Took an afternoon meander through surprisingly deep snow, visiting a dozen named big rocks in the area known as the Davis Boulders, along the Goodrich Rock Trail in Waterville Valley. This assemblage of impressive erratics on the flank of East Osceola was discovered by Waterville cottage owner J.W. Davis in the 1890s, at which time he laid out the original trail.
With the soft snow, the flat Greeley Ponds Trail was a slog.
The Mad River next to the Greeley Ponds Trail.
A sign shows the way to the rocks.
Where did all this snow come from? 6-8" at the bottom then up to a foot or more in the open hardwoods above. Wished I'd brought the snowshoes.
By the calendar, it's still fall.
The night before the hike, I studied the climbing site called "Mountain Project," which lists 56 climbing routes along the Goodrich Rock Trail, mostly on the Davis Boulders. More than a dozen of the boulders have been named. This one is called the "Midway Boulder," presumably because it rests in the middle of a streambed.
The "538 Boulder," don't know why.
This off-trail boulder is simply called "The Big One."
A woodland scene. Deep snow in here, off-trail.
Boulders scattered everywhere through the woods.
The "Scarface Boulder."
The "Corridor Boulders." The trail goes right through the slot.
Looking into the lower end of the corridor. The snow was deep in there, so I went around.
Peering in from the upper end of the corridor.
This elongated rock is dubbed the "Mayhem Boulder."
This overhanging giant is the "House Boulder."
The House Boulder overhang.
Heading into the "Laboratory Area."
This cool cave awaits a name.
The "Shallow Corner Boulder."
This one deserves a name.
The titan of the group, known as the "Old, Old Wooden Ship."
This one is plainly named: "Trailside Boulder."
The front side of the "Squid Boulder," named for its squid-like root tangle, which was hidden by the snow.
The hidden back side of the Squid Boulder is shaped like a breaking wave.
Approaching Goodrich Rock.
At trail's end is Goodrich Rock, one of NH's largest glacial erratics. It was discovered by Watervilleans Arthur and Charles Goodrich around 1900.
A cool old WVAIA sign. Not many of these left.
The base of Goodrich Rock.
This is one big chunk of stone!
A somewhat scary ladder provides access to the back side of Goodrich Rock. From the top there's a view across the valley to Sandwich Dome. I didn't attempt an ascent as it was late in the afternoon, there would have been no views, and the snow was very slippery.
On the way back, I repaired briefly to a wonderful natural rock shelter on the back side of the House Boulder.
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