On Sunday I was in the seacoast area, and decided that while I was out that way, I needed to find a hike in the afternoon. After a couple weeks of college touring, work, and a host of other activities keeping me away from the mountains, I was anxious to get back out there again.

It’s been a long time since I’ve been up in the Belknap Range, but I didn’t feel like driving too far, so I headed north for a little over an hour to the newly created Wood Road parking lot and the start of the Gilford Fire Road trail. The plan was to tackle two mountains, if not three. It all depended on the trail and how much energy I had. With a hot, humid day to contend with, I wasn’t sure what my stamina would be. Turns out, two was more than enough.

Red Trail to Round Pond

To help with street congestion in the neighborhood around Wood and Bickford Roads, they recently changed the parking area for climbers looking to tackle the Red Trail to Round Pond. This access point is also the fastest way to approach Mount Klem and Mount Mack, which are part of the twelve summits included in the Belknap Range peak list. But there isn’t much room for cars. The new lot can only accommodate five vehicles—and if you’re driving a big truck like this idiot, it is TIGHT. I was very thankful, though, for the efforts made to create the parking area. If it wasn’t there, trying this route would be an extraordinary pain.

From the lot, you follow the yellow blazes of a newly cut trail. It’s well-marked and looks great. But after a spell, it links up with the original fire road, which looks like tick city, if I’m being honest. It was pretty much impossible to avoid wading through tall grass, and hiking in shorts had me triple-checking my legs, socks, and a few inches up my shorts for the little devils. Amazingly, I didn’t find any.

Finding My Way

It took a little while, but I eventually found the beginning of the Red Trail. There’s a lot of fresh cutting going on up there, and at first, it led me up the hill a ways—past the start of the red blazes. I could see the red blazes heading down, but it was only after stumbling upon a trail camera—giving me the sense I wasn’t wanted that way—that I turned around and found the trail I was looking for. It was hidden behind a sea of tall grass. Oh man, tick city.

Round Pond

I never thought about turning back, but I had a few moments where I was getting annoyed by the hike. It was buggy and hot, and the trail was overgrown in so many places, it was starting to feel like a path people had forgotten. Just as I was thinking to myself, “This wasn’t worth it,” I caught a glimmer of water about five hundred feet of elevation above where I began. “Oh, well that’s something,” I said out loud to no one.

Round Pond is beautiful, with a picturesque trail hugging its side. Until I arrived, though, I wasn’t entirely sure I was heading the right way. Yes, I had a map, and the map told me the red blazes led to the pond, but given the overgrowth and the lack of trail signs, everything was feeling a little, well… hinky. Arriving at the pond felt like a small win—for my sanity and my ability to still navigate life. It was also good to finally get something pretty to look at.

Hiking Audible

Pausing to take some pictures, I bumped into the only two other people I saw that day—a man and a woman. They were coming down from the Klem–Mack Loop, and the woman told me they had mistakenly gone up Mack first, against their intentions, but were so glad they did. They said the views off Klem, descending toward Lake Winnipesaukee, were the best they saw, so it was better to head up Mack first. I took their advice without hesitation and altered my plan.

Had I not bumped into them, I don’t think I would have been able to stick to my original plan anyway. Hiking along Round Pond, I completely missed the trailhead leading to Klem. This made decision-making much simpler when I arrived at the trailhead for Mack Mountain.

Mack Mountain

Climbing Mack and Klem requires about six miles of hiking. If you’re looking for a wide, clear trail with tons of views, this is probably not for you—but there are still some solid views to be had if you’re willing to make the trek. I kept thinking, though, that if I were to do this one again, it would make for a much better fall or winter hike than a summer one. Of course, we can’t pick the seasons, and you gotta go when you gotta go, but for summer hikes, it’s nicer to follow trails with a wider berth and plenty of scenery. Mack had some good spots, but not enough to warrant a return trip, in my opinion.

Klem > Mack

Klem, though, I’d go back to. In winter, but I’d go back. The actual summit is engulfed in trees, with a little sign marking its disappointment, but the woman I bumped into earlier was right: the views of Winnipesaukee coming off Klem are beautiful and totally worth the effort. The trail down Klem also had a more maintained feel, reinforcing the notion that if I ever head back this way again, I’ll hit Klem and skip Mack. Klem’s better, no doubt.

The trail descending Klem Mountain: plenty for the eyes to see!

Also, there were blueberries at the summit! Which means one thing: bears!

No, I didn’t see any. But I could have, which would have been cool. After briefly contemplating eating some, I decided to leave them for the wildlife, and maybe clapped a few times before descending. Just in case.

Descending

The time back to the truck from either mountain is pretty quick. I don’t think it took me more than forty-five minutes. Mack and Klem are relatively small mountains, so the effort is more about the length of the trail—and, if you go in July, the summer heat. But maybe—maybe—I’ll come this way again. To see Klem. In the winter.

Tales from the Trail and Other Stories

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