Rising to the challenge

For many reasons we needed to get out today, to spend some time together doing what we enjoy. That's how we ended up at an elevation of 3156 feet, hiking in temperatures of 18F and being blown around by wind speeds of 20-30mph. At times, standing up on the summit became a difficult balancing act.
Mount Monadnock, is the world's most climbed mountain according to some accounts. There are several reasons for this. It is easily accessible, has great views and Japan's Mount Fuji, which has always been considered the most climbed, has seen a decline in hikers due to the availability of public transportation to the peak.
With visibility of approximately 100 miles on a clear day, it is possible to see all six New England States from the top of Mount Monadnock. Today, the skyline of Boston, seventy miles away, was the best we had ever seen.
But views come at a price. Conditions under foot were slippery, with leaves covering ice, and water frozen on some rock surfaces. The white dot path we took is only 31/2 miles long, but is steep, requiring as much scrambling as hiking, and it is all up. The white cross path is less steep and best for descending, but follows the path of a stream, which makes it very icy in winter.
It took 1.5 hours to drive the 62 miles there, 1.5 hours to climb 1700 feet from parking lot to summit, 2 hours to get down due to icy conditions and a stop for lunch and 1.5 hours to get home. Nice symmetry, and probably the last high hike this year, unless Santa brings crampons and an ice pick or two.