"The official Winter Solstice was at 4:21am, so this was my first hike in the actual season of winter. With ambient temperatures in the low teens and moderate winds at the base, this was also my coldest hike to date by far. We set off from the Lincoln Trailhead around 10:15am and began heading up the moderately wooded and rocky trail, although after half a mile this turned into a wide and smooth snowmobile trail. This section lasted for about a mile and was mildly sloped for the most part. Following the trapezoidal "Sunapee Ragged Kearsarge Greenway" trail markers, we exited the snowmobile trail to the left and began climbing Baker Ledge. From there we followed a 0.15 mile out-and-back to an overlook. It was quite cloudy and we had maybe 10 miles of visibility, but we could make out the ski trails of Mt. Sunapee. Returning to the Lincoln Trail, the elevation took a brief dip and we entered a rocky gulch that had a few stream crossings. The streams were frozen over but not to the point that we could walk across the ice, so we stuck to rock-hopping. After the gulch, the trail begins to pick up in elevation as it winds around Black Mountain. The previous day's storm added an aesthetica..." — JCalautti • Dec 21, 2024

"My first hike in winter conditions and first use of microspikes. Monadnock already had a base of a few inches of snow, but about 5 more inches fell the previous day. The Monadnock State Park Headquarters are open year-round, but in the winter you pay the entrance fee at the park store instead of at the front gate. I set off along the White Dot Trail just after 10am. The initial section of the trail was a compact mix of mud, ice, and snow so I bare-booted the first half-mile. I turned left onto the White Cross Trail and it was obvious I was the first hiker on this trail after the previous day's snow. I put on microspikes once the trail turned northbound and began climbing in elevation. There were some faint tracks from a few day's prior that served as a decent guide, but I was largely breaking in the trail (I probably should've brought snowshoes for some sections). This was a great trail to learn to trust microspikes as the few steep sections are not exposed. Unfortunately most of the stream crossings were not completely frozen over, so I did get unnecessarily wet a few times, but luckily the temperature was not so low that this caused a problem (high 20s - low 30s). I finally came ..." — JCalautti • Nov 29, 2024

"Super nice day for a hike, headed up the Marlboro trail. Some clouds caused a few nasty wind gusts when we summitted. Swung down to Monte Rosa and we knocked off the Marian trail for the red lining." — Alohabuffy • Nov 7, 2024

"Nice hike up the Bucklin Trail today for another NE115 peak. Pretty chilly today but no ice or snow at the summit. Stunning views of Pico Peak, the Adirondacks, and some of Killington's ski trails." — elimihuta • Oct 27, 2024

"If you do all this challenge in a day, you are a full-blown mountain goat. I did 2 and I'm exhausted. Up to Town, down white dot trail. This is not to be underestimated. Great trail. Great day." — puddlepirate • Oct 19, 2024