Mt Tecumseh: 2nd 4k footer of 2019, May 5th 2019

It is Spring, and thus, WE HIKE.

We had a decent weather day on Sunday so we took advantage and scooted off (or drove 2 hours) to Waterville Valley to take a crack at Tecumseh.

Knowing that the Spring weather would have brought many hikers out the previous day, we waited to read the trail report before selecting this as our final pick. With the report saying that there was a stable monorail, doable stream crossings, and no major blowdowns we set off with confidence.

So basically, you drive to Waterville Valley Ski Resort (the sign promises you a "Vacation Of A Lifetime" which I am skeptical of. But I suppose it is a very subjective topic.) You drive to lot 1 at the actual ski area, park, walk across the access road and the trailhead is RIGHT there (my GPS was very accurate.)

On this particular day, there was a fairly significant brook gushing along, about 6 steps into the journey. Ellie had never seen such a thing, and was moderately horrified. We carried her across easily (there were 2 legit stream crossings, and a couple smaller ones such as this. If you have a small dog, and good balance, or a brave dog, there would be no issues.)

The beginning of the trail (the first .83 miles, to be exact) was in excellent condition. It basically looked like Fall, as the beach leaves have not yet rotted. The going was pleasant, an it was a really fine day (it was in the mid 60's at the base, dry, no bugs. Basically a miracle!)

Just prepare to see a lot of dog hiking pics this year.

Right at that .83 mile mark, we stopped to put on micro spikes. The trail turned into snow pretty quickly and was quite hard packed and icy in places. We have the gear, so there is no reason to struggle.
And at that point, we saw other hikers on the way down who were certainly struggling. Even in the most promising summer conditions, I question hiking in casual shoes. And THIS was not the time to try those shoes out. To each his or her own, and if you can climb a mountain in keds- good for you! But just don't.

Mile .83

Mostly, the trail was (as reported) in pretty good condition. Solid monorail, and only a couple times that it turned into a tightrope.

We did see a few postholes, and if you took so much as ONE step off the trail, IN you went (we did not, but we witnessed a crotch deep sinking by another hiker.)

Also, the occasional on-trail death trap

Tecumseh is listed in many places as being one of the best, and easiest hikes for first time 4k foot hikers. I agree with this because it is a short hike (5 miles.) It is also well marked, below treeline, and clearly heavily travelled. HOWEVER. It is not flat. There is most definitely a stretch that is unrelentingly uphill. While one might expect this, I feel that someone who is inspired to try their first big mountain would want to have a few good uphill climbs under their belt before attempting.

It is steeper than it looks. 

Also, if the thought of a remote hike seems daunting, and intimidating than this is the hike for you! You basically hike up next to a ski mountain. There certainly is a feeling of security, knowing that you're so close to civilization.

Random black diamond trail

And more good news! Before you really get tired of hiking uphill you pop up JUST high enough to get a nice view, from a summit with little to no fanfare. (but a summit is a summit!!!)

The miracle? That we actually have a view!!!!

We scooted down in basically no time, taking advantage of the relentless hill to more or less slide down (not really, but Ellie is a fast downhill dog. Which we don't actually care for!)

Ellie leads the way (she is there, I promise)

Anywhoo. We made it down in plenty of time to beat sunset, we had some parking lot snacks and a beer. Ellie chased beech leaves and we were all happy. We forgot to take photos.

So, my thoughts. (Keeping in mind that we dealt with a considerable amount of snow/winter.)
Yes: This is one of the shorter, and therefore easier than some of the higher, or longer mileage peaks. (Jefferson and Bond come to mind here, one for challenge, one for pure distance.) There were absolutely no technical or fiddly sections of trail. Very well marked and clearly heavily travelled. All below treeline, so no real worries about dealing with horrible weather. Even in Spring, all stream crossings were manageable.

But: Quite steep in some sections. If you have a few hikes under your belt, where you have spent several hours on your feet, and have managed some decent elevation gain, you'll be fine.

Stats (I can't remember how I worked this out last year. So this is the 2019 stat edition)

Total elevation: 4003 (you're a squeaker, aren't you??)

Strava data: (we take this with a grain of salt) 
-elevation climbed: 2,131
-miles covered: 4.77 (book has it at 5+)
-elapsed time: 3:08 (this includes all stopped time.) Book time varies between 3:30 and 4:00

Difficulty: Easy/Moderate. Easy due to length, well marked trail, lack of above treeline danger. Moderate die to quite a decent stretch of incline, plus 2 stream crossings that could daunt a beginner hiker in wet or icy conditions.

Views: Limited, but fairly good at the low fanfare summit.

Bugs: None

Dog friendly trail? Absolutely, but don't let your dog crap on the trail. Come on....