Mountain Wandering

2012-01-27T18:29:00.030-05:00

GREELEY PONDS: 1/26/12

This day was one of the picks of the winter: sunny, 30s, with light winds. A fine day to head in to an old favorite, the Greeley Ponds in Mad River Notch between East Osceola and Mt. Kancamagus.

There were a half-dozen cars in the small parking lot when I set out late morning, but most of those folks must have been doing the Osceolas, as I saw only one group of four on my trek to the ponds.

Normal for this winter, the trail was a packed sidewalk, ideal for Microspikes. It makes for a more pleasant hike than the muddy, rocky, rooty footing found on parts of this trail in summer.

Some nice old hardwoods on the final approach to the height of land in Mad River Notch.

The trail junction in the notch.

The peakbagger's pathway towards East Osceola. The majority of the boot traffic had headed this way.

Midday sun floods the woods at the height-of-land.

Cool fortress rock beside the trail.

A single log foot bridge spans the infant Mad River. Hard to imagine that just a few miles south, down towards Waterville Valley, this stream devastated a long section of the Greeley Ponds Trail, which remains closed and will require major reconstruction/relocation before it reopens.

The trail hugs a high bank above the west shore of Upper Greeley Pond.

First view of the pond through a gap in the trees.

From the SW corner of Upper Pond, near the outlet, there's a neat view up to the ice-draped ledges on the western knob of Mt. Kancamagus.

The best view at Upper Pond is found along an overgrown side path that leads left from here and crosses the outlet brook. Surprisingly, no one had headed this way recently.

From an opening on the SE shore there's an impressive look at the long line of cliffs fronting a northern arm of East Osceola. Peregrine falcons sometimes nest here.

Looking north down the pond, the rock-faced western spur of Mt. Huntington peers over the trees. Although I've crossed the ice on Upper Greeley many times in the past, I stayed off it today with a recent rain/thaw event in the back of my mind.

I especially like the view up towards the top of East Osceola. The two slides on the L are sometimes descended by hardcore backcountry skiers. The small slide patch that the Mt. Osceola Trail crosses high up on the mountain is on the R, directly above the prominent snowy ledge.

Here is the view back down to the ponds and notch from that slide patch.

Returning to the main trail, I continued down to Lower Greeley Pond, an easy half-mile of gentle descent. Along the way you pass this brook, the runout from one of the East Osceola slides.

Tracks leading off through the woods - coyote?

My favorite spot in Mad River Notch is the viewpoint on the NW shore of Lower Greeley Pond. This pond is more open and expansive than Upper Greeley, and is very shallow with suspect hollow ice at its north end. The K1 Cliff, named by early 1900s Waterville hikers, is located on this southern spur of Mt. Kancamagus, where it drops off on the R. For a few years there was a primitive path up to the cliff. A few years ago I tried to get down to the cliff from the top of the ridge, but the terrain was too steep and rough on snowshoes.

I did, however, get a good view up to the K1 Cliff from a remarkable ledge that juts above the trees on the flank of the mountain.

Another look at the western knob of Mt. Kancamagus from the shore of Lower Greeley.

This was called the K2 cliff by the Watervillians, and for a few years there was also a rough path up there. Must have been quite the rugged route!

The skeletons of ghost-trees rise from the bog at the north end of Lower Greeley.

I continued down to the viewpoint at the SW corner of Lower Greeley, where a long view north up the pond places Mad River Notch in profile.

I had lugged my snowshoes, and put them on for a while, skirting around the shore.

Heading back up the trail between the ponds.

A great gnarled old yellow birch crown. There are some old trees in this inner sanctum. When a logging railroad was planned through the notch in the 1920s, the Society for the Protection of NH Forests spearheaded a campaign to protect the area, and it was acquired by the Forest Service in 1928, with a 770-acre tract around the Greeley Ponds set aside as a permanent scenic reserve. Today the area is known as the Greeley Ponds Scenic Area, and it is a place I like to return to often, winter and summer.

2012-01-20T09:10:00.025-05:00

WELCH MOUNTAIN LEDGE: 1/19/12

A gorgeous winter day, sunny, twentyish, and light winds. A good day for a short hike up to the first open ledge on the south shoulder of Welch Mountain near Waterville Valley.

I was surprised to find an empty (and well-sanded) parking lot on such a nice day.

A familiar trail sign.

