Bald: the Perfect First Mountain

Bald Mountain, a.k.a., Rondaxe Mountain, is located a short distance outside the tourist mecca of Old Forge.  It is a short hike to the top, about 0.9 miles, and with an elevation gain around 500 feet, is quite easy.  This accessibility, coupled with the gorgeous views out over the Fulton Chain Lakes, plus the thrill of the fire tower, makes it a very popular hike.  Sometimes when things are popular for a good reason, it is worth it to deal with the crowds, and such is the case here.  Since it is a two hour drive for us to get to the trailhead, we don't hike it frequently, but it a fun treat every few years.  For example, I hiked it in 2010 with Erwin, when I was pregnant.  In 2014, when Frankie was three and a half years old, Erin and I took him up it for his first entirely self-propelled mountain hike (he had hiked up Owl's Head in Keene before that, but I carried him back down that one).  Then last summer, Frankie and I hiked it again on the same day as Rocky, in pursuit of the Fulton Chain Trifecta.

Today was all about Alden.  He is now three and a half, exactly the age Frankie was when he first climbed Bald.  And Alden is a speedy little guy, too, much less prone to distraction than my boy.  Erin had been planning on taking him up a fire tower peak all summer, but the stars never aligned.  Autumn is just as nice, so we decided we'd watch the weather for all the Saturdays until we could make the drive up.  We are not opposed to hiking in the rain, exactly, but for Alden's first mountain, it seemed prudent to at least aim for dry rock.  We had to pass up one perfect fall day earlier this month, when Erwin was taking Frankie to a football game.  Finally, the forecast for this weekend promised mostly dry weather, so we decided to risk it.  I picked Erin and Alden up, and off we went.  Frankie brought some books to read to Alden in the car.

When we arrived, there was not a single spot left in the parking lot, and cars were circling.  I found an apparently legal spot on the road and snagged it.  It has never been this busy in any of my previous hikes, although I have seen the lot even busier driving by on Columbus Day weekend.  Maybe early leaf peepers?  Unfortunately, the color is pretty non-existent so far this year (except for the red maples).  It has just been too damn hot.   

Alden was super into the hike!  He kept waxing poetic about how much he loved this mountain, and how he wants to climb more mountains.  He thought maybe we could climb another one after this one, and when we told him we would climb lots more mountains together, but not today, he requested we climb this one twice.  It was so stinking cute!

unintentional Ninjas

checking out views from a ledge

on the summit ridge

When we got to the top, it was a total mob scene.  We had to wait in line to climb the tower.  Frankie loves being in the cabs and was was disappointed that he couldn't eat his lunch inside it, which we have done before, but only if there is no line waiting for turns.  We stayed only very briefly, then climbed back down.  Frankie may have resisted more if Alden wasn't there, but once he realized Erin and Alden were going down, he had to go with them so he could be first. 

Once we descended from the tower, we wandered down the ridge looking for a spot to sit.  There was no seclusion to be found, but we did get to eat lunch while enjoying the views.

Then we headed back down.  There were a few brief delays, for the kids to practice leave no trace, and for them to fling sticks off a cliff.  Overall though, we moved pretty fast.  Alden is definitely a faster hiker than Frankie was at that age! 

how did he get so big?

Now of course we all want to get back to the mountains as soon as possible.  With the exposed slabs, short sections of scrambling, and rocky summit, Bald Mountain gives the feel of a real mountain without all the work.  It truly is the perfect starter mountain.