December 25, 2021
Start/end: Carlo-Goose Eye Trailhead
Miles: 5.3
Elevation gain: 2388′
After a late night and a rough hike up Elephant, I let myself sleep in until 8am and then packed up and headed out. The trailhead is on an old logging road that I believe may be a snowmobile track in high winter. Regardless, it hadn’t been plowed since the last 3″ snowfall. But the logging road was in pretty good condition and I made good time. Once there, I made my own parking spot on the side of the road.
I put on my spikes and tromped down the trail, following someone’s footsteps. After a few tenths, I realized the person wasn’t going the right way and had to bushwhack a few hundred yards to get to the trail. The conditions were fairly good without too much snow and I made quick time to the summit. However, the last steep 0.5 miles to the summit were sheer black ice underneath 4-6″ of snow. There were some very tricky parts and I fell a few times. These sections made me want crampons, though I made do with my microspikes. There were no views up top, with the cloud cover low and the winds howling by. I snapped a few pictures and then headed back down to the trailhead.
I exited the logging roads out by Berlin, NH, and headed to Gorham. I’d originally been thinking of sleeping in my car but decided against it based on temperature and how tired I was. I checked into the motel by 4pm and was able to relax and go to bed by 8pm.
Transcending Mountains 