The brook crossing a short way in on the Welch side of the loop was fairly well-frozen.

The trail was a sidewalk of crusty snow - perfect for Microspiking.

This was the only nasty ice flow on the way up to the ledge. Thought there'd be more of this.

A trailside look at the nameless brook that drains the Dickey-Welch bowl.

Neat boulder beside the trail.

Where the trail makes a right turn at about 0.9 mi., the cliffs on the SW ridge of Dickey can be seen up through the trees.

Tread lightly on the ledges.

The final approach to the big flat ledge at 1.3 miles.

Major revegetation efforts have been ongoing up here.

The revegetation areas are well-delineated.

Looking back to the Dickey SW cliffs. The Dickey side of the loop runs along their top edge.

For a short hike with an 800-ft. climb, this ledge on the south shoulder of Welch rewards with fine views, especially looking up the Mad River valley to the Tripyramids, with Scaur Peak on the L and the Sleepers on the R.

A closer look at the Tripyramids and West Sleeper, with the long ridge of Snows Mountain below. You get a good angle on the Tripyramid South Slides from here.

Looking up at Dickey (L) and Welch (R).

The big snowy slabs of Dickey.

The steep, ledgy south face of Welch.

The huge spread of Sandwich Mountain seen across the Mad River valley, with Acteon Ridge below in front.

Sharp Jennings Peak and the summit of Sandwich. Ledgy Sachem Peak is below the summit.

The two Black Mountains - the massive shoulder on the L is the Black Mountain traversed by the Algonquin Trail, with many great views. The lower peak to the R is also called Black Mountain and has a good view ledge accessible by a fairly short bushwhack. The Algonquin Trail comes up into the col between them. The dark ledge-spotted hump in front is Bald Knob at the lower end of Acteon Ridge.

Rocks and oaks along the trail just beyond the Welch ledge.

The flat expanse at the brink of the ledge. With bright sun and little wind, I was able to spend an hour up here, part of the time chatting with a local couple who were the only other hikers I encountered.

Afternoon light in the hemlocks on the way down. This short hike is highly recommended in winter, and has no steep and potentially tricky sections like those found on the upper cone of Welch.

2012-01-12T09:04:00.027-05:00

WEST RATTLESNAKE LOOP: 1/10/12

Two days before the first snowstorm of 2012, I headed down to Holderness for a walk up West Rattlesnake, which ranks near the top in any "biggest bang for the buck" list of hikes in New Hampshire. An easy mile's climb up the Old Bridle Path rewards with a stunning view over Squam Lake. A new parking area was created at the trailhead a couple of years ago - testimony to the immense popularity of this trek.

This well-constructed trail is maintained by the Squam Lakes Association (SLA), which maintains 50 miles of trails in the Squam area.

The early winter snow drought made this more like a November hike than 1/3 of the way through January. This section of trail has a nice birch corridor.

There was one long ice flow 0.3 mi. up that brought out the Microspikes, but except for a couple other shorter icy sections, it was a bare ground hike.

Farther along, a short side loop passed this neat split boulder.

Near the top, a well-worn, faintly blazed side path led to the right to this cool granite ledge.

Through some snow flurries,the long, flat crest of Mt. Webster in the Squam Range could be seen to the west.
The summit of West Rattlesnake is maintained as a Natural Area by the University of New Hampshire.

A gnarled old red pine at the back of the summit ledges. According to an interesting brochure about West Rattlesnake produced by the New Hampshire Natural Heritage Bureau, the summit area is dominated by a red oak-pine rocky ridge plant community.

The open granite outcrops at the summit.

Benchmark placed by the U.S. Coast & Geodetic Survey.

The classic view over Squam Lake and its many coves and islands, with the Belknap Range on the misty horizon. Strange to see it iced over with no snow on top.

Looking east across the north end of Squam to Red Hill. Five Finger Point (which has its own interesting trail) is in the middle of the photo.

Looking south over the SW section of the lake. In the foreground a hardy juniper clings to the rock.

After a nice break at the summit, sitting on dry rock in relative comfort at a breezy 35 degrees, I decided to make a loop hike back to the trailhead. I descended SE on the Pasture Trail. At the very beginning, this path briefly passes through an unusual red oak-ironwood-Pennsylvania sedge woodland community.

This trail makes a steady descent, and was completely dry with not a spot of ice.

White pines lower down on Pasture Trail.

