Hiking to the Summit of Mt. Major, New Hampshire

Mt. Major is known for being a family hike.  When our kids were six, eight, and ten, Steve Adler took our family of five to Mt. Major.  We all scrambled up to the top quite easily.  As a middle school teacher, I was part of a team of teachers that brought 75 seventh graders to the mountaintop.  They all made it.  The cliché goes You can’t give kids self-esteem, they must earn it.  Mt. Major makes them earn it.

Mitch and Paula Sakofs have come to New England for a sensible, not macho hike.  Putting aside my neurotic need for an Olympic challenge kind of hike ("Citius, Altius, Fortius" (faster, higher, stronger), I choose Mt. Major, an hour from our home in York, Maine.  Packing water, energy bars, and salty snacks on a high humidity day in July, we begin with a steady ascent to the peak 1.8 miles up.  Within a few hundred yards, the trail has leveled out and we are in the shade of the forest, which blunts the sun and humidity.  Soon we take a sharp left following the brilliant blue blazes on the trees.  Instantly the gift of trekking sticks proves a godsend.  Adjustable for any height, these telescoped poles help me with my balance as the trail now is filled with Adirondack switchbacks (i.e., a trail that goes straight up.)  These poles are ideal for the over 60 crowd who have spent a lifetime beating up their knees.  Ninth Commandment of the Trail – Get a pair of inexpensive trekking sticks (I’ve been told mine are $10, but alas, since they are gifts, I don’t know their price.).

Those cautious by nature will be challenged the large rocks and rock faces of Mt. Major, but it’s all good and doable.  Tiny blueberries, raspberries, and huckleberries abound in summer.  Though the blue blazes are prominent, we momentarily lose the trail.  Thankfully this is a popular mountain and voices lead us back on track.

We meet two hikers from Arizona and our conversation quickly comes to the various forms of heat and which heat is worse.  We agree to compare the heat of the desert to an oven and this humidity/heat to a sauna.  At the top we are rewarded with a 360-degree view of Lake Winnipesaukee and the surrounding forests.  Even on a humid Monday in July there is a party atmosphere at the top with hikers who bounce around feeling the satisfaction of reaching the summit.  Engaging a couple from Texas in conversation, I learn of the Brooks Trail that is 2.4 miles back to the parking area.  Rather than take to the rock faces going down, we descend a more leisurely roundabout hike through the forest to the west.  Ideal for people on humid days and dogs on any day, the canopy shades one and all and the brook is a welcome relief for the canines. 

Mitch has me pull on a green plant, scrap the root, and chew what turns out to be wintergreen.  Later he has me sample the tiniest of roots of the Indian Cucumber, which is succulent to the taste.  It’s a moment, not a meal, he waxes.  It’s great to hike with a botanist/poet.  After three hours of low intensity hiking, we drive to the nearby Alton Bay Dunkin Donuts, buy an ice coffee, and eat our homemade sandwiches in cool comfort.  They don’t seem to mind. 

Mt. Major Hike rating – Excellent  

As always when hiking, know thyself, thy limits, and the conditions.  Be prepared.