April 27, 2024

Start/End: Starr King Trailhead

Peaks: "Starr King" (3,907'), Waumbek (4,006')

Elevation Gain: 2,825 ft

RT Mileage: 7.22 mi

Duration: 4 hours, 41 minutes

Rock Difficulty: Class 1

Snow/Ice Difficulty: Grade I

The past week has been cold and dry, a rarity during mud season, and I figured trail conditions would improve enough for a 4,000er hike by the weekend. The North Country 4,000ers have the most remaining snowpack in the Whites outside the Presis, so I decided to go with Waumbek.

I woke up at 5:15 AM. Despite anomalously warm temperatures forecasted for the day, preparation took longer than for a typical summer hike due to continued winter conditions in the coniferous forest and above. I left the house at 6:00, arrived at the trailhead at 8:35, and was on the trail by 8:50. The trail wasted no time gaining elevation as it ascended at a steady incline to the Kilkenny Ridge.

The trail was surprisingly dry lower down; I had been expecting some level of acceptable trail conditions but the trail was less muddy than most weekends even last summer. A sign of a dry summer to come? At 2,900 ft, the trail entered the coniferous forest, and almost immediately the dry trail was replaced by solid monorail. Normally in shoulder season I'm able to hike at least a few hundred feet above the snowline before having to put the spikes on, but today the monorail was so smooth I had to put them on immediately.

The snowpack got deeper on the sides of the trail very quickly as the trail ascended through the coniferous forest, but the monorail remained solid as ever. There was nearly three feet of snowpack above 3,500 ft, in excellent condition after the cold this past week.

The trail soon began to flatten out on approach to the summit of Starr King. I summited Starr King just before 11:00, where I was joined by around a dozen other people and one gray jay.

The Starr King summit had a decent, albeit partially-obstructed, view of the Presis, but the early morning lighting along with dewpoints in the 20s made for mediocre viewing conditions. I also tried to get a shot of the gray jay with the Presis behind it, but it didn't happen. I spent around 15 minutes on the summit before beginning to make my way over to Waumbek.

The Kilkenny Ridge descended further from the summit of Starr King than I had anticipated, but nothing crazy. The ascent to Waumbek was also fairly straightforward. I summited Waumbek just before 11:40.

I found myself on the Waumbek summit with essentially the same group I had been with on Starr King. After around ten minutes on the summit, I began hiking back to the trailhead. The descent was fast by Whites standards, and some sections above 3,500 ft were even steep enough to glissade. I made it back to the trailhead just before 2:00 PM, and 4,000er #30 was in the books.