Black Mountain

It was too perfect a weekend not to be outdoors. I convinced my now teenage boys to accompany me on a hike. I chose Black Mountain in Benton, NH as it checked off a couple of the lists we are ever so slowly working through. There are 2 trails to take up Black Mountain and I chose the "less scenic", slightly longer, but less elevation Black Mountain Trail. We had no issue finding the trail head on Howe Hill Road in Benton. The hike starts out on some former logging roads/now ATV trails through an open field with some pretty wildflowers and gently ascends before veering left into the forest and starting the climb. I knew the route was approximately 2.3 miles, however as it turns out my Suunto didn't start capturing data until about halfway up the trail, so I was half a mile behind mentally the entire ascent. Which was a good thing, though I was prepared and able to continue, we reached the top and I was pleasantly surprised. We passed a group of hikers coming back down, but otherwise it was just us until we reached the top. There was a large group of girls who were enjoying a lunch break, but there is enough space and trees to make your experience relatively private even with others around. The boys and I sat and enjoyed lunch, the views were flawless, the weather was perfect and most importantly, there were no bugs! Feeling rejuvenated and still on a bit of a high from reaching the summit half a mile before I thought we would (it's the little things) we headed back down. My older son actually ran down and texted me in about 15 minutes that he was back at the car! Trail was in ideal condition for that! Overall a great little gem, I highly recommend.

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