Black Snout 2803' and Mount Shaw 2990'

7.6 Miles 2300' Elevation gain

Mount Shaw Trail/Black Snout Trail

Kevin, Judy & Wicket

The weather forecast which kept us from venturing further north to hike proved mostly false. We used the opportunity to hike in the Ossipees, where we met full on Spring conditions.

Starting out across glare ice in snowshoes, we were soon alternating between snow, ice, mud, rocks, wet leaves over mud, and more ice we eventually had to abandon the snowshoes and were able to bare boot the last mile or so up to the Carriage Road, where we had to put them back on to traverse the deep, rotting snow.

Temps were climbing into the sixties, but a steady wind between 20-25mph kept things cool enough to wear a jacket. Things were melting rapidly and Field Brook was a torrent, being fed by countless seasonal feeder brooks.

As we alternated between slipping and sliding on ice and wet leaves covering loose, sloppy mud, we rose through the forest and across the first two water crossings swollen beyond what we have usually dealt with on this trail.

At the third, most significant crossing there was a torrent roaring under a sketchy ice bridge, which we were able to cross safely, but we weren't too sure what we would find when we returned this way later.

One other time we had bushwhacked up the steep bank and taken a crossing much further up, and we knew we could do this again if necessary, it was not, and miraculously held again as we crossed it on the return.

Above this crossing the trail resembled a muddy stream bed rather than a forest trail as we approached the steep, southwest facing slope that would lead us up to the Carriage Road. This was devoid of snow, but had ice in most of the spots we would have liked to step, so we spent a good deal of time finding ways around.

As we arrived at the Carriage Road we had to stop and don the snowshoes again as there was a foot or more of rotten snow to traverse for most of the rest of the hike.

We sat and had lunch on Black Snout as we had done many times before, gazing across Lake Winnepesaukee to the Belknaps. Despite standing on bare ground on Black Snout, Gunstock looked snow-covered and skiable.

After a quick lunch we began the trip over to Mount Shaw, traversing more deep, rotten snow. When we reached the gate that keeps snowmobilers off Black Snout we found that the snowmobiles had turned the trail to ice and mud, so we again alternated back and forth until we reached the summit.

We had some snacks and a drink and picked up empty beer cans as we gazed out to the White Mountains north of us. The sky over the mountains where rain was forecast was the bluest we saw all day. Mount Washington looked almost bare except for the Eastern Snowfields.

Knowing that the trip back down was going to be trickier than it was to get up we were soon on our way. Getting down the steep section was glacially slow as we wound our way around ice patch, mud, and sections of trail immersed in snowmelt.

On the way down with the warm sun beating down on her and going much slower than suited her, Wicket flopped down on a patch of snow, and I'm sure she would have fallen asleep if we had let her.