Hiked April 16, 2006 by Tim and Valerie
Conditions: Started on Sandwich Notch Road, and it was pretty decent out - about 43 degrees F. The first mile of this trail has some very steep climbing including a little chimney, which is always fun. The drizzle came and went, but not hard enough for us to get out our Gore-Tex. Our original intention had been to do just Doublehead, but it was snowing lightly by the time we got to the top, and the signage offered that Mt Squam wasn't that far away. We didn't have any plans with family for the holiday, just a little ham slice waiting for us in the fridge, so off we went to Mt Squam. This was a good chance, very early in the hiking season, to get in something bigger than the 4-mile range that we'd been doing.
Snow and drizzle happened on and off throughout the day. At one point, Valerie slipped on a big flat rock while walking downhill and landed hard on her butt. Unfortunately, she had her wrists through the loops in her walking poles, so she not only hurt her butt, but she *almost* dislocated her shoulder. She no longer hikes downhill with the straps around her wrists. And yes, there was a very nasty bruise.
Lots of "moose evidence" on this trail.
Stats: 6.4 miles round trip. 5 hours to complete.