I started this morning with a laugh as I queued up the directions on AllTrails. The most recent review for Sandwich Mountain Trail, which I'll briefly quote, stuck with me all day.
"The lads were seriously stoked ... some insane woods featuring neat wildlife... The hike up to Jennings was pretty brutal and steep but the boys conquered it."
I'm not sure I'd have described it the same, but I was "seriously stoked" as well.
Of the many routes up and around Sandwich, this was not only the shortest but the easiest to make a loop of with one car. Paisleigh and I arrived around 8:30 and started the day with a high water crossing after the recent 2-inch rainfall from Hurricane Debby. While Paisleigh sported across without getting her feet wet, I decided to walk on through assuming there would be more crossings (there weren't). The hike gains gradually until about a mile in, where the aforementioned steep part was.
As we ascended the mix of rock scrambling and big-rock stepovers, it never felt too difficult and was surprisingly dry despite the trail's relatively poor draining. The climb is well worth it as it lands upon a ledge that's worth hiking up to all on its own- from here I picked out some of the Tripyramid slides quite easily, shivering in remembrance.
As we got closer to Noon, we hit one more steep spot and were rewarded with our best views of the day. One can see over Flat Mountain, down the valley carved by Drake's Brook, Jennings, Sandwich, and nicely through the Waterville Valley.
The section over and beyond Noon was my favorite- partially shaded, flat ridge-walk on granite. Though you can see a somewhat distant Jennings from Noon, the climb was extremely mellow except for the last couple of feet before the summit. The small triangle of Jennings' summit was almost like a baby Owl's Head both visually and in climbing it.
After we spent some time atop Jennings, looking down at the trail-less peaks I only know from Sound like Search and Rescue Podcast, I decided it wouldn't be worth going up to Sandwich Dome as the view isn't anything to write home about. Alternatively, we climbed to the Smarts Brook Trail junction, which I will return to when I car spot it with the Algonquin Trail!
As we began our descent of Drake's Brook Trail, I was dazzled by the terrain. Minus the few switchbacks down to the water, nearly the entire trail parallels the brook. Not only was the trail not washed out, but it had ample views of small cascades and other stunning spots along the water. The trail itself had a neat footpath, wide at times, and presented no difficulty whatsoever. Though we began and ended at the same spot, it felt like we gained much more than we dropped on this one- always a win for me!
I truly enjoyed this hike as an alternative to my recent long, steep, or sometimes unpleasant hikes. It was a pleasure to get out with Paisleigh before her time abroad, hopefully, the next time we hike together will be in the Alps!
Stats:
8 miles
2,143 gain
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