no to winter hiking, but something in her heart wants to hike, wants to be outside, wants to spend time with me, wants the beauty of the snow, the exercise and the fun. She is very brave.

The high point of the hike for me is seeing the snow on the pines, hearing ice on the branches clink together when I walk under a tree, and letting in the absolute, consuming beauty of the outdoor world.

I love having a winter goal!