17 January 2004                                                                   Mt . Nancy, New Hampshire

Sat, 17 Jan 2004: I joined an AMC group led by Kevin Noyes and Claudette Deschenes on a trip up Mt. Nancy. The mountain is a NH 100 highest and the last mile of the 5 mile climb is a bushwhack, but the route is well known and is said to be generally easily followed in the summer. The going is moderate for the first couple of miles and then the Nancy Cascades are reached. They are beautiful in any season and well worth a visit. From here the trail crosses the stream and becomes considerably steeper as it switchbacks up next to the falls. After gaining the crest of the falls the trail levels out and moves through scenic woods, often along the stream. After about a half mile of easy walking Nancy pond is reached. Behind this small pond Mt. Anderson, a trailess peak, can be seen. It was quite cold and windy so we mostly stayed in the trees to take a short snack break. We soon moved on and came to Norcross Pond which is larger and is held back by a natural rock dam with a breathtaking view over the Pemigewasset Wilderness. From here we began the bushwhack up to the summit. Although it was only about a mile it was extremely steep and we seemed to slide back twice as far as we stepped. Eventually I put crampons on and was able to make the top. The summit is treed but there is a ledge with a nice view of Mt. Washington and the southern Presidentials. After stopping briefly for pictures and snacks we picked our way down the slope to the trail, and then to our cars.