Well, no. This was not
the first ascent ever of Mt Roberts. But it was
my first ascent of any mountain in the Ossipee ring dike complex. (
Red Hill, though nearby, is not within the Ossipee circle.)
Mount Roberts is on the outskirts of the Castle in the Cloud site; we entered from Ossipee Park Rd. There is a parking area right after an old gatehouse, then you walk up a bit to the trailhead. The fresh whiff of a horse farm livens the first few yards...
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| Wildflowers |
The ascent was shady and cool through the forest, at a moderate grade, and the midges didn't bother us much until we stopped to admire the view.
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| Sun and shadow on the green hills |
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| In front of the middle cloud, look for the small speck (a turkey vulture) |
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| Intrepid Explorers |
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| Our motto is "Do Lunch or Be Lunch" |
At our lunch stop, we smeared ourselves with citronella. We then walked up further to a second ledge, and a few of us headed for the last mile up to the summit.
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| The little-known New Hampshire Moai? |
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| A shift in the vegetation as we ascended |
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| Mountain laurel |
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| I liked the soft grey lichen on this rock. |
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| Celebrating at the summit! |
The summit provided views to the north of the White Mountain range. (Perhaps the hill in the foreground might be Larcom Mountain.)
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| Mt Chocorua and others in the distance |
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| An eerie landscape |
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| These flowers looked a bit like a (low-growing) dogwood cover |
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| Orange blaze with oxidized iron |
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| Nicely camouflaged toad (he's got a white stripe on his spine) |
The entire journey was about 5 miles round-trip. Very enjoyable.
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