Mountain Wandering: Rambling in the Southern Mahoosucs

Two hikes in the Southern Mahoosucs to scout things for the next edition of the AMC White Mountain Guide.

1) MAHOOSUC PONDS LOOP

Much of the acreage on the south slopes of the southern Mahoosucs is private timberland, and several years ago the owners at the time, Bayroot, undertook a major harvest, necessitating the temporary closure of several trails. Among those most impacted were the Austin Brook Trail and Dryad Fall Trail. These two trails can be combined with a short stint on Peabody Brook Trail and a traverse across part of the Mahoosuc Trail to visit lofty Dryad Fall and three high mountain ponds. Much of this area now has a new owner, Falling Waters Forest LLC, and they plan to continue the tradition of allowing public access for hikers and other recreationists. Thank you!

I was able to drive 1.6 miles up Mill Brook Rd. to start the hike, but it was a rough ride and I would not recommend it for low-clearance vehicles. By crossing a brook where the driveable road ends (the bridge was removed), you can join Austin Brook Trail at the 1.3 mile mark,

Just beyond the brook is the junction of Gates Brook Trail and Austin Brook Trail. Both follow brushy logging roads.

A couple of clearings along Austin Brook Trail open up views of nearby ridges.

I could see that Dryad Fall was in good flow.

The Shelburne area has a booming tick population, and when you're walking along brushy logging roads, they will hitch a ride. My tally for the day was 37.

At 1.2 miles from where I parked, Austin Brook Trail veers left onto a smaller and older logging road for a while.

This led to the junction with Dryad Fall Trail.

The lower 0.4 mile of Dryad Fall Trail was used as a skid road during the recent harvest, and much of it is now fully overgrown with brush and prickers - long pants recommended!

I would not want to come through here on a wet day.

The skid road ends right at the side path for Dryad Fall.

The ledge area near the top of the fall (supposedly 300 ft. high in total) is a wonderful place to hang out in the sun, with a view to the SE.

Looking back at the top of the fall. In dry times the flow can be meager, hence the name.

From Dryad Fall the trail climbs 1.1 mile to Peabody Brook Trail, mostly at a moderate grade with a few nice sections like this.

When you reach Peabody Brook Trail, Dream Lake is right around the corner, with a view across the water to Mt. Adams.

Farther along, Mt. Washington is added to the view. Time for a break to take in the scene.

A zoom on Mt. Washington and Mt. Clay, taken from another spot along the shore.

One of the objectives on this hike was to check out a 0.3 mile relocation on the Mahoosuc Trail, completed last year by AMC trail crews, bringing the trail away from a chronically wet area. Thus there is a new junction of Peabody Brook Trail and Mahoosuc Trail.

The well-constructed relocation - much of it benched - was a joy to walk. Appalachian Trail thru-hikers will welcome this brief reprieve from Mahoosuc roughness.

The 2.2 mile section of Mahoosuc Trail that I hiked to Gentian Pond passes through a variety of wild conifer forests. This area here looked like a bushwhacker's bad dream.

Dropping down to Moss Pond, the trail looked more Mahoosuc-like.

Serene little Moss Pond (aka Upper Gentian Pond) is one of my favorite spots in the Mahoosucs. I have seen moose in this pond twice over the years.

I headed off-trail to visit a cliff overlooking Gentian Pond. Along the way I circled around Moss Pond to a view of another wild cliff that I have yet to visit.

Bird's eye view of Gentian Pond. Lucia and Marian Pychowska, intrepid AMC adventurers who explored the Bald Cap Mountain region in the 1870s, bestowed this name on the pond after gathering bottle-gentian along its shore. Moss Pond was named by the Pychowskas because it was "surrounded by beds of moss."

Closer look.

An intimate view of Mt. Success.

Junction with Austin Brook Trail near Gentian Pond.

Side view of Gentian Pond Shelter, which has a view to the south.

Evening at Gentian Pond. Here I met the only hiker I saw all day, a young fellow staying at the shelter.

I'm not sure exactly where I was up on the cliffs looking down at the pond. Note the large new rockfall on the right.

The initial steep descent below the shelter.

Beaver wetland at the bottom of the descent off the ridge.

2) BALD CAP PEAK LEDGES

I wanted to check in on the Peabody Brook Trail, which I hadn't been up in a while, and visit the south ledges on Bald Cap Peak, one of the most commanding viewpoints in the region. Note that there is room for only 2 or 3 cars across from the trailhead here, and overnight parking is not permitted.

Much of the land along the lower part of the trail is owned and managed by the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, an outstanding conservation organization.

Ascending through a beautiful hemlock forest.

Higher up, the trail gets a little rougher.

At 1.5 miles there is a sketchy spot where an old, now overgrown slide crosses the trail. Here you must cross or skirt a slippery ledge on a steep sidehill. There used to be a view of the Presidentials here, but no longer.

Just above the slide is a ladder that scales a steep ledge.

Many cascades are glimpsed through the trees as the trail makes a steady ascent along Peabody Brook. This one was close enough to get a clear look.

Higher up, the trail is wild and fairly rugged.

Many bog bridges as the upper part of the trail traverses a flat, wet area.

A watery wetland glimpsed through the trees.

At 2.6 miles, after an ascent of 1,850 ft., the Bald Cap Peak Ledges Trail goes off to the right. This spur trail was opened by the Shelburne Trails Club in 2012. For years it was admirably maintained by John "1HappyHiker" Compton. It partly follows the route of a trail that was originally cut in 1877 by AMC and was abandoned in the 1960s.

The first part of the trail passes through a Kilkenny-like birch and fern glade.

Mossy conifers.

Arriving at the first ledges, with partial views.

As the sign says, there's much better to come by descending to the lower, more open ledges

What a spot! Looking beyond Reflection Pond to the cloud-kissed Presidentials.

Looking down on Middle Mountain and out to the Royces, Speckled Mountain and Caribou Mountain. The first time I visited these ledges was in the 1990s on a snowshoe bushwhack with the late Creston Ruiter. We were trying to climb Middle Mountain but mis-navigated a bit and realized our mistake when we were looking down at Middle Mountain. I don't know how we got up through the steep terrain below here. Years later, on a fall trip just before the trail was opened here, I whacked up from Middle Mountain with John "1HappyHiker" Compton. I'll take the trail route from now on.