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As the seven of us started out on the lower stretch of the White Dot Trail, the first leg of our
5-hour hike was a cakewalk. Although Mt. Monadnock is known as the second most frequently climbed
mountain in the world (after Japan's Mt. Fuji) and is less than 90 minutes from Worcester,
this was our club's first ever trip to the mountain. |
As we proceeded from the White Dot Trail to the Cascade Link Trail and onto the Spellman trail
(Monadnock's steepest trail), our "cakewalk" quickly became a strenuous climb. Willa, Arjun, Megan
and Jason work their way up the rock ledge while Lana and Nora pause to enjoy the view.
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Lana and Nora - not quite twins, but they're working on it.
Lana, Willa and Nora taking a break on the Spellman trail.
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Two east-facing views from the Spellman Trail, with Thorndyke Pond
below us.
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Closing in on the top of the Spellman Trail, Nora, Lana, Willa and Megan tackle our steepest climb of the day.
As the Spellman Trail joined the Pumpelly Trail, we were were greeted by patches of snow!
For Arjun, it was a new experience.
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Jason, Willa, Arjun and Megan cross an ice patch as they head along the Pumpelly Trail toward the summit. |
At 3,165 feet above sea level, Megan, Jason, Nora, Lana, Greg, Arjun and Willa experience an episode of mountain madness. |
We began our descent of the mountain along the the Smith Summit Trail to the west. Looking back toward the summit,
the trail offered a nice view of the mountain's rocky facade. |