I turned R on East Rattlesnake Trail to head for Pinehurst Rd., passing this wonderful old sugar maple.

There is very limited parking in front of a stone gate on Pinehurst Rd.

After a short road walk, I headed back into the woods on the lightly-used but well-marked Undercut Trail, which briefly coincides with the Ramsay Trail. (The latter trail is the steepest on the Rattlesnakes, with a bit of ledge scrambling.)

Undercut was a pleasant, piney walk with a bit of climbing, and one brief break of sun.

Halfway along it passes the base of an interesting talus slope.

A major blowdown. After passing through a couple of stone walls, Undercut Trail turns L on a woods road and ends up on NH 113 just a short walk south of the Old Bridle Path trailhead, completing a very enjoyable three-mile loop with about 700 ft. total elevation gain.

2012-01-06T09:17:00.015-05:00

ICY EAST SIDE TRAIL: 1/5/12

The early winter snow drought has left the trails at lower elevations in the Whites treacherously icy. Traction is needed on even the easiest of trails. To check the conditions at Lincoln Woods, I took a morning walk up the East Side Trail. On a midweek morning in early January, the place was nearly deserted.

A new composite material sign for East Side Trail.

Wall-to-wall ice on the gravel road, which is open in summer for vehicle use only for Forest Service folks for management of the Franconia Brook Tentsite, 2.6 mi. up the road. Microspike material from start to finish.

This view of the East Branch a half-mile in was opened up by Tropical Storm Irene.

As shown on a post-Irene post on this blog, parts of the Pine Island Trail were obliterated by the storm. The Forest Service does plan to reopen this delightful, easy path, which Carol and I had just adopted in July, by moving it farther back from the river.

At the one-mile mark, the road crossed a small brook coming off the slope of West Hitchcock. Amazingly,during Irene the brook moved this culvert some distance downstream...

...creating this washout. Latest word from the Forest Service is that there are plans to construct a bridge here in spring/early summer of 2012.

One the way back I did a little whacking in the open hardwood forest on the east side of the trail. These open woods extend quite a ways up the slope of West Hitchcock, which I took advantage of years ago on a couple of whacks to the steep, slabby, slide on the west face of West Hitchcock.

That slide, seen in the upper left of this photo from Lincoln Woods Trail, is pretty tricky to get out on because of overlapping slabs. I did find a perch near the top with a view west down the valley towards Lincoln. That was during pre-digital camera photo days, so no pics to share here.

As I made my way parallel to the East Side Trail, I passed this little feeder brook coming off West Hitchcock. Just a nice little forest vignette.

I worked my way down to where Pine Island Brook (on the R) feeds into the East Branch.

Looking downstream on the East Branch. A long way to go before the river freezes over.

A tangle from Irene seen below the Lincoln Woods Trail. It's always amazing to see the power of the water from that storm.

2011-12-30T22:03:00.025-05:00

FORT HILL TRAIL, CAPE COD NATIONAL SEASHORE: 12/26/11

One of our favorite walks when visiting family down on Cape Cod is the Fort Hill Trail in Eastham, which for an easy ramble offers some of the nicest scenery on the Cape. We usually start at the trailhead parking area on Fort Hill Road.

Unfortunately, the neat part of the trail that leads through a red maple swamp was closed due to some kind of problem with the boardwalk.

The Outer Cape was originally inhabited by the Nauset Indians, who cultivated the rich soil and reaped the bounty of marsh, pond and bay. The first white settlers arrived in the 1600s, and around 1672 the Fort Hill area became the property of Rev. Samuel Treat. Over the years these gentle slopes were converted to agricultural use - corn, rye, pasture and hay fields. Today the National Park Service continues to maintain these as open areas.

Looking back at the parking area atop Fort Hill, which tops out at a bit over 40 ft. above sea level.

An old stone wall, perhaps dating back several centuries.

The peaceful setting around Fort Hill - though the fields are infested with ticks during the warmer months.

The trail meanders along the edge of Nauset Marsh. There are a few glacial erratics scattered through here, neglected to get any photos of those.

From the top of Fort Hill, a view across Nauset Marsh towards the Eastham Coast Guard Station. The late afternoon sun illuminates the marsh with what is often called "Cape light."

Looking out towards the Atlantic, with the south end of the Coast Guard Beach spit on the left and the north end of the Nauset Beach spit on the right.

Birdwatchers scanning the marsh and cove for ducks.

