SPRING PERFECTION ON DICKEY MOUNTAIN: 4/14/09

On a crisp sunny day John Compton and I enjoyed a leisurely hike up Dickey Mountain, one of the classic April hikes that melts off early in the season. Conditions: bare, dry ground in the hardwoods, mostly dry on the granite ledges with a few wet but grippy spots, and patches of ice and old hard snow in the spruce woods between the ledges and at the wooded summit area. On these we picked our way carefully, and a couple of stretches required Stabilicers on the way up.

Our main objective was the vast open ledge 0.2 mile north of the summit, one of the great hangout spots in the mountains. We found the sketchy but followable route to the ledge, starting down on the east side of Dickey just before the trail turns right to drop to the col with Welch. The meandering "path" stays on open ledge the whole way out to the slab, with minimal impact on vegetation. We spent 2+ hours on this football-field sized slab, wandering around to take in views from various angles. There are great perspectives on Moosilauke, Kinsman Ridge, the Franconias, the wild southern spurs of Tecumseh (Green, Hogback, Fisher), and the Sandwich Range.

A lower perch looked down into the broad basin on the NE side of Dickey.

It was hard to leave. On the way down, we stopped to check out the mysterious circle carved into a ledge just above the big lower slab. What, or who, created this?