Coming in at #46 with 4,006 ft of elevation, Mount Waumbek is almost the shortest of the NH48. We'll be summiting Waumbek and Mount Starr King via a 7.2 mile out and back trail with 2660 feet of elevation gain through open hardwoods.

The summit of Waumbek is wooded, but the walk over from Starr King is beautiful and from the top of Starr King we can look to the south to see a vast plain and the entire Presidential Range. There is also a large stone fireplace left from a former shelter!. The profile overall is fairly flat with a gradual to moderate ascent via Mt. Starr King (3,907 feet). Hiking time is roughly 5-7h return (+ breaks) with a ~2,500ft elevation gain. The weather forecast for Saturday looks perfect though cold (around 9°F) with light winds (max 20 mph).

Waumbek is one of the northernmost 4k footers and a good one to be ticked off in winter rather summer if you're working your way through the list. There will be a mandatory pre-trip meeting later this week and we'll try to coordinate access to renting/borrowing required gear. However, due to the office closure, we may be limited on gear rentals so you should ideally have your own boots and spikes.