The fourth leg of my Six Peaks of New England challenge. The first mile of the trail goes along with an upstream branch of the Mad River. It was quite wet due to the recent rain that has caused flash floods in the region. Then the rocky part begins in haste. I had to negotiate very steep and narrow rocks and gaps/slots. Then about a half mile to the summit of Welch, expansive and magnificent views of the White Mountains suddenly appear. I didn’t stay long on the summit of Welch because I wanted to enjoy the higher views of Dickey. Turns out views on Welch were much better.

Saw an injured hiker (broken ankle) on my way down and subsequently a large team of rescuers running to his rescue. It was a stern reminder to be extra careful about steps on the way down due to the steep inclines on granite rocks of this trail. Overall it was by far the best hike of the challenge peaks I have hiked.