Waumbek and Cabot
September 4, 2023
We had nothing to do on Labor Day, so it was the perfect time to escape into the northern most part of the White Mountains and knock off a couple more peaks. I figured if I got up there early enough, I could do as much running as I could to be able to do Waumbek, and then drive over to Cabot and do that one as well. These are the 2 peaks that are the furthest away from me, so I thought it would be great to try to get them done in the same day so I could save myself another trip all the way up here.
I left my house a little before 4am and arrived at the trailhead at a little before 6:30. I knew where I was going because the trailhead is right up the street from Santa’s Village in Jefferson, which we have been taking the kids to each year for the past couple of years. The trailhead is at the end of this little residential road. There were already a few cars there, but I had no issue getting a spot. I met a father and son in the parking lot that both had the same trail runners as me. We didn’t run/hike up together, but we continued to pass each other for the whole hike.
I started off on Starr King Trail at 6:45 and although the trail starts climbing right away, I tried to power hike the best I could. I got up to Starr King at 7:45, so I got about 2.5 miles done in an hour. Since it was basically just a climb from the beginning to the top, I’m pretty happy with that time. Starr King is not a 4000 footer, but it is a pretty cool peak because there is an old fireplace there and a decent view off one side. I hung out, took some pictures, and then got on my way along the Killkenny Ridge Trail towards Mt. Waumbek. It was a little over a mile to get to Waumbek, which was just a wooded peak, so there wasn’t much reason to stick around other than to get some water and food. I arrived there at 8:15. With a small break at Starr King, that means this took me a little less than a half hour to go that mile.
I got back on the trail to head back the same way on this out and back hike. I was able to run a good portion of this on the way down and was back at the truck by 9:15. So even with a second stop at Starr King, it took me about an hour to go the 3.5 miles down. I believe this was the easiest 4000 footer I’ve done to date. 7 miles with about 2,700 feet of elevation gain and got it done in a little more than 2 hours. I enjoyed this one very much as it was different terrain up in the northern whites. I saw lots of chipmunks and squirrels, whereas I had not seen much wildlife at all in previous hikes. Although I keep looking for those moose!
September 4, 2023
Because Waumbek and Cabot aren’t linked (I suppose they technically could be if you went on enough trails, but it would be a long journey), I had to do Waumbek and then drive over to the trailhead for Cabot to do that separately. The trailhead for Cabot is even further north up near the Berlin Fish Hatchery. You have to drive through the hatchery property to get to the parking area, and you have to be out of there before they close, because they lock the gate. That’s what I’ve heard at least. I didn’t experience it myself. The towns up there are noticeably different from towns around me, and even other towns that I’ve been to in the Whites. ATV’s everywhere - on the roads, at the car wash. I love it - just seems like a simpler way of life. People could benefit from spending time in places like this.
After getting new clothes on and re-packing my pack with food and water, I got on the trail at 11am. I started off on the York Pond Trail, but only for about 2 tenths of a mile and then I made a right on to the Bunnell Notch Trail, which I was on for about 3 miles. This trail was steeper than my earlier hike on Starr King trail and my legs were already a little tired from the earlier hike, so the effort was harder this time. When I could run, I would, but it was infrequent. At the end of Bunnell Notch Trail, I made a right on to Killkenny Ride Trail, which lead me up to the Cabot cabin and eventually the summit of Mt. Cabot. It was about a mile and a half from the intersection of the trails to the summit, with a decent amount of elevation gain. The summit is wooded, so there isn’t much to hang out there for. I stopped at the cabin on my way back to sit down for a few minutes and eat some food. My legs had been cramping up a bit, so I wanted to try to solve that problem. .
This was another out and back, so I just went back the same way I came up. I was trying to run when possible because I wanted to make sure I got out of the parking area before they closed the gate. My legs continued to cramp up. I was able to temporarily solve the problem with electrolytes and sour patch kids, but the cramps kept happening. I didn’t bring salt tabs, but I definitely will going forward if I’m going to be putting in this type of effort. I was back at the truck around 3:15, so it took me just over 4 hours to make the 9+ mile trek. My moving time was more like 3 and a half hours. I’m happy with this time since I was struggling at times with cramps. My conditioning has greatly improved since starting to do these and I can tell that I’m getting faster and handling the mountains better than I was when I started these (although these mountains are always tough no matter how good the conditioning). My socks were drenched, I had blisters on the heels and I was exhausted. Nice time for a 2.5 hour drive home. I wore the Saucony Peregrine GTX trail runners for this one, while I wore the Nike Pegasus Gore Tex 4 on Waumbek. They are both made from Gore Tex material, but the Nike’s work way better for me. These are my favorite sneaker and I will be buying more of them. I don’t dislike the Saucony, but the Nike is just way better for me personally.
