An afternoon/early evening trek into Tunnel Brook Notch (from the north) to climb partway up the tallest of nine slides on the east face of Mount Clough. Counted in order from south to north, this is Slide #4.
When I last came through here in May, this side loop of Tunnel Brook had a strong flow. Today, bone dry.
The first 0.7 mile of Tunnel Brook Trail follows a brushy section along an abandoned part of Tunnel Brook Road. The adopters have been out weed-whacking through here - thank you!
Pleasant walking along the maintained (though not open to public vehicle travel) section of road.
At 2.3 miles Tunnel Brook Trail becomes a foot trail, at its old trailhead )before the road was closed in 2011 due to damage from Tropical Storm Irene).
A scenic section of trail alongside Tunnel Brook.
The several streambeds that come out of Tunnel Ravine were all dry.
Beautiful hardwoods approaching the second crossing of Tunnel Brook.
A uniform stand of spruce has grown in the track of a slide that fell off the west slope of Mount Moosilauke in 1927.
A view of Slides #4 and #5 on Mount Clough across a beaver pond in Tunnel Brook Notch.
Welcome to the jungle...
The crossing of Tunnel Brook partway along the beaver ponds sometimes requires wading, but not this day.
Brook and meadow.
A short bushwhack led to one of two long strips of gravel at the lower end of Slide #4.
Deer tracks!
A piece of quartz.
Partway up the gravel strip was a red ant hill. Not a good place to sit down.
First views across the notch to the ridges of Moosilauke.
First ledges on the slide. The lower ledges are broken up by bands of brush. The upper part of this slide features continuous exposures of very steep ledge.
Moosilauke's South Peak and part of Slide Ravine coming into view.
Looking down.
A white pine framing the view.
Many blocky ledges on this slide, and someone apparently made a cairn.
Looking northeast to the ridge followed by the Benton Trail.
Side view.
A closer look at the gravel and loose rock slide.
Another slide-dwelling white pine.
From my perch at 2550 ft. I had a beautiful view down into the notch.
Zoom on a beaver pond.
I would have liked to continue farther up the slide, but it took a long time to reach this point and it was getting late. Time to pick my way back down.
Looking back at part of my descent route. Did lots of zigging and zagging.
Where the ledges meet the gravel.
Went down a different gravel strip just south of the one I ascended.
Looking up at the ledgy upper slide.
From a previous visit I can attest to the steepness of those ledges.
View of Slide #4 from Tunnel Brook Trail, by a beaver pond.
Gateway.
The northernmost beaver pond, now mostly a meadow.
The beauty of Tunnel Brook Notch draws me back again and again.
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