This past January I was missing the mountains of NH so I figured it was time for another winter hike! With fresh snow on the ground, we knew it was going to be a hard day up Stinson Mountain (2900′), but that didn’t diminish our spirits. In the early morning, we made breakfast, gathered our gear, and packed the car. Getting to the trailhead in Rumney, NH was a breeze, even though we faltered a little when we saw a few cars parked half a mile down the lightly powdered Lower Doe Town Road instead of at the actual parking area. Still, we proceeded on and had the little lot to ourselves. I mean, c’mon people, it’s was barely an inch!
As soon as we stepped out of the car, we put our microspikes on, which was a bummer 
for me because I swear they add 20 pounds to my legs. I didn’t know much about this Stinson Mountain Trail because I wasn’t the one who chose it, but it started out nice enough, covered in ice and snow, but pretty and calming. Luckily it had been broken in by a group a few hours ahead of us so it wasn’t totally treacherous. We did our best to step in their postholes, though we received some side eye from snowshoers who saw our actions as messing up their trail. We apologized, but not all of us can float on top of the snow or afford the equipment that would let us do so.
About 5 minutes in we started climbing, and then we climbed some more, and then some more. There was no relief on this trail, no varying gradient. I hear a lot of West Coast hikers complain about switchbacks, but I would take a switchback any day! Unfortunately, East Coast trails like to send you straight up the mountain, and if the slope is too steep, no problem, they just add stairs. Yay. So when we paused to grab some water and someone said we were climbing 1,000 feet in a little over a mile, my legs groaned. I’m sure it’s much easier in the summer/spring/fall, but those microspikes man. I’m telling you they change the workout game. But even with the steepness, the trail was vibrant and wide for the first half so it was the perfect atmosphere for carrying on a conversation and catching up with old friends. Every now and then it crisscrossed over some snowmobile/cross country ski trails so we had to be careful not to be taken out or take someone else out as we crossed.
The second half of the climb turned into single track and, even though the snow was beautiful, every few minutes we’d hear a crunch and turn around to find one of us had fallen through the snow pile and was stuck. This led to a lot of laughs as we tried to pull each other out. Eventually, after many false claims of “we’re almost there!” we came to our final fork in the road. That’s when we ran in to some crazy snowmobilers who left a beautiful scent of gasoline behind. The great out doors are just so magical some times. With both trails leading to the top, we decided to take a right where they took a left so as not to run the risk of having a giant machine fall on us. This final push was steep, but not bad compared to what we had just gone up. I was the first to emerge from the woods and on to the rocky summit. At first glance, the view usually catches my eye, but this time, unfortunately, it was the two middle-aged snowmobiling men peeing out in the open. Live free or die?
With the mixture of cold wind and altitude, we couldn’t stay at the top very long, but we did have time to sit in the snow and eat our lunch. The view of the mountains in the distance was beautiful. I love hiking in the winter because everything turns in to a glistening winter wonderland. After scarfing down our sandwiches, we packed up our bags and headed back out. Our descent down was much quicker and thankfully we had no run ins with the snowmobilers. We did get to exchange pleasantries with some nice cross-country skiers though! That was cool. Finally we made it back to the car where I was able to tear off my microspikes and walk like a normal person again. I recommends this trail to all, but maybe wait until the summer season.
Memoirs From The Trails 