Mount Monadnock - New Hampshire: The Mountain that stands alone

Broken granite rocks near the treeline on Monadnock Mtn. JDJ Photo

MNT. MONADNOCK, NEW HAMPSHIRE
Whenever I travel I like to find the unusual and un expected places that I am not certain everyone else knows about. Therefore one afternoon when I was in Boston, I resolved to travel out to New Hampshire and follow in the footsteps of Henry David Thoreau and climb Mount Monadnock. Being from the west and spoiled by living next to the Wasatch Mountains, one of the finest ranges in the Rockies, I was skeptical about anything labeled "Mountain" east of the Mississippi. When I arrived at the trail-head and tackled the "White Dot Trail" which is the most direct route to the summit, my opinion abruptly changed. What I found was a steep, rocky, forested mountain where the trail was littered with moss covered boulders and grotesquely twisted and un yielding tree roots. I realized that the trails on this mountain would be quite treacherous if it rained while you were on the boulders. It was a humid summer day and even under the canopy of the trees, I found myself winded and sweat drenched in short order. At the trail-head you will find a signboard with all kinds of interesting information on it about the mountain, a map and some restrooms. Much of the information about the Mtn. that follows was collected at this trail-head. Mount Monadnock is a fascinating mountain in that it's name describes its disposition. Monadnock is a geologic term that quite literally means "Mountain that Stands Alone". It's name was first mentioned in letters from Governor John Winthrop of Connecticut in 1704 after an expedition against the Indians in this area. Whenever I walk through Eastern forests or woods, I often think about the fascinating and incredible Native Americans who used to inhabit such regions. in this area it likely would have been the Abenaki people at the time of Winthrop's expedition. Even in the day time when I'm off the trail among the dense woods with a little bit of light reaching the forest floor through the leaves it can be ghostly, not in a frightening way but a more somber, regretful way in that these people are now all gone from the wilderness. Monadnock rises over 2,000 above the surrounding terrain and is not connected to any other mountain or system of ridges. Its total elevation is 3,165 feet which may not seem high by western standards but when you consider this mountain rises up from sea level, it is pretty impressive. Monadnock has 3 distinct climate zones as well. At the base of the mountain and climbing up its sides is a belt of dense woods comprised of Red Spruce, White Pine, Maple, Red Oak, Beech, Yellow Birch and all kinds of other trees. Underneath this canopy are piles of moss covered boulders, broken logs, interesting lichens, ferns, and all kinds of plants and bushes, many of which have pretty flowers or berries on them. Passing out of that zone you enter an area of low wind matted bushes and banner trees shaped by the prevailing winds, also known as Krummholz. Lastly, at the highest elevations you enter a land of bare rock and alpine bogs where a tundra zone exists. In this area there are large cairns made of piled rocks and white dots painted on the rock so you know which way to go. The Mountain took on its present form when giant ice sheets covered New Hampshire, scouring, carving and scraping the granite smooth. When the glaciers melted and receded approximately 18,000 years ago, they left behind the Monadnock with its erratic boulders, smooth rock summit and granite cliffs. As previously stated, the fact that Henry David Thoreau, one of my favorite thinkers and writers, traveled to this area on several occasions and wrote about his experiences here, was the impetus for my visit. I include here a quote from the book "Elevating ourselves - Henry David Thoreau - On Mountains" where he talks about his experience summiting Monadnock 4-9 August 1860. "They who simply climb the peak of Monadnock have seen but little of the mountain. I came not to look off from it but to look at it. The view of the pinnacle itself from the plateau below surpasses any view which you get from the summit. It is indispensable to see the top itself and the sierra of its outline from one side. The great charm is not to look off from a height but to walk over this novel and wonderful rocky surface. Moreover, if you would enjoy the prospect it is, me thinks, most interesting when you look from the edge of the plateau immediately down into the valleys, or where the edge of the lichen clad rocks, only two or three rods from you, is seen as the lower frame of a picture of green fields, lakes and woods, suggesting a more stupendous precipice than exists. There are much more surprising effects of this nature along the edge of the plateau than the summit. It is remarkable what haste the visitors make to get to the top of a mountain and then look away from it" p. 68. As a person who has climbed hundreds of mountains, I understand the "rushed" sentiment that Thoreau is talking about. Too often people rush to the top of a peak and back down without taking the time to notice the intricate beauty of a splotch of lichen on a rock face or the exquisite color & detail of a fallen leaf. Thoreau wrote of many interesting things on his trip such as a sudden downpour that required him to make a lean too of spruce with a fire at the door in order to dry himself out. He also spoke of how plentiful the blueberries, raspberries and mountain cranberries were on the mountain, so much so that he and his companion sort of lived off of them during there visit collecting a pint at a time. Thoreau noted that even in that day, 40 other persons were spotted on the summit of the mountain as it was a great escape from the city even in 1860. Monadnock is a truly fascinating place. It is one of the most climbed mountains in the world with one source claiming over 125,000 people climb its summit annually. Even though there were many people on the mountain when I climbed it, they were respectful and I didn't notice any litter or garbage. Today the mountain is administered by the New Hampshire State Parks system. Hikers interested in finding out what the conditions are prior to heading out to the mountain can call the park at (603) 532-8862. There is a toll road and a day use fee so make sure you plan ahead. These fees are minimal and well worth the access to the thousands of protected acres of North Eastern forest and 40 miles of trails on Monadnock Mountain. For more information, contact the website below.
https://www.nhstateparks.org/visit/state-parks/monadnock-state-park.aspx

What follows are some pictures I will share from my visit to the summit of Monadnock Mountain.

Conifer near the treeline - JDJ Photo

Different types of leaves in the Eastern Forests fascinate me - JDJ Photo

Rock Cairn as I approach treeline on Monadnock - JDJ Photo

Summit carving on Monadnock. Not easy to do in New Hampshire Granite - JDJ Photo

Looking southwest from summit of Monadnock - JDJ Photo

Looking west from summit of Monadock. I could spend countless hours exploring here - JDJ Photo

Red Squirrel on Monadnock. I didn't know they eat moss but I guess they do! - JDJ Photo

Numerous different kinds of beautiful flowers on the mountains - JDJ Photo

Conifer cone on Monadnock - JDJ Photo

You wouldn't know it but there is a boulder under all of that shaggy moss - JDJ Photo

More Monadnock flowers - JDJ Photo

What appear to be some sort of oak leaves - Monadnock Mtn - JDJ Photo

Ferns were plentiful under the canopy of the forest - JDJ Photo

According to literature I found, Monadnock used to be covered with dense woods of giant red spruce but from 1800-1820 these trees were decimated when fires set by settlers to clear fields got out of hand and burned the entire mountain.
JDJ Photo