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| Starr King Trail-head |
Less than a week after our trip up Mt. Carrigain, Paloma and I wanted to do an easy hike. My parents, Joe, and Julie decided to join. We chose Mt. Waumbek, one of the easiest of the 4000's, located in the Pliny Range in Northern New Hampshire. Paloma and I rode with my parents on the way up, Joe and Julie followed. The ride was quite long but very easy, straight up Rte. 93.
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| Moss |
We arrived at the trail head at around 10:10AM, and began preparing for our hike. The parking lot was tiny so we had to get a bit creative with where we parked, but this was a good sign because it didn't look like the trails would be too busy. The temperature was absolutely perfect - crisp, cool air. We planned on doing an out and back, taking the Starr King Trail over the summit of Mt. Starr King, to the summit of Mt. Waumbek and back. We began the 7.2 mile trip at 10:30AM.
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| Summit of Mt. Starr King |
The lower part of the Starr King Trail is on an old logging road which follows alongside a river for the first half mile, and is relatively easy. We passed a few groups of hikers as we made our way up. It was interesting to see how the scenery changed so quickly on the hike up. At first we were in a hardwood forest, then a coniferous one, and finally a very open forest with a ton of ferns. It reminded me of a scene from Jurassic Park, and I half-expected to see a raptor emerge fromm the underbrush. Moss covered nearly every rock making it vital to watch your step.
We continued hiking along the ridge and finally broke through some trees, reaching the summit of Mt. Starr King just before 12:30PM. While the summit had very limited views through the trees, about one hundred feet past the summit is an open field where an old hunting camp used to exist - all that is left of it is the fireplace and chimney. The views from here were great, and the sun was shining on the empty lot, offering us a bit of warmth on the relatively cool day. I kept imagining how life would be if you lived up here on the mountain, with the nearest towns/homes miles away. Must be nice!
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| View from the Lookout on Waumbek |
After a short break we continued on our way to the summit of Mt. Waumbek. The trail descended for a bit off of Mt. Starr King, and we second guessed ourselves a few times but carried on. Finally we began another ascent which gave us the reassurance we needed, and found ourselves on at the summit of Mt. Waumbek at 1:00PM on the dot. There was another couple on the summit who told us that if we continued another 300 or so feet past the summit we would reach a good viewing spot. Since the summit of Mt. Waumbek was underwhelming, we took their advice and headed past the summit.
The views from the lookout point were great, though unfortunately the clouds were covering most of the Presidential Range so we could not see the tops. It was still a great view, one that we were surprised by given the reviews I have read about Mt. Waumbek. We decided that this would be a good lunch spot and spent the next twenty minutes re-hydrating, eating bootleg Swedish fish, and talking about who knows what. We headed back to the summit, took a few photos, and were on our way back to our car by 1:25PM.
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| Summit of Mt. Waumbek |
Much like the hike up, the descent was very quick and relatively easy. It was a bit wet in some spots so we had to take some care, but otherwise we were in cruise control for the way down. We stopped again at the top of Mt. Starr King so that Julie and Paloma could nurse their blisters, at which point I decided to be a reckless tourist and climb on top of the chimney. Looking back it was probably not the smartest idea, but I was careful not to damage anything. Though I am not encouraging anyone else to do so, the view from the top was prime.
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| The Chimney |
The rest of the descent was fairly standard, until about one half mile from the base. "I just got stung," my brother yelled out followed by a shriek from Julie who also fell victim to the bee. Normally, you would say a few swears and carry on your way - unfortunately for Joe, who has been very allergic to bees since a young age, more drastic precautions had to take place. Joe carries an epi-pen, and I was hoping that he didn't have to use it. Instead, Joe threw down his bag, opened his first aid kit, and popped three Benadryl before any of us could even process what had happened. I made sure the stinger was out by rubbing a credit card over the sting, and my father and Joe quickly made their way down to the car, the rest of us following closely behind. Julie, who had also been stung, suffered a nice swollen spot on her arm.
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| Julie's Sting |
Luckily we made it down relatively quick, and Joe didn't seem to be having any more reactions. Hell, the guy took so much Benadryl his body was probably too damn tired to react. After assessing the situation we decided to continue on with our plans to meet up with my Uncle Ken and Aunt Martha over in Jackson, NH, for dinner and drinks. My uncle had just completed the Mt. Washington Auto Road Hill-climb and we were ready to celebrate. We made it over to their hotel in Jackson and quickly grabbed some beers at the pool bar. After, we headed to the Wildcat Inn & Tavern in Jackson for dinner and some more drinks.
Despite the bee sting incident, this was overall a great day. While Mt. Waumbek isn't exactly the most exciting hike, the mixed scenery, building ruins, and varied terrain made it fun. Not to mention the company - it is always great to spend time with family.
Hike Stats
Trails: Starr King
Total Time (Including Breaks): 5:10
Distance: 7.2 Miles
Elevation Gain: 2650'
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