Mount Pemigewasset by the book

On a warm, clear May morning, the hike up Mount Pemigewasset in New Hampshire’s White Mountain National Forest is a beauty. At only 2,557 feet, the mountain, isn't among the largest of the Whites. But it is most certainly worth a walk up.

The peak is best known for its famous “Indian Head” profile viewed from the tower at the Indian Head resort on Route 3.

You have two choices to the top of Pemigewasset. One is the popular Pemigewasset trail which starts at The Flume Gorge and Visitor Center in Franconia Notch State Park.

But there’s another option, a “road less traveled,” called the Indian Head trail.

This trail starts at a nondescript turnout on Route 3. If you weren’t looking and didn’t know where it was, it would be easy to miss. Luckily I had the AMC's White Mountain Guide with me, but more on that later.

The trail’s beginning isn’t very auspicious: you hike a quarter mile in the shadow of and eventually pass under the busy Franconia Notch Parkway (I-93).

For a short while after the trail passes under the highway, you can hear traffic. But not for long. Much of the time, the trail is along a small, apparently unnamed brook. This tributary of the Pemigewasset River sings of its travels over falls and rock-rimmed pools. Soon it’s just the babble of the brook, the sigh of the breeze, and the soft thud of your boot soles on the forest floor. That, and the pulse of blood in your ears and the sound of your breathing as you exert yourself a little more than you would walking on a city sidewalk.

Most of the trail is in a forest of maples and birches. Before the leaves come out, the open canopy lets in a lot of sun. Lots of low-growing plants take advantage of this brief window of opportunity. At this time of year, the trilliums (both the painted and the red, also known as “stinking Benjamin” for its, shall we say, “distinctive” odor) are blooming in profusion. Hobble bush and other wildflowers fill out the floor.

Toward the top of the hill you transition from the hardwood forest to spruces and firs. These evergreens cling to life on the steeper slopes, in the thinner soil among the ledges and boulders.

Then, suddenly you're at the end of the 1.9-mile trail. The top is a sun-swept open granite ledge that forms the forehead of the noble Indian Head profile.

The view is simply magnificent. Sheer cliffs fall away below you. To the far left, a little to the south of east, you can see Loon Mountain, still covered with snow in May. Due south, I-93 and Route 3 coil their way into the distance. To the right is almost-uninterrupted wilderness. It’s a perfect place to sit awhile, enjoy a snack, a drink of water and some quiet time, especially if you are lucky enough to have the place to yourself.

Before last week, I’d never been up the Indian Head trail. I chose it more or less at random from my copy of the brand new 100th Anniversary, 28th edition of the White Mountain Guide published by the Appalachian Mountain Club.

The Indian Head trail accounts for less than two miles of the 1,400 miles of marked and maintained hiking trails in the White Mountains. The White Mountain Guide gives a complete description of all of them.

A century of trails

The first White Mountain Guide, published back in 1907, started a revolution. Before that, guidebooks focused on places to stay and commercial attractions. This one took people out into the woods. Every “50 hikes” or “Where to paddle” book published since then owes a debt to the White Mountain Guide.

I can’t imagine going anywhere near the White Mountains without a copy of this book. In addition to the trail descriptions, it has loads of good advice, including recommended hikes for all ability levels.

In a very real sense, the White Mountains as we know them today -- vast tracts of protected land -- are a result of the Guide. Without this book, far fewer people would have left the roads to discover the wonders of this region. Without all those people invested in the idea of keeping this beautiful place protected, we almost certainly would have a lot less public land, a lot fewer hiking trails, and a lot more development.

The amount of work in each edition of this book is staggering. The co-editors, Gene Daniell and Steven D. Smith have hiked amazing numbers of miles themselves. They’ve also coordinated and compiled reports from hundreds, if not thousands, of sources to get the most accurate information possible. Cartographer Larry Garland has hiked most of the trails with an industrial-strength global positioning system unit attached to his back. The resulting information has been added to the six brand new maps that accompany the Guide.

The level of accuracy is inspiring. I’d never hiked the Indian Head Trail, which is just one of the more than 500 trails described in the Guide. Yet, following the directions, I had no trouble finding the trailhead. Once on the trail  I knew what to expect. The new edition notes “the footway may be wet and obscure in places, and markings should be followed with care.”

Going up, I found that the trail was indeed wet in places, but I had no trouble following it. So I sort of scoffed at the description. Coming down, however, I let my attention wander and had to backtrack several hundred feet to find the turn I’d missed. Good lesson. If you go by the book, you can stay out of trouble.

Coming soon will be a online subscriber-based version of the Guide. You’ll be able to download trail descriptions and print maps of exactly the trails you want to hike.

Of course, you won’t be able to sit in your tent with a headlamp, reading through the computerized version, looking for your next adventure. I prefer to go buy the book. And then go by the book.