Isolated Hill of Bedrock

From the Encyclopedia Britannica, an “isolated hill of bedrock standing conspicuously above the general level of the surrounding area” is a monadnock.¹ The name “monadnock” comes from a Native American word for a mountain higher than and separated from the land around it, such as Mount Monadnock in Jaffrey/Dublin, New Hampshire, our latest adventure on my trip home. Monadnock is said to be the second most climbed mountain in the world, with an estimated 125,000 hikers summitting each year, only behind Mt. Fuji and its approximately 300,000 summitters per year. Its popularity likely stems from its proximity to Boston and a large part of the Northeast in general, its accessibility, and because it can be climbed in less than a day without too much technical ability. No need to drive for hours through wilderness, backpack in, or learn how to use an ice axe. At 3,165 feet it’s not an epic peak² rearing into the clouds, but its location and vistas make it an attractive destination for New Englanders.

This visit was not our first time at Mt. Monadnock; we climbed it three years in a row from 2000-2002 when my brother and I were much smaller, and once more recently. On this trip, despite my campaigning, compromise led us to leave home in the mid/late morning and arrive at Monadnock just in time to hike during the hottest, sunniest, most crowded hours of the day. We parked at the main headquarters where the majority of hikers begin their climb. Because Monadnock is so popular, it’s recommended to reserve your parking in advance, especially for weekends and holidays, though when we were there on a weekday the parking lot was only mostly full.

From HQ, the white dot trail ascends almost 1,800 feet to the peak in a little under two miles. The first ~half-mile section is wide with stone and log steps built into the trail. Here, there were quite a number of other people, so when the trail forked we turned onto the quieter white cross trail, which would meet up again with the white dot trail closer to the summit. Following a short wooded section, we began ascending rock fields that would be just the first of many. After five years in flatland the Midwest, I’d forgotten how rocky hiking in New England can be. About an hour into our hike, we started getting our first views of the surrounding area.

Rocks on the white cross trail

An hour after that, as the trees thinned and we started walking across more exposed rock, we got our first look at the summit, afar in the distance. Shortly afterwards, we met back up with the white dot trail for the last 300-foot ascent to the top. Although Monadnock’s summit is below the climactic tree line, fires set in the early 1800s to create pastureland and clear out alleged wolves permanently denuded these top 300 feet of trees, generating an artificial tree line and the long barren rock slopes of the final ascent. Thanks to our late start, we arrived at the summit in time for a very late lunch (peanut butter and jam sandwich, clementines, and oatmeal raisin walnut cookies I baked the afternoon before), which we enjoyed in the presence of lovely views and the couple dozen other hikers at the top with us.

 

Summit views

Rocks to the top

On the descent, we followed the white dot trail all the way down many, many stone steps, arriving back at the now mostly empty parking lot in the early evening. The New Hampshire State Parks website estimates the white dot trail to take about 2 hours to hike (one way) and the white cross trail about 2 and a half hours, which I think is pretty accurate if you either hike at a moderate pace the whole time or go faster but stop a lot to take photos. It’s a moderately difficult hike – you don’t need much technical ability (caveat: as long as there’s no snow; Monadnock’s open year round), but the distance and elevation gain make it more than your average stroll through the park. Like, I wouldn’t really recommend the hike to someone who hasn’t walked further than their mailbox in the last year, but if you’re a reasonably experienced day hiker it should be within your abilities.

View from the summit

The descent

Snacks/lunch and water are necessary; I had a liter of water (the park recommends two), which is more than I’ve needed for longer hikes, and I never felt like I was going to run out, but I could have done with a little more. It was hot – in the 80s – and above about 2,000 feet the trail’s pretty exposed, so I’d also suggest hats and sunscreen, plus wear shoes with good traction because of all the rocks. If you hike during peak season, expect plenty of other people, but the mountain’s big enough for everyone. So yes, Monadnock’s popular, but for good reason, and I’d recommend it to anyone who doesn’t mind a lot of rocks and sweat.

¹Monadnocks are also known as inselbergs, from the German for “island mountain.”

²The U.S. Geological Survey has no official definition as to what constitutes a mountain as opposed to a mere hill, but geologists often consider prominences more than 1,000 feet higher than their surroundings mountains, the UK government uses 2,000 feet above sea level as their qualification, and the United Nations Environment Programme has a classification system based on sea level, slope grade, and local elevation.