Our preferred route is to hike up the Orange/Red Trail and descend via the Starr Trail denoted by yellow blazes.Īs we ascended, we chatted about our relatives and friends who had and do serve in the Armed Forces, including grandparents, dads, uncles, my brother-in-law, cousins, friends, and classmates. The 761-acre Rumford Whitecap Mountain Preserve was purchased by the Mahoosuc Land Trust in 2007. As we drove north we recalled summer, fall and winter adventures on the loop trail, but never spring. The wind had swept the ridge clean of snow in many areas, but I didn’t want to struggle with the straps of my snowshoes in such bitter cold, so I just kept them strapped to my feet, zipped up my windproof fleece jacket, swapped my beanie for my warmer fur-lined bomber hat, and carried on toward the summit.It had been a couple of years since we’d hiked Rumford Whitecap together. The ferocity of the wind concerned me as I struggled forward, my snowshoes clacking and screeching over patches of ice and granite. In fact, some of the most beautiful sights I enjoyed on the trail were due to the water - icicles formed along the edges of brooks and small waterfalls and in one spot, the water was moving so swiftly it had formed a layer of fluffy foam that formed, then froze, floating atop the water and crumbling to the touch of my mitten.Īs I neared the top of the mountain and the red pines started to disappear, I was greeted by a bitter wind that nearly knocked me off balance. But I wore waterproof hike boots, so walking in the flowing water didn’t bother me. ![]() They helped quite a bit.ĭespite it being in the 20s that day, recent warm weather had water pouring down the mountain, often along the trail. ![]() ![]() When the mountainside became steeper, I snapped up my snowshoe heel lifts, which are little metal bars that pop up under my heels that give me support as I climb, taking some of the strain of my calves. Eventually the trail branched off from the snowmobile trail and became narrower, but still fairly wide and easy to follow. Luckily for me, the deep snow on the Red-Orange Trail had been packed down by snowmobilers and snowshoers that had come before me, making it easy to snowshoe on. The mixed forest covering the slopes of Rumford Whitecap Mountain includes a wide variety of tree species, including large white and yellow birch trees, stands of striped maple (which is also known as moose maple or moosewood, since it’s a favorite snack for moose), tall hemlocks and red pines. The Black-White Trail is 4.75 miles and travels east to Black Mountain. Whether you hike up and down the Red-Orange Trail or Starr Trail, or create a loop of the two, the hike is approximately 5 miles total.Īlso, the Red-Orange Trail intersects with what’s known as the Black-White Trail 1.63 mile from the trailhead. Past the summit, you’ll notice red marks on the rock and trees that closely resemble the trail markers, however, this red paint is marking the preserve boundary. The trail officially ends at the summit, which is marked by a round metal geological survey marked embedded in the bedrock. Both trails climb the mountain for about 2 miles, and then, about 0.5 mile before the summit, the trails come together, and the Red-Orange Trail continues to the summit.
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