W1/HA-212 Dakin Hill

 After activating nearby Osgood Hill, I drove over to the Monadnock-Sunapee Greenway parking lot on NH 9. This is a decent size dirt lot right next to a maintenance station. 

I was the only one on the trail.

Dakin Hill is on the north side of the highway, but luckily there's no need to dodge cars. The stream across the street from the lot flows under the highway in a culvert, and there is a walking path there. It took a minute for me to find the path down, since there were no tracks in the snow.

Walking under the highway.

Once I found the path and made the perilous icy crossing, it was easy to follow the trail. The greenway goes up Nye Road, then follows an old jeep trail from the end of the road. It seems to be on an easement, since both sides were liberally posted by the hunting club who owns the land.

Up the Monadnock-Sunapee Greenway.

I was getting worried as I hiked up that I wouldn't be able to get to the summit since there were so many "Posted" signs. However, they stopped below the summit. At the top of the climb the trail levels out and goes around the summit. I found a good place to step off the trail to bushwhack up to the high point. The forest was fairly open, and I didn't have to weave around too much.

Setup at the summit.

The summit is broad, and I found an open area in the sun to set up. It was pretty warm, which made it more pleasant to operate. I had good cell service on the summit, unlike at the trailhead. The bands were open across the country, and I made plenty of contacts. To get back to the trail, I just followed my footprints down. There were lots of deer tracks on the trail, and only my set of boot prints. This section of the greenway must not be very popular.

Trailhead: Monadnock-Sunapee Greenway parking. Just off Rt 9 on South St, before the maintenance station.
Website: SOTA Site. Monadnock-Sunapee Greenway maps and guides are easy to find online.
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.
Route: Cross the highway in the underpass, then follow the white blazes along Nye Road and the jeep trail to the high point. Bushwhack to the summit.
Red Tape: None. Don't trespass.
Video: YouTube