Monadnock-Sunapee Greenway 1: Gilson Pond Campground -> Mt. Monadnock -> Spiltoir Shelter.

Starting on Birchtoft Trail

I followed Birchtoft Trail to Red Spot to Pumpelly Trail on the way to the top for a total of about 3.5 miles.

Red Eft at the Intersection of Birchtoft Trail and Cascade Link

I was worried that I would get caught up in a thunderstorm on Monadnock but instead it was completely covered in fog, or maybe it was just in the cloud.  Anyways, I had a bit of hard time finding cairns as the air was pretty "milky."

Junction of Red Spot & Pumpelly 

Luckily I had most Monadnock trails on my GPS and eventually made it to the true top with USGS benchmark.

USGS Benchmark at the top of Mt. Monadnock

After a photo I began descending on MSG / Dublin Trail when two hikers passed me.  They were also heading to Spiltoir Shelter.  I heard thunder at a distance but eventually it moved away and I thought we were done for the day. Actually, when I got to Dublin Trail parking lot I got some sunshine and decided to put my rain gear into the main backpack compartment.  Clearly a mistake as the thunder returned and it began to rain.  I put on my rain gear and walked in it all the way to the shelter.  The two guys were already there and settled in.  We had a nice chat - they were planning to do the entire trail in 4 days by doing 25 miles on day two.  This was definitely beyond my capabilities, so I did not even consider doing so.  I was pretty tired so I pulled out my sleeping pad & bag and I took some half hour to warm up myself.  I then ate, hung my bear bag and went to sleep.

At Spiltoir Shelter

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