4003′ Mount Tecumseh barely squeaks onto the list of White Mountain 4000-Footers, ranking stone-cold last at 48 out of 48. So I blame a minute plate tectonic quirk that we did not hike the 3980′ Sandwich Mountain (which the AMC guide raves is “extremely scenic”), but instead choose to bag Tecumseh despite its ill repute as the easiest, blandest, most chorelike 4000-Footer. Tecumseh is also the location of the posh Waterville Valley downhill ski slopes, so it carries the damning stench and sights of human.
We had always regarded Tecumseh as low-hanging fruit that could be picked off during a hiking trip with loftier goals, as extra credit. But Tecumseh fit perfectly with what we wanted today: A half-day hike on a nearby mountain that wouldn’t expose us to too much snow and cold. To make Tecumseh a bit more interesting, we started hiking on Tripoli Road and headed south to the summit (instead of starting in the ski area and heading north). Our route was an hour longer (6.4 miles roundtrip), but less traveled and hidden from the ski lifts.
The White Mountains received its first snow last week, so it was fresh, crunchy, and perfect for walking on. As we ascended Tecumseh, the small patches of snow gradually thickened and deepened to about 2 inches, although the trail was never completely blanketed. We saw moose hoofprints on the trail near the top, but no actual moose.
It was chilly at the summit, so we scarved ourselves and then scarfed our sandwiches. The view was not great but we could peak through the trees at the Tripyramids presiding over the leafless Waterville Valley. (A bit more snow, and we would have stayed in the valley and XC skied).
On the way down, we decided to unnecessarily cross a river via a log. Mr. Pinault quaked and checked his balance with his hiking pole. I crossed on the log with peerless poise and grace, but I couldn’t stick the dismount due to an over-rotation directly into a bush (4-tenths deduction).
