July 3 Hike - 52 With a View #3, Mt Roberts

I went hiking on July 3 to continue my quest for the "52 With a View" peaks.  I chose Mt Roberts, on the grounds of the Castle in the Clouds in Moultonborough, NH.

Zoey was my partner for the day.  This one was recommended as an easier hike, after the strenuous Welch & Dickey Loop last week.  It definitely lived up to its billing.  It starts out as a wide, smooth trail, also used for the riding horses at the Castle in the Clouds stable.  The trail goes behind the stable (red roof in the photo below).

After that it turns upward, and follows orange diamond markers.

Zoey is doing well carrying some of our water.  I gave her two half-liter bottles.  As soon as I empty one of my 1-liter Nalgene bottles, I pour her water into my bottle and she carries the empties.

There are a few somewhat steep parts to the trail, but it was almost all shady and cool, and much easier than the rock climbing and bouldering we've done thus far.  We ran into a troop of about a dozen teenage campers (and one leader) who were returning from two nights in the woods.

In the view below (click to enlarge photo) there is a small area just left of center that looks like a trail or loop.  That is the parking area, far below.

We ran into three other trail dogs, and got photos of two of them.  Below is Bromley.  He was a real sweetheart.

This is Lady.  Lady is not as friendly as Bromley, but allowed us to take her picture anyway.  We were happy to say "hi" and keep hiking; not all dogs are friendly, and we respect their right to keep at a safe distance for them.  (Penny is a bit like this; we will be taking a training class to help her deal with new situations.)

We also ran into an older Boxer, who was off-leash and obnoxiously friendly to Zoey.  Zoey was not at all happy with him, so I was more concerned with keeping them separated than getting his picture. I'm told many dogs don't like brachycephalic dogs (those with short noses or "squashed" faces) because the sound of their breathing is different from other dogs.

There is, again, a brief video taken from the summit available on YouTube.  https://youtu.be/2AVCi6G0OJk

It was a lovely, beautiful day (low 70s) for a hike, and we had a great time.  Looking forward to my next hike!