I already have Moosilauke checked off my 71>71 list, so this hike was a repeat or an update. The reason for going back was that I had told a friend I would repair his family's Dick Sanders memorial plaque at the summit. The bronze plaque is mounted in a boulder near the stone foundation and was in need of a new surrounding seal. Any regular White Mountains hiker reading this has probably sat behind one of these stones to get out of the wind.
Dick Sanders story is an interesting one. He was president of Dartmouth's Outing Club for much of his time there and for a number of years he managed Dartmouth's Summit House on Moosilauke. The Mountain obviously had special meaning to him. His time on the Mountain was of another era, but I'll bet most of the stories remembered by his family were of fun times just as ours are now!
Today, packing 8 or 9 pounds of tools and plumber's putty, I made another delightful trip up Gorge Brook Trail to the summit. The actual repair didn't take long, but the summit was thick with other hikers so a lot of time was spent visiting and swapping stories. Many at the summit were NOBO AT hikers and you could feel their excitement at reaching the White Mountains and finally being above treeline! Some were interested in the repair job and the Sanders story.
Below are a few photos, mostly of Gorge Brook Trail's landmark features and a couple at the summit:
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| One of the log bridges |
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| The stone bridge |
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| View from the first clearing |
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| A fun section of trail |
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| Toad Rock |
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| Looking back to Ravine Lodge |
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| First view of summit |
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| Summit over Bunchberries --- and Cranberries! |
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| Approaching the summit |
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| before repair |
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| after |
And a few interesting sights on the way down ---
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| No one at home |
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| Pretty --- but please don't try eating this one! |
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| When I'm not tripping over them, tree root patterns can be fun |
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