Sun lighting up the Coast Guard Station.

The trail down the grassy back side of Fort Hill.

The trail winds through brushy woods.

Near the trailhead you emerge by the Captain Edward Penniman house, built in 1868 by an Eastham whaler who sailed several times around the world.

A whale jawbone marks one of the entrances to the yard.

From Fort Hill we drove a short distance farther north in Eastham for a quick visit to the Coast Guard Station overlooking Coast Guard Beach. This place is mobbed in the summer, but there were only a few people around today.

A short walk down from the parking area opens a view south along Coast Guard Beach and breakers rolling in off the Atlantic. This is a great time of year to visit the Cape!

2011-12-23T08:15:00.017-05:00

LINCOLN WOODS: 12/22/11

Strange first day of winter, sunny and in the 40s after a freezing rain event the previous day. Took a morning stroll on the Lincoln Woods Trail, starting off across the familiar bridge, wearing Stabilicers for the icy trail conditions.

View north from the bridge towards a spur of North Hitchcock.

A new trail sign made of some sort of composite material.

A small trailside cascade.

Major washout from Irene, about 0.75 mi. up the trail.

View across East Branch from the washout.

Early ice forming on Osseo Brook alongside Lincoln Woods Trail.

Nasty ice from the freezing rain.

View of the Hitchcocks from a high, washed out bank on a spur path across from the Osseo Trail junction. If you go here, be sure to stay well back from the edge of the bank.

Why you need to keep back from the edge - severely undercut!

Start of the Osseo Trail.

I walked up the first gentle 0.2 mi. of the Osseo Trail, which meanders gently through hardwoods along Osseo Brook. This trail is admirably maintained by dedicated adopters Fisher Cat and Forester Jake.

A bend in the brook.

On the way back on Lincoln Woods Trail, I checked out a great new view of Bondcliff opened up by Irene, located off an obscure side path.

Cool map on the trailhead kiosk.

Peakbagger extraordinaire Ed Hawkins & crew were out bagging Owl's Head on the first day of winter. Conditions have changed today (12/23), as several inches of snow have fallen.

2011-12-16T09:20:00.032-05:00

SHORT DECEMBER HIKES...

...in a nearly snow-free first half of the month.

#1) PEMI TRAIL

A pleasant three-mile loop in Franconia Notch from Lafayette Campground to Profile Lake, returning via the bike path.

About 0.3 mi. north of the campground the Pemi Trail passes by beaver meadows with neat views up to the Cannon Cliffs. What a wild scene this would have been before there was a road through the Notch.
The Pemi Trail provides mostly nice easy walking, the downside being the constant roar of traffic from the adjacent Franconia Notch Parkway (I-93).

The Pemigewasset River, a short distance south of Profile Lake.

Beaver dam at Profile Lake outlet.

Profile Lake from the west shore.

Eagle Cliff looms through the mist.

Looking up at Eagle Pass, the deep cut between Eagle Cliff and a western shoulder of Mt. Lafayette.

Looking SE to the Old Bridle Path ridge.

Nearly full view of Eagle Cliff.

This boulder broke off from the Cannon Cliffs in 1997 and came to rest right at the edge of the bike path.

No one else was on the bike path on this dreary midweek day.

Misty view of a beaver meadow.

#2) FOREST DISCOVERY TRAIL

This graded gravel path provides an easy 1 1/2 mile double loop, with a bit of climbing, off the Kanc Highway next to Big Rock Campground. Along the way are a number of Forest Service interpretive panels about forest ecology and various timber harvest techniques.

The scenic highlight is near the high point of the trail, where there is a neat view of the Osceola Range from a brushy clearcut opening.

The main summit, with the Split Cliff seen below and the top of the huge 1995 dogleg slide visible on the right.

East Osceola, an interesting-looking peak from this angle.

A view of part of Scar Ridge, with the main summit on the R and sharp Middle Scar in the center. The bump to the L of Middle Scar has an excellent outlook ledge looking SE, well worth the short detour for bushwhackers traversing all the Scar Ridge peaks.

A loop off the main part of the Discovery Trail leads across a bridge over a small brook and through a softwood area.

One of the interpretive panels along the Discovery Trail.

#3) BALCH HILL

This 956-ft. hill, which has an open grassy top, is contained within a small Natural Area just outside of downtown Hanover. It has a fairly extensive trail network and is a favorite local walk. I did a quick one-mile loop over the summit from a parking area at the junction of Grasse Rd. and Trescott Rd.

