Hale
November 28, 2025

Start/End: Little River Road

Peaks: Hale (4,054')

Elevation Gain: 2,530 ft

RT Mileage: 9.70 mi

Duration: 5 hours, 3 minutes

Rock Difficulty: Class 1

Snow/Ice Difficulty: Grade I

The May 23 snowstorm which I hiked to Hermit Lake for was followed by back-to-back weekend washouts in the Whites. June 13 was the next nice day, and I attempted the Six Husbands Trail on Jefferson but was forced to turn back at the second suspension bridge, which was closed. Then, four days later I tore my ACL, which kept me away from the mountains for five and a half months (I had to wait until August 1 for the surgery). I was finally cleared to hike over Thanksgiving weekend, and I decided to start easy with an ascent of the defunct Fire Warden's Trail on Hale, which I last hiked as part of a longer loop over two years ago. Read more...