1-Smarts Mt. I know, the summit cabin is a flea ridden
disaster. It's a cool mountain with its gracefully shaped
S-Curve ridges and plenty of ledges to see them from.
2-Mt Cube. Very cool summit without the benefit of
anything cool to look at. Nice camping spot if you
remember to bring some water.
3-Holts Ledge. Especially good in the late afternoon sun.
Steep dropoff gives you a look into a narrow valley and
at the mountains soon to converge on Moosilauke.
4-Velvet Rocks Trail. Most states kick you in the
head when you first arrive and ease up. New Hampshire
is just the opposite. As the name suggests, the smooth
trail welcomes you with rounded rocks covered in a thin
layer of moss.
5-Dartmouth. Most thru-hikers aren't too concerned
with academic issues when they're on the trail. Still,
it's pretty neat to have an Ivy League school that not
only performs trail maintenance (they're one of only
two colleges to have a maintaining club) but has their
freshman orientation on the trail. In other words,
Dartmouth is an elite school for whom the mountains
are an important part of their identity.