I drove up to the Whites on a Friday, reaching the Beaver Brook Trailhead around 2:15 PM. Good number of cars in the lot. I was in a bit of a ramshackle state so it took me a while to get things in order and I hit the trail by 3 PM. One fella was offering trail magic at the start. I hiked in until I left the Forest Protection Area and then wandered around the hills until I found some decent trees to make camp. The site had a bit of lean but I made it work.
Once set up it was already around 4:30 PM so I figured it was time to head on up. This was my first trip up the Beaver Brook Trail and it didn't disappoint. Lovely cascades ran along that first steep mile. Very steep but I was enjoying the effort. The trail was very dry otherwise I probably would not have enjoyed it as much. Once past the Beaver Brook Shelter it levels off and allowed me to do a bit of trail running. It also offered up a restricted view of Moosilauke through the trees. I had the summit to myself and enjoyed some absolutely perfect conditions. Mid 60s and barely any wind.
I can see why they caution against descending Beaver Brook
in bad conditions. Thankfully the dry rock/stairs provided good traction. I
managed to get back to camp before it got dark and enjoyed a meal in the
hammock before turning in. I awoke in the middle of the night with a terrible
headache - I developed a good electrolyte routine with Tailwind but let my
supply lapse. I think I paid the price on this one. By morning it was a dull
ache. One more mistake - I almost always pack up everything under the tarp
first but on this day decided to first take the tarp down. So of course it
begins to rain. If nothing else it prompted me to pack up quickly. A good hike
and a good start to the weekend.
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