Mount Cabot 4170’ The Bulge 3950’ and The Horn 3905’

York Pond Trail/ Bunnell Notch Trail/ Kilkenney Ridge Trail/ Unknown Pond Trail

11.4 miles 3250’ Elevation gain

Kevin, Judy & Wicket

Another warm (hot!) humid day that thankfully blew a blessed breeze across us for most of the hike. Wicket did well despite the heat and despite the fact it was back to just the three of us for this hike, no other dogs to play with along the way.

She seemed to enjoy this hike more than previous hikes where other dogs were not present where she would often seem bored or even sad to be made to do so much work. This time she seemed to relish splashing along through the mud and overgrown trails, then working hard to reach the summits where she could put her nose to the breeze.

The previous week had brought a lot of rain to the area and the understory was still quite wet as we brushed along the now overgrown parts that make up the approach through Bunnell Notch. We talked of previous trips along the way. I had not been along this trail since a failed winter attempt in late December of 2007.

On that trip we had reached our turn around time and exhaustion level after trudging as far as the Mount Cabot Trail junction through mashed potato snow that stuck to our snowshoes and increased their weight dramatically. We had lost a lot of time stopping to clear them off. When we reached the junction we just looked at each other, then at Emma, we just sort of shrugged and turned around.

Our first trip there in August of 2001 was made roughly 5 weeks after I had undergone emergency knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus. I injured myself playing frisbee in the backyard. Not ice hockey. Not hiking in the rugged White Mountains. Playing frisbee in the back yard. I had four mountains to go to finish my first round of the 48 and I trashed my knee playing frisbee.

Needless to say I was sort of pushing it trying to hike 11+ miles over three mountains five weeks after knee surgery. Let’s say I was more motivated and less concerned in those days. While I made it through the hike I’m sure it did me no good, and I probably re-injured the knee when I took a slide on loose gravel and fully compressed it about half-way through the hike coming down off The Horn. That was pretty painful, I didn’t hike for about another month, then had a repeat of the loose gravel slide/compression of that knee on the Wildcats that September.

In 2004 we had a much more successful hike following the Unknown Pond Trail from Mill Brook Road in Stark on a beautiful October day. We saw kettles of hawks circling and diving floating on the thermal updrafts as they made their way south before the oncoming winter. In September of 2009 and again in November 2011 we made successful backpacking trips with Emma and some 2-legged friends to Unknown Pond.

In January of 2008 we made a successful winter hike to Mount Cabot with Emma on a beautiful, albeit cold, winter’s day. We did not visit The Bulge & The Horn on that trip as the trail was not broken out and we are not the type of winter hikers that would take that challenge, being more the “Trail Vulture” types who wait until someone else breaks things out for us. A couple of years ago Judy returned, dog-less herself, but with a friend and her dogs, but I had not been to Mount Cabot for ten years, since the 2008 winter trip.

OK, I suppose at some point I should talk about this hike. As I mentioned about an hour ago, the trail was muddy and overgrown down low as we rose through Bunnell Notch. The rain received over the weekend meant lots of rills and and rivulets were running along, happily seeking lower ground where they could join to make streams and brooks.

There were orchids in many of the seeps along the Bunnell Notch Trail and on the way back out along the Unknown Pond Trail. I hesitate to identify them, as I am usually wrong, but I am sure there are friends out there who will let me know what they are.

As we rose up through the forest and into the conifers the trail became much less overgrown and muddy, and the steamy heat of the understory gave way to the gentle, warm breeze that was such a blessing on a hot day. As we came to the junction with the old Mount Cabot Trail I had to wonder if the locals or many hikers still ever used it. Though there was forest debris placed across the trail and a sign warning it is no longer maintained the trail corridor is still obvious and looks in great condition.

With the hiking conditions somewhat more favorable now that we were up higher in the conifers we made good time up to the Cabin. It’s a shame it’s kind of in rough shape now, I suppose when it begins to fall apart it will just be dismantled and not rebuilt. It seems to be the trend towards returning areas towards wilderness, but I wouldn’t mind it being rebuilt for future generations.

As we sat for lunch we ran into the only other hikers we would see all day, a couple on their way to Cabot. I do not believe they continued on across the ridge, but returned through Bunnell Notch. At Unknown Pond we saw a large group of campers, but that was it for people all day, pretty sweet.

Above the cabin we made a quick stop at the tree that has the summit sign for Mount Cabot, then made the quick hike fifty yards or so into the woods to the actual summit. I wonder how many have actually bothered to do this, just stopped at the sign because that is where it is marked. Someone scratched an arrow on the sign to indicate this, but maybe they should just move the sign?

I had been looking forward to this part of the trek, having not been on this part of the loop since our backpacking trip in 2009. We were soon on our way up to where the trail crosses the high-point of The Bulge marked by a small cairn. I thought there was a sign there once, but could only see where a sign might have once been on a nearby tree. There are some filtered views from here. When we were here in October 2004 about a half dozen hawks flew chasing each other through the trees around us, screeching their displeasure with one another.

At the spur trail that lead 3/10ths of a mile to the top of The Horn Jude sent Wicket and I along so she could take a break and have a bite to eat. I didn’t argue as I knew she would probably follow anyway, and she did. Wicket and I were on the bare rock outcrop about five minutes when she showed up.

I have to say that the view from The Horn may be one of my favorite views in all of the Whites. I love looking east and seeing the long spine of the entire Mahoosuc Range. Turning a little more south are the Moriahs, The Carters and Wildcats, and the impressive view of the Northern Presidentials, not to mention the dozens of lesser peaks to the west and north.

We were now roughly half way through the hike, but most of the work had been done, though I want to mention there is till some uphill to be done before reaching Unknown Pond, as there is another unnamed bump that has to be crossed before finally descending down to where the trail hugs the northwestern shore of the pond.

We stopped at the pond briefly. Neither of us had remembered there being so many pond lilies, but then, we had never been there in July before. The group of young campers was making what seemed like a lot of noise after not seeing anyone on the trail all day. It probably wasn’t a lot of noise, but we moved along anyway. The end of the hike was within sight and we were ready to reach it.

The Unknown Pond Trail on the way out was a repeat of the Bunnell Notch Trail on the way in. Wet, muddy and overgrown, and now the midges had awoken in the heat of the day to become an annoyance as they flew into eyes, nose and throat. We moved along as quickly as we could now through the slippery, muddy mess, stopping to admire more orchids found in the seeps along the way.

We were soon back at the dirt parking lot trailhead for Unknown Pond where we made the short walk back to our car at the York Pond Trailhead. The road seemed dry and dusty after a long, muddy day. Another one in the books for Ms. Wicket, #20 on her way to 48!