You Are Here: Mt Piermont

The lockdown has been lifted on hiking peaks on the summits with patches managed by The Grid, so I was excited to get back to working on these lists. I was looking at my spreadsheets to see if any were cross referenced on multiple lists and Mt Piermont caught my attention. It is on the NH Fire Tower list and is the high point for the town of Piermont. I couldn't find a lot of information or previous trip reports, so I felt it would be a fairly safe bet on being a quieter hike. The hike itself sounded reasonable, with 2 exceptions that had me feeling a little anxious (I knew I could do it, just a little anxious on the process).. the first was that the majority of gain in elevation was in the final 0.4 miles or so including 1 rock slab in particular, that although short, was a doozy.. the second was a video I had seen from Chuck & Cheryl (WeRMudFun on YouTube), which showed several snakes sunning themselves in the branches of pine trees on the summit. Now, Chuck & Cheryl's video was from 6 years ago.. but I was terrified at the prospect of encountering something similar (I am not a fan of snakes). When I was about half an hour out from the trailhead it started to rain.. I couldn't believe it, as that had not been in any forecasts I had seen. I was also a bit worried about that doozy rock slab along the hike and how the rain might affect that. I wasn't so much worried about going up, it was the coming back down that had me concerned. I arrived at Camp Walt Whitman in Piermont. Parking for hikers is outside their entrance gate, I was the only car. Camp is still closed for the season, otherwise they ask that you sign in at the office. To reach the trailhead you must walk through the camp, which seemed very eerie at 7:30am on a Sunday with not a soul around. It looks like a really nice camp though, I bet it's a fun place to spend some time in the Summer for kids. Walk past the lake on the access road right through the camp, and the trailhead is around the bend on the left, among the dorm cabins. If you reach the tennis courts, you've gone too far. There is a nice new looking sign, so it wasn't hard to miss. The trail really is moderate for the first mile or so, several small water crossings which were easy to cross today. There were a few significant muddy patches, but some log bridges help avoid most of it without getting too dirty. I had read some parts of the trail can be flooded, but I didn't encounter any of that. I enjoyed a beautiful breeze which kept the bugs away and the temperatures pleasant. I could see the sun coming out as I progressed, which I prayed was also burning off the low cloud cover and keeping the rainy mist away. Right on cue, around 0.45 miles from the summit, the real climb began. The trail was quite damp with a lot of leaf cover, but I think that actually helped create some traction. I made my way up and reached the bottom of the infamous rock slab. Thankfully there are just enough roots and trees to use for balance, I was able to ascend without any incidents. I couldn't imagine it would have been possible (for me) without those natural aids. Once at the top I looked back down and my anxiety returned, but I pushed that aside and continued the final 0.15 miles to the summit. This was a roller coaster of small ups and downs over large boulders and through a pretty thick conifer forest. It was pretty though and before I knew it, the summit was in front of me. I was greeted with the complete opposite of what I had started the hike with. It was perfectly clear and just gorgeous. Views over to Mt Moosilauke and beyond. Also, I exhaled as I hesitantly looked around briefly and didn't see any sunbathing snakes anywhere! I just stood and enjoyed the beauty in front of me, not in a hurry to leave. I thought I had seen pictures of a benchmark up there, but I couldn't find one anywhere, just 3 memorial plaques installed into the summit slab. I had a quick snack and headed on back down. Surprisingly I think I got down the slab easier than I got up it! I passed a family on their way up and another as I was walking back through the camp to my car. Overall, a really great hike with massive bang for your buck.

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