W1/HA-146 Wantastiquet Mountain

The forecast was not super great, but I had access to a car and so decided to go out and get some more peaks. This time I would head west to near the Vermont border. First was Wantastiquet Mountain. There appear to be two trailheads. One hikes up from the Connecticut River, and is probably really nice on a clear day.

Trailhead kiosk.

The other route starts in the Madame Sherri Forest on Gulf Road, and this is the one I took. The parking lot was spacious and plowed. It was overcast, and had sprinkled a bit on my drive out, but no precipitation to start. The trail was well worn, and the microspikes were helpful.

On the way.

The junctions were all very well signed, and it was easy to pick the right direction. The trail appeared to be much less used after Indian Pond. Someone had already gone through, so it was easy for me to just follow the footprints. It started to rain, so I stopped to put on my raincoat. I was glad I did, because everything was wet after that short shower.

Icy pine needles.

The summit of the mountain is a fairly broad plateau. There are some small ups and downs on the way over to what my map said is the highest point. I stopped in a large clearing near some towers to set up my antenna. It seemed to be just below the high point. There was good cell service on the summit. It was a short time operating, since I was getting wet in the dripping snow and rain.

The tower on one side of the clearing.

After working the initial pileup I just packed up and went back. It wasn't fun sitting in the cold rain waiting for more people. The descent was quick, following the same trail as the way up. At the car I turned on the heat and headed over to Davis Hill.

Trailhead: Madame Sherri Forest, Gulf Road.
Website: SOTA Site.
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.
Route: Follow the trail signs to Indian Pond then to the summit.
Red Tape: None.

On the way up.