Another hike and another couple of mountains checked off our Belknap Range list!
The parking for this hike was at the end of a dirt road. We parked and hiked a bit down what looked to be a service road. Yes, we were going down hill. Found an old metal sign along the way. It leveled out near a pond/swampy area that some beavers had overtaken and the water was flooded across the trail with no way to get across without taking off your shoes and wading through the water.
Once on the other side the trail came to a T and the choice was left or right. To the right was the taller and steeper Straightback Mounting. Left was the trail to Mt. Anna. We decided to go right.
We would come to both love and hate this decision. Love it, because it was so steep we had a hard time imagining going down it with tired legs. Hate it because, well, it was so darn steep!
Nearing the top of Straightback Mountain the trails were narrow, but also waded you through some amazing low blueberry bush paths.
Single path Blueberries everywhere!
I will take the time to make sure everyone knows to put on tick spray for your legs. While the Mrs didn’t get a single tick (must have sprayed her better) I on the other hand picked off 10+ ticks over the course of this hike. We brushed up against so much foliage, it was inevitable.
We knew were were near the top when the rocky summit started to appear. You’ll come to a sign and the true peak is to the right.
We made a quick view stop before hitting the summit of Straightback
It was a hot day so by now we drank through most of our water. Still had a bottle and a half left but we had another mountain to go. Little did we know, thankfully it was Mt. Anna
We headed back tracking down the trail to our sign and followed it down to Anna. The col between the mountains was also tight and wooded. We would soon find out why. In no time we made it to the summit of Mt. Anna
So the top of Anna was a fair letdown. There is no view to be had so thankfully it was part of our loop. I know you can just climb up and down Anna, but unless you’re doing it to just check it off of a list, I would suggest the loop.
From here we actually had a couple of choices. There was the trail that made a wide curl off to the side and back down. Presumably for an easier hike? Not sure. We decided to take a trail called the: Goat Path. It went straight down.
We were tired and it was a quicker route, but also because there were a few Geocaches along the way.
We completed this hike on July 4th, and it was another hike that had no one on the trails. No one on top. Busiest day of the year up at the lake region and this hike was the place to be for peace and quiet. So don’t expect a lot of traffic here if we didn’t see any.
If you want to get away, this is the hike for you. If you want views, then maybe pass. Oh, and it is a hard pass if you have kids. This is definitely a hard trail. I’ve seen a lot labeled as hard and they’re not, but Straightback is not for amateurs. Be sure to have a bunch of hikes under your belt first and bring more water than normal.
Off to finish the last of the Belknap Range!
