It was a beautiful fall day, exceptionally warm for 22 October and I started the hike overdressed for the weather and had to shed layers after a short time.
I was pleasantly greeted by two nice ladies on horses on round pond road as I exited my jeep to start the day in the woods.
I had parked between trees near the trail that goes down to the glacial boulder field and started my hike in that direction.
As usual in NH state parks, the trail is well marked and I proceeded along through the boulder field and then thru the woods heading towards a small pond that is just past a relatively sheer high rock face on the left of the trail, there was a gentleman coaching another individual in climbing techniques as I passed by headed towards a steep rock scramble.
I was greeted by a small and quite curious squirrel, who seemed interested in the noise from my camera as I took pictures of him.
As I headed up away from the pond, where it was necessary to use handholds on the many tree roots to climb up the rock as the fall leaves made the rock quite slippery. The trail then proceeded thru the woods slowly gaining altitude and then there is a short reprieve from steep elevation gain thru a series of switchbacks and then you proceed thru a relatively flat section until the last short scramble up to where the historic microwave reflector used to be. All that remains of the communications relic are the concrete support pillars.
There is a narrow view point to the left of the trail from the pillars, if you proceed past them to the rock ledge outcrop the view in that direction is much better.
At that same location you are able to see the fire tower on one of the other peaks on the other side of the caldera.
I made the return trip back the same trail as it was clouding up and did not want to get caught in any rain doing either of the other trails that leave the summit that return back to the dirt roads that run around the inside of the caldera. Had I taken either of those trails I would have had a road walk to return back to my jeep.
