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Sunday, April 26, 2015

Noble Mountain (2927') - Giant Mountain Wilderness Area - 4/26/15

After thoroughly enjoying a hike up Holcomb and Deer Mountains in the Giant Mountain Wilderness Area last weekend, I came back today to tackle Noble Mountain.

I parked the car at the designated campspot off of Route 9, just north of the intersection of  Route 9 and 73.  With great difficulty (and with water shoes), I found a place to cross the Boquet River with only a couple steps taken in the cold water.  This was the hardest part of the whole trip.  In summer, and with lower water, it would be much easier.

Rev and I headed north winding our way through the series of cliff bands just north of the Boquet.
    

The beautiful Boquet River

Next we followed the southern spine of the Noble Mountain ridge as it wound first NW then NE.  


The Dix Range.

 Threre were quite a few slabs of rock along the way where views were plentiful.


Rev's always first up


Looking northeast

Just shy of the SE knob, or false summit, was a big slab of rock where I built a small cairn atop a pyramidal shaped rock.  Although the skies look cloudy in most of these pictures, there were more breaks of sun than expected; a pleasant surprise!


I built this little cairn.  In the background is the Dix Range on the left and part of the great range on the right. 

The SE knob was the highlight of the trip.  Great views and an interesting rock formation were the highlight.


A fun rock formation on the SE knob

The final push to Noble was easily visible to the north, and it consisted of light hardwoods.


The profile of Noble Mountain ,as seen from the SE knob.


Approaching the summit 


A large rock within sight of the true summit

The summit itself was unspectacular.  Some views could be found walking to the west edge of the ridge.  Lots of prickers/nettles were located in portions of the summit area.  


Rev, waiting for me at the summit


An interesting stump near the summit


The combination of dying birches and streaky gray sky provided a stark landscape


Back to the SE knob


Looking south


Looking north


Rev took us back by following our scent 







While Noble Mountain is less than notable, the hike leading up to the SE knob is interesting and worthwhile.


Hike Stats:
Hike Distance:  6.5 miles
Hike Time:  4.5 hours
Total Vertical Gain:  ~ 2200'


The route (click image to enlarge)

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