You can’t get there from here...Baldfaces and Emerald Pool

Trip Details
Date: July 26^th, 2019
Total Distance: 11.8 mi (via Garmin fenix 5X)
Total Time: 5 hours 46 min
Total Elevation: 2969 ft gained (calculated based off the recorded elevation at the stop and max elevation; the watch recorded a elevation gain of 6257 ft that we know is bonkers)
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BishopX and I are continuing our pursuit of the Terrifying 25. This trip was focused on the Baldfaces and the Baldface Circle Trail, which is one of the listed trails. This trail is interesting as the only way to get to it is from Maine, but the entire hike takes place in New Hampshire. Essentially, Route 113 in Maine goes through Evans Notch and at one point swings back across the border into New Hampshire. It is at this point that you find the Baldface Circle Trailhead. The trail gets quite a bit of use so get there early. The mountains themselves have some great alpine hiking for sub-4000 footers, but also one of the top swimming holes, Emerald Pool, in the White Mountains is located just three-quarters of a mile from the trailhead.

For once this was way more of a drive for BishopX than it was for me. We still got a nice early start for us before the parking lot was even close to full. When we finished cars were parking on the side of Route 113. The parking lot is on the east side of the road and then the trailhead is a few steps up the road on the west side.

The rest of the hike until the shelter is a steady climb through the woods. What was nice was the relatively even footing. Nice change of pace from the more eroded trails we are use to hiking on.

The hut is a nice leanto and there was a group packing out for the day. At the hut it is a bit confusing, but the trail continues behind the hut. We found a fresh blow down just after the hut.

To me it looks like the trail continues straight ahead, but it actually curves around the shelter and continues behind it (to the right in this photo).

Fresh blow down just behind the hut.

After the hut comes the beginning of the south ledges. On a wet day these ledges are possibly one of the most dangerous spots in the White Mountains. On a blue sky day like we had though, the ledges were dry and easy to grip and provided us with open views for miles. It was breathtaking. As you walk along the ledges though there were times where there was nothing to grab on your one side and the other side was facing a sloping cliff. This trail definitely earned its spot on the Terrifying 25 list. It the climb up to the Baldface Knob quite enjoyable.

Our first look at the ledges!

Turning around we got our first glimpse of the view, which frequently included the Royces to the East.

I ate my first wild blueberries on this trip. BishopX is great at spotting these.

Looking up at South Baldface.

Shortly thereafter we were on the bare summit of South Baldface. We had to ourselves for a few minutes so we took some photos and relaxed.

Looking at North Baldface.

Old Speck Mountain

Mt. Washington

From left to right: the Presidentials, the Wildcats, and the Carters

The sun was actually reflecting off the summit sign of North Baldface so I zoomed in to see if it was in fact the summit sign I was seeing. It was.

Once the crowd arrived, we packed up and headed over to North Baldface for some lunch. You drop back into the trees for most of the trip over, but the summit is once again bare.

Northeast view towards the Royces. 

Looking back towards South Baldface.

Background defocus scene mode with my Sony DSC-HX200V. We need to thank my co-worker, Hannaford, for bringing the beverage back from Pennsylvania for us to enjoy on the summit.

Portrait mode with my iPhone X.

On the trip down we tried to find Eagle Crag, but none of our maps had the specific summit labeled and we did not want to head to far down the Meader Ridge Trail so we bailed and just continued trekking down to Emerald Pool. There are few small pointless up-and-downs before you start making your real decent. They are annoying, but nothing too dramatic.

Looking back up at North Baldface.

None of our maps had Eagle Crag specifically labeled, so I just took a picture of this boulder and called it a day. This boulder is not Eagle Crag.

Like I said earlier, Emerald Pool gets crowded and it was on this day. A few families and summer camps were present. Nevertheless, we did some cliff jumping into the cold mountain water and had some fun for about a half hour.

Forky from Toy Story 4 apparently lost his eye at Emerald Pool!

We finished the hike in our water shoes, which provided minimal support. Thankfully the footing is pretty level, but I still do not recommend it. On the way home I did stop at the Stowe Corner Store to get a sandwich. It was pretty good and really the only option around. The staff was super friendly and they offer a full menu plus plenty of homemade baked goods.

The mileage is off by probably two miles due to drift around the summits and at Emerald Pool.