C'mon Man! (Mt. Pemigewasset)

If you're a football fan, then you're likely familiar with a segment on ESPN where a play or player's action causes the commentator to scratch their head and say "C'Mon Man"!

I'll be the first to admit to being wrong, but my perception is that a trek to Mt. Pemigewasset generates minimal enthusiasm among seasoned hikers who generally prefer more aggressive adventures.   And so, I'm thinking that when many folks see the destination for this hike, they might scratch their head and say "C'mon Man"!

Although my adventure did include a hike to the summit of Mt. Pemigewasset, my main goal was to bushwhack to a small ledge tucked in the woods about a tenth of a mile below the east face of this mountain.  My inspiration for this hike was generated by one of Steve Smith's Blog reports (Click HERE.)

To reach this little ledge, I left the Mt. Pemigewasset Trail at about 2,300 feet and bushwhacked nearly due south.  Luck was with me.  I arrived at the top of the ledge, rather than at the bottom, which sometimes happens when bushwhacking, with just the slightest misjudgment!

The elapsed time from leaving the trail to arrival at the ledge was under 30 minutes.  However, the reverse time from the ledge back to the trail was under 15 minutes, thanks to one of the joys of winter bushwhacking!  You can simply follow your tracks back to your starting point without the time-consuming process of route finding.

Although this ledge is small, it provides big views of mountains in the Franconia Range.  In contrast, views of these mountains from the top of Mt. Pemigewasset are partially blocked by trees.  The composite photo shown below serves to compare the view of the Franconia Range from the "bushwhack ledge", versus the view from Mt. Pemigewasset's summit. 

View of Franconia Range from "bushwhack ledge", versus view from top of Mt. Pemigewasset

The next two snapshots were taken from the "bushwhack ledge", and are intended merely to highlight the fine views from this spot.  Perhaps it should be noted that my trek was done on 26-December-2012.  On the day following this hike, there was a significant snowfall.  Therefore, the photos in this report show far less white on the mountains than currently exists. 

Mt. Liberty and Mt. Flume as viewed from "bushwhack ledge"

Entire Franconia Range as viewed from "bushwhack ledge"

After visiting the "bushwhack ledge", I continued up the Mt. Pemigewasset Trail to the top of the mountain.  From there, I saw vistas that are familiar to anyone who has visited this location.  The following snapshots show some typical scenes.

(In the short span of time between visiting the "bushwhack ledge" and my arrival at the top of Mt. Pemigewasset, the sky had changed from blue to gray!)

Point of arrival at the top of Mt. Pemigewasset

Looking westward toward Mt. Wolf

 Looking southeasterly toward Loon, Scar Ridge, Osceola East Peak, Tecumseh

Tree-obstructed view of peaks in Franconia Range

Some readers might find the next composite photo to be of interest.  It shows a highly-zoomed view of the "bushwhack ledge" as seen from the parking lot for the Flume Visitor Center.  And, this composite also contains a topographic map which shows the approximate location of the ledge.

Highly-zoomed image of ledge, plus map showing approximate location of ledge

To sum it up, this little adventure was fun, and it was rewarding for me to witness the view of the Franconia Range from the "bushwhack ledge".  However, it's completely understandable that many might still just scratch their head and say "C'mon Man"!