Mt Roberts & Faraway Mountain

Choosing to hike on a 90+ degree day probably wasn't the smartest choice I've ever made.. but make it, I did.. I had completed the Lakes Region Conservation Trust redlining and summit patch several years ago, There is also an unofficial Ossipee 10 list, which incorporates several of the peaks in the LRCT plus others in the Ossipee Range. I had been sitting at 9/10 for 5 years, without any real motivation to finish, as there wasn't an actual patch to collect... until now. A gentleman in the Hiking in the Ossipees Facebook group has created a patch. I figured it was as good a time as any to finish off that list. I knew the forecast was going to be a hot one, but I figured since I was heading a little further north and up into the mountains it might be a little cooler. There aren't a lot of options for reaching Faraway Mountain, my 10th Ossipee Range peak. I chose to head up to Mt Roberts first, then across the High Ridge Trail to the abandoned road up to the communications towers on Faraway Mountain. Then back down the Faraway Mountain Trail to Cold Springs Trail and Cold Springs Road to complete the loop. This would encompass roughly 10 miles. Within a mile of starting, the heat kicked in (even at 8am) and I knew I had to slow it way down if I had any chance of making it through this hike. I'm many years removed from having done a hike that long, coupled with the heat, I had to really pace myself and listen to my body. Many groups passed me on their way up (and back down) from Mt Roberts, but I just took my time.. 1 step after the other. I made it to Mt Roberts with views of an incoming thunder storm and questioned whether I should continue or turn around. I decided to push on, as I had come this far, and I knew most of the rest was in relatively thick woods, so I wouldn't be exposed. As it turns out, the storm took a turn and went around the mountains, so I'm glad I made the decision to continue. I had tried to find the abandoned trail to Faraway about 5 years ago and somehow missed it, so this time I had downloaded a GPX map from a previous hiker and was monitoring that closely so I wouldn't miss it again. The High Ridge Trail was much more overgrown than I remembered from my prior hikes, maybe due to the time of year. I was feeling very hot by this point, and was thankful for the shade provided by the trees, despite the air being thick and soupy. It was very buggy, and I was also grateful for my $5 "beekeepers hat" as my husband calls it (bug net). A little over a mile from Mt Roberts summit, I found the chained abandoned trail and headed on to the Faraway summit. I had no idea how long this little section would be at the time.. turns out it was about 0.4 miles each way. The trail is not maintained, but was in decent shape and easy to follow. Someone has put up some orange flagging tape along the way as well. The summit itself has no views, just a couple communication towers and solar panels. The trails down were as gentle as I remembered, just looooong and boring as there are no views along the way. The heat and my lack of fitness took a toll and I was in pretty rough shape by the time I reached Cold Springs Road and the 0.54 miles back to the parking lot. I wondered where my mental strength comes from to push forward when hiking, that I seem to lack in other areas of my life. I physically felt awful when I finished, but mentally I was proud that I was able to persevere and get it done.

Strava Activity

Mt Roberts summit

start of the abandoned trail to Faraway Mt summit

Faraway Mt summit

view from High Ridge Trail