With summer coming to an end for me, my family and I drove up to Bethlehem, NH to hike a 4000 footer and grab lunch afterward. My dad and I dropped my mom off at the AMC Highland Center and we left to go to Hale Brook trailhead.
We started off too fast and got winded going into the second mile. Other than that, the hike was uneventful and the only views from the hike was a small opening in the trees about a quarter of a mile before the summit. At the summit, there was a clearing with a large cairn to mark the summit. Remnants of a fire tower remain as an ode to Mt. Hale’s history as a fire watch station.
The drive home was interesting because around Woodstock, NH on I-93 there was a border patrol checkpoint. Woodstock, NH is about a hundred miles from the Canadian border. The officer just asked if everyone in the car was a U.S. citizen and then waved the car through. Definitely a weird encounter.
Overall I would say that if I was hiking alone, I would peak-bag Mt. Hale with Mt. Zealand for a hike totaling about 11 miles. Then on the way, you would get a view from the Zeacliff trail. Mt. Hales is a fairly easy 4.3-mile hike with almost no views from the summit, so there are definitely other mountains to hike for views. 7 down, 41 to go.
Grace's Adventures 