Mt. Hale- 4054' (13/48)

It shouldn't be snowing on Memorial Day weekend, right?  WRONG.

Hale Brook Trail-head

Paloma and I, despite the dismal looking weather predictions, decided to head up and hike Mt. Hale on Sunday.  We figured we would likely experience some off and on showers and clouds, so we chose Hale as it isn't known for having the best views. We didn't want to sacrifice a mountain with better views in this weather.  Hale also happens to be a relatively short and easy hike compared to the other forty-seven, so it seemed like a logical choice.

Given that the book-time on the hike was just over three hours, we decided to sleep in a bit longer than usual hiking days and ended up leaving our place at 9:30AM.  The ride was relatively simple, and the weather was much nicer than the forecast had read.  That is, until we were about thirty minutes from the trail-head   As we got up higher in elevation and deeper into Franconia Notch, the clouds began to increase in size and snow began appearing on the road.  After going back and forth as to whether or not we should continue our drive and attempt the hike, we decided that we had already come so far and we would go forward with our plans. If the hike became too dangerous we could always turn back.

Slippery river crossing

We arrived at the trail-head just before noon and were surprised that there were actually a number of cars parked there.  The temperature at the base was around 39 degrees.  We started out on the Hale Brook trail at two minutes past noon.  The first mile or so was relatively easy, with only a few patches of snow along the trail.  It was raining lightly so Paloma and I had our rain gear on and our hoods up - our feet covered in mud.  We passed by a man and his dog who were on their way down - he indicated to us that there was quite a bit of snow towards the top but that it was still doable.  We continued on.

Snowy trails

As we continued up the trail, the snow began to cover the trail and the rain that was coming down on us at the start turned to sleet and snow.  We came out to a ridge with a long, steep drop off to our left that lead down into a rapidly moving river.  We had to be extra careful as the trail was quite slippery and we didn't want to slide down the ridge into the icy river below.  Once we got past this section we encountered a second group of people on their way down.  We chatted for a few moments with them, while one of the ladies nonchalantly snacked on a giant snot that was dripping from her nose.  Hey - guess she needed some extra energy.  We passed another group with a gorgeous English Mastiff - this dog looked like he was built for this type of hiking as he traipsed down the trail with ease.

The snow continued to pick up and the trail was now fully covered - thankfully the snow was very wet so it was packed down nicely.  If it had been a drier snow we would have probably had to turn back, as neither Paloma or I had micro-spikes or snowshoes with us.  The woods were absolutely beautiful with the fresh snow, and the thickness of the snow on the surrounding pine trees drowned out any and all noises, making it extremely peaceful.  Every so often we would come across some snow covered cascades which added to the beauty.

I mentioned to a passerby that it felt as though we were part of one of those Coors Light commercials, where the ice climbers go on a dangerous trek to fetch some ice cold beer, open a door on the side of the mountain, and appear at a bar.  It seemed as though we would reach the top, find some ice cold beer, and return it to our friends having a cookout in t-shirts and sandals at the base.  This was, after all, Memorial Day weekend - and that is what you are supposed to be doing!

Paloma's new friend

We reached the summit at 1:42PM, and thankfully we were the only ones at the top at this time.  It was beautiful yet eerie at the top.  We were fully socked in by clouds so you could not see more than a hundred feet in any direction.  The summit of Hale is pretty unique - it is a giant circular field outlined by pine trees, in it's center is a giant rock cairn, nearly six feet tall.  Someone had built a snowman on one of the rocks at the top, using pieces of Twizzlers for the nose, mouth, and eyes.  I asked Paloma if I could eat them....she said no.

It was fairly chilly at the top, and the sweat that we had created on the hike up was now making us quite cold.  We decided to hike down a few hundred yards to hunker down behind some trees before we ate lunch.  We wolfed down some sandwiches and began our descent at 1:55PM.  In better weather, the descent would have been a cinch, but the snow/sleet and mud made it treacherous, so we had to go at a much slower pace than usual.  As we got lower in elevation, the temperature increased quite a bit and the snow that was on the top of the trees began freeing itself from the branches and pelting us off of the head.  It was actually quite comical as every so often one of us would let out a yelp as snow exploded off our head.

Summit of Mt. Hale

The trail was absolutely drenched as we approached the bottom, so there was really no need for us to watch our steps anymore - our clothes were already drenched.  We reached the car at 3:23PM, cold, wet, and muddy, yet happy as can be.  To us, the nasty weather and snow covered trails added to this hike, and made it that more enjoyable in way.  It is a hike that both of us will absolutely remember forever!

On the way home we met up with my Grandparents in Concord for dinner.  Paloma and I had to stop at a Walmart on the way to pick up some cheap clothing to wear, as neither of us remembered to pack a change of clothes.  We had a very enjoyable seafood dinner with my Grandparents - what a great end to the day!

Hike Stats
Trails: Hale Brook Trail
Total Time (Including Breaks): 3:23
Distance: 4.4 Miles
Elevation Gain: 2300'