Hiking Mount Welch and Mount Dickey

This Thursday, after a long hiatus, I returned to the 4.4-mile loop hike on Mount Welch (2,605 feet) and Mount Dickey (2,734 feet) in Waterville. According to Steve Smith, owner of the Mountain Wanderer Map and Book Store in Lincoln, and author of “The Waterville Valley Guidebook,” the Welch/Dickey loop “is considered by many as the finest half-day hike in the White Mountains with 2 miles of mostly open ledge walking providing an abundance of views.”

This popularity located next to I-93 usually brings the crowds. But when I pulled into the lot Thursday morning there were two other vehicles. Despite considerable blue sky when I left Tamworth, it was overcast in Waterville.