After few months of decreased hiking due to a new job, moving into a new apartment, and Lucy having an injury, I finally got back to the Whites this past weekend for gorgeous winter hike of Mt. Cardigan. It was my first time on this little mountain, and I was pleasantly surprised by the expansive views and bald peak.

Stepping out of the car at the base of Cardigan Mountain Road, a wall of icy air hit me right in the face. It was 13 degrees as the dry breeze sucked its way down my throat, tickling my lungs with every breath. The road leading to the trailhead of Mt. Cardigan is closed in the winter, so we started our trek with a short walk on the wide snow-covered path.

Although I didn’t think Lucy was up for a 4+ mile hike with her recent shoulder injury, another pup joined us on our journey into the frozen wonderland of Cardigan Mountain State Park. Finn is a black lab mix who loves any type of outdoor activity and was enthused to be out in the cold after the long car ride on the rural back roads of northeastern New Hampshire. He bounded up the road with ease as we struggled to warm up behind him in the freezing temperatures.

When we got to the trailhead there was a small pavilion where we took off some layers and consulted the map. The group decided on the loop heading to the south summit first and then up the steep incline to the top of Mt. Cardigan. We had already donned our microspikes, so we crossed our fingers hoping for no loose snow that would require snowshoes on our way up.

The wooded ascent up the South Ridge Trail was gradual, showing off the new blanket of snow from the recent blizzard. The tiny flakes dazzled in the sun of this bluebird day as we made our way up the well packed trail. The snow crunched beneath our feet and the fragrant hemlock trees gave off a pleasant smell as we moseyed up the trail. We got a few glances of the views off into the distance to the south through the naked trees, making us very excited for the expanse up ahead.

When we reached the Rimrock, our first viewpoint, we were amazed by the southerly views. We could see seemingly hundreds of miles into the distance with not a cloud in the sky. As we continued to ascend to Cardigan’s south peak, we started to see snow capped Presidential peaks peeking out from behind Cardigan’s main summit.

The climb from the boarded up AMC weather shelter was short but steep, straight up the southern face of the mountain. I felt like a mountaineer making my way up the inclined trail, but Finn had no issues bounding up the slope ahead of us. At the top of the steep climb we were rewarded with incredible views of the mountains to the north. We pointed out several 4,000 footers, from Moosilauke to Franconia Ridge to Mt. Washington and the Presidentials far in the distance.

The light breeze chilled us to the bone as we ate some summit snacks prompting us to leave soon after we summited. Although there was a little shelter at the base of the summit fire tower, it was not enough to convince us to stay more than a few minutes.

The descent down the West Ridge Trail was gentle and quick. Blankets of wind swept snow glittered in the sun as we scurried down the trail in an effort to keep warm, and we made it back to the trailhead in about a half hour. After the short road walk we were rewarded with the shelter of the truck and a warm ride home.

Mt. Cardigan was a gorgeous but easy hike with incredible views. I often talk about trying to get the most bang for your buck, and as far as the view to effort ratio goes this one is a winner. It was a great re-introduction to winter hiking for me after my long hiatus in the past few months, and it was so refreshing to take my mind off the stressors of everyday life. I often forget how therapeutic hiking is for me when I take time off. It’s always unintentional, but when I get overwhelmed with work or school it’s easy to sit at home and relax on my days off. I forget that hiking is another much needed type of relaxation, so this hike made me appreciate every moment of my mountain adventures once again.