Sunday, October 7, 2018
Miles: 8.7
Start/End: Roaring Brook
Elevation: 3398′
Just like I planned last night, this morning I woke up at 5 a.m. I was all packed up and back at my car by 5:30 a.m., and drove past the Togue gate at 5:55 a.m., five minutes before the gate opens to non-campers. I arrived at the Roaring Brook Trailhead at 6:30am, and was signed in and hiking by 6:45am. It seems like everyone else who was starting that early was going to hike knife’s Edge, so I had the trail entirely to myself until 20 minutes after I summited Hamlin.
I followed the Chimney Pond Trail up to the North Basin cut-off trail, and then followed the cut-off trail until it intersected with the Hamlin Ridge trail. Everything was socked in with fog and mist.
From the trail intersection, I started climbing. The hike up to there was less technical, but once the ridge trail started, the terrain quickly became rugged and class 4 hiking, where scrambling up large rocks was the norm. I was very glad it wasn’t wet.
As I climbed up the ridge, the mist started to burn off in the morning sun and I had some amazing views.
After summiting Hamlin, I headed back down the way I came, stopping along the way to take pictures.
I passed by maybe a dozen people on my way back down; it seemed like the trail wasn’t very busy. I arrived back at the parking lot of Roaring Brook by 12:40pm. I changed into dry clothes, and started driving the long seven hour drive back to Massachusetts
Transcending Mountains 