Trail Chaser: And that’s October for the Grid!

It’s nearly November, but it felt like early September. I dutifully packed layers, but of course I never needed any of them. I was actually surprised I didn’t need to strip down to the crop top. I was tempted at a few points on the ascent!

We were happy to have the opportunity to hike on this gorgeous day. It doesn’t look like we’ll have many more like this at this point. Lots of other hikers were out taking advantage of the weather in the Lakes Region too. Mt. Major was already overflowing when we passed the lot on our way to Gilford around 9 am. By the time we came back through Alton at 1 pm, the cars parked roadside (and filling the scenic view pull-offs) stretched a full mile!

Yes, I recorded the distance as we passed the line of cars. LOL

Thankfully we did not experience a filled lot when we arrived to the top of Carriage Rd. There were more cars than we’ve encountered previously, and the smaller, lower lot was already full, but we obviously timed it ok for where we needed to be. When we finished, we did find both lots overflowing.

Also, it’s worth noting that the washout situation on Carriage Rd. is only getting worse. It’s kind of a scary road to begin with, but the current condition makes it truly awful. We were very glad to have had the foresight to take Hummingbird’s SUV. My Camry only barely handled it last time without bottoming out.

The hike itself was a relatively standard hike in the Belks. But it really wasn’t… because we gridded out for the month! Every peak has now been hiked in October! We felt very productive, and happy that we “ended” on a nice hike. Of course, there are still 11 more months to finish, so this gridding challenge will go on for quite a while longer.

Trail conditions were decent overall. Only a few small patches of muck. The biggest obstacle was the leaf cover on the rocky trails. As pretty as it can be, it’s definitely not our favorite, as it makes the terrain more dangerous when descending.

Speaking of leaves, it’s amazing how quickly the foliage went from “meh, it’s ok” to past peak. It really has been a weird fall. We also realized that the typically shady trails now feature much more filtered sun since half the leaves have dropped. I was a bit concerned about my sensitive Irish skin burning (despite applying a light sunscreen), as the sun was pretty intense, but thankfully I came out unscathed.

Our hike consisted of making a loop, starting with Piper from the white trail, then heading back up to Belknap (where the new tower remains under construction), and from there hopping over to Gunstock, then back down the blue trail to the car. The hornets are very active right now, so that was disturbing. And some parts of the “in-between trails” were a bit of a slog. But otherwise it was a mostly enjoyable day. Piper is always pretty and kind of magical. And certain sections of the other trails were pleasant too. As always, I also appreciate the bathrooms on Gunstock. I don’t think I would choose to do this full loop purely for fun (just because there are trails I like better), but for efficiency’s sake, as part of a hiking challenge, absolutely.

Indeed, we may or may not return next weekend to repeat these peaks before the Carriage Rd. closes for winter! After all, it’ll be November. A whole new month to grid!