Saturday, March 31, 2012

Another gradual route down Monadnock

In my LOOONG post "How to climb Monadnock if you're over 50" (and not a retired Olympian), I mentioned routes down the west side of the mountain. Several times I"ve also descended a SE route, which may be better if you like to park at the HQ lot.
From the summit, take the Pumpelly to the Red Spot. Take this to the Cascade Link(Beautiful!), and then take the Harling Trail east. The park map makes it look like you have to go all the way to Hinckley and backtrack, but there is a blue diamond marked CC ski trial that turns right and takes you to the paved campground roads. A level walk through the woods. This whole route, except for the steep parts, is far less rocky than the lower section of the White Dot, my least favorite section of the park.