Hiking The Belknaps

The insatiable hunger for another patch needed to be satiated. Licking my chops, I set my sights on the Belknaps.

The peaks of the Belknap Range pack a fantastic visual punch despite their reasonable elevation.

View from the Belknaps, New Hampshire, USA.

My time in the mountains was limited. I had a few weekend dates available and formulated an ambitious plan. I’d hike them in two separate weekends approaching from opposite directions. One loop would be hiked for nine peaks starting from Mount Major. The next would be a long out and back from Gunstock, capturing Mount Rowe first and Piper last. After bagging all the peaks, the list would go for submission to the Belknap County Sportsmen’s Association

The Need For Speed

I managed to get Fiona to hike these with me. She’s always up for a challenge, and a day hike is always her preference. Both hikes were just shy of ten miles.

Hike Day One

I was a bit leery of the first trip. There are many summits, and there isn’t any water along the ridge line. It was early summer and still cool in New Hampshire. The temperatures were ideal. We set out with light packs carrying plenty of water. Fiona is fast. I would have to reign her in or she’d ditch me once we hit the ridge. Luckily, I was navigating, so she couldn’t get past the next junction, giving me time to catch up.

We seemed to race from one to another. The views were excellent, I almost wish we took more time.

It was a lovely hike day. Fiona and I returned to the trailhead with nine peaks to show for our efforts.

Round Two: Gunstock

It was much warmer on our second outing. We started from the Gunstock Mountain Resort. No snow, no skiers, the lot was a ghost town. The hike up to Rowe is a long rough stone and gravel access road, and we baked in the strong sun. We were happy to reach the top and some welcome shade heading towards Gunstock Mountain.

The Mop Up

Our return after reaching Piper was uneventful. It was a hot and sunny afternoon, but not unbearable. I was happy we had cooler weather on the first hike, and perhaps the views were better? It’s been some time now, and I did not catalogue the images on summit locations. I was too busy enjoying the hike!