HIB Chapter II: Mount Roberts

Dear Folks,

​I am in the process of catching people up with some early hikes and other encounters with nature that I thought people might find interesting as part of a "How It Began" series.  Mostly this will describe specific hikes and perhaps some lessons learned along the way...if there are any.  They are meant to be short and, perhaps helpful in some way to other hikers or fellow-travelers.  I will post the dates of when I hiked a specific mountain since these are NOT posted at or near the date hiked.

JULY 24, 2021  

I hiked Mount Roberts to test my back a bit before going on to other things.  Previously I had done smaller mountains on my way to rehab and things had held up OK.  Roberts was the first of the "52 With a View" list, which served as a bit of a motivator as well.  I had actually climbed a few of them before--like Monadnock and the Moats--but this was the first time I was aware of the list (and the first after surgery) so it was the first I actually counted.  My wife had been (and still is) climbing the mountains on the slightly larger "New Hampshire 48" 4,000 footers list.  I am too now, I guess, but in the beginning--and still--I was/am attracted to the somewhat more accessible but still challenging list of New Hampshire mountains under 4,000 feet that always promise a view.

A rather popular mid-sized mountain for NH, Roberts is 5.2 miles round trip with about 1,400 feet of elevation gain. The actual mountain is 2,584 feet tall, so fairly substantial with some guaranteed (by the list) views.  Parking is also easy, and can be found at "Castle in The Clouds" which is not a castle, but a park located in Moultonborough. The hike, itself, is fairly straightforward although finding the trailhead can be a bit of a challenge.  We ended up starting on the way to Mount Shaw but were set right by a local.  I remember the grade feeling steep but doable.  I may not have found it so rough today but, as I said, it was the first relatively substantial hike I took for my rehab.  There were a few views on the way and a nice ledgey area to sit for a while.  I remember being pleased to get to the top but a bit deflated when I realized that the group coming up behind us also trucked along some lawn chairs for a picnic.  Aspirations right?

All told it was a good trip and I highly recommend it.  The few other hikers were well behaved and we all gave each other space.  The way up was manageable and the view was worthwhile.  I had no profound revelations while I was up there but, still...worth doing again.