The Grasse Road Trail provides an easy route to the top.

At the open summit there's a single tree, and when I arrived there was a Dartmouth student seated on a bench reading a book. Looks like a very peaceful spot for a snooze on a warm summer day.

The primary view is to the west. You can see Killington and Shrewsbury Peaks peering over the nearer ridge, but they are not visible in this picture - too hazy.

Mt. Ascutney can be seen through a gap in the trees to the SW.

Looking east through another gap, South Moose Mountain, on the outskirts of Hanover and traversed by the Appalachian Trail, is visible.

A neat tree-lined stone wall along the trail.

After the short hike, Carol and I took a stroll around downtown Hanover, walking across the beautiful town common.

We also visited the offices of the Dartmouth Outing Club in Robinson Hall. The place was pretty quiet as the students were gone for Christmas break, but we had a nice chat with the lady in the office and walked around the halls, absorbing a bit of the DOC mystique. The Appalachian Trail passes by along the streets just south of here, but I forgot to get a photo of a white-blazed light pole!

2011-12-08T09:48:00.012-05:00

IN HONOR OF BRUTUS ROONEY (2000-2011)

Very sad news this week to hear of the passing of Brutus Rooney, the legendary hiking Newfoundland and faithful companion to Kevin Rooney. Our deepest condolences go to Kevin on his loss.

Brutus was a wonderful dog, and brought joy to all those around him. His hiking exploits with Kevin and the "Brutus Brigade" are legendary. Brutus was the first canine to climb all the NH 4000-footers in winter, finishing on Mt. Pierce in January 2004, and in the winter of 2004-2005 he climbed all the peaks in a single winter.

I was privileged to join Kevin, Brutus and Friends on two winter hikes in 2005. Here are a few photos from those trips in honor of Brutus.

On the way up East Osceola, Brutus takes a break at the Greeley Ponds-Mt. Osceola Trail junction with Cath Goodwin, who has herself climbed a few winter peaks. (She, Steven Martin, and Cindy DiSanto were the first hikers to do all the 4's in a single winter, back in 1994-95.) Cath and Brutus were dear friends, and Cath would bring a variety of delicious treats for "Brutie"on every hike.

Brutus makes his way up the crossing of the steep slide high on the flank of East Osceola. He could handle an amazing variety of trail conditions, but one place he balked was the slide on Owl's Head. Kevin found another route up the mountain that avoided the slide, and hence was born the "Brutus Bushwhack."

A few days later, my wife Carol and I joined the Brutus Brigade for a hike up Mt. Tecumseh, #46 on the all-in-one-winter list for Brutus. Here the group gathers in the parking lot at Waterville Valley. This was the setting for an interview Kevin did with WMUR-TV, a link for which is included in Kevin's recent post on Views from the Top.

Steven Martin (on the left) was another close friend to Kevin & Brutus and accompanied them on many a hike.

On the way up the Mt. Tecumseh Trail we had a chance encounter with Mohamed Ellozy, who was on his way down the mountain. It was great to get a shot of Kevin, Brutus and Mohamed.

Brutus was a smart hiker and knew when to take a break. This hike was a leisurely and thoroughly enjoyable trek.

My wife, Carol and Brutus at the summit of Mt. Tecumseh.

Lunch break at the summit. A few days later, Brutus finished his all-in-one-winter quest on Cannon Mountain, with a large group of friends joining him.

Kevin and Brutus, the best of friends.

2011-12-04T23:07:00.018-05:00

QUINCY BOG NATURAL AREA: 12/1/11

Quincy Bog Natural Area is a 50-acre preserve at the foot of Stinson Mountain between the towns of Plymouth and Rumney. Owned by the non-profit Rumney Ecological Systems, it features a pond and associated variety of wetlands, along with upland forests and granite outcrops. (Great birding potential in spring and summer; might be a bit buggy, too!) The 1.3-mile Joe Kent Ecological Trail makes a loop around the pond, with trailhead parking available at the end of either Quincy Bog Rd., a short spur road off Quincy Rd. east of Rumney, or Cranberry Bog Rd., a spur off Quincy Bog Rd.

A detailed trail guide and other information is available here.

On a crisp, clear morning, I started from the end of Cranberry Bog Rd. and turned right on the trail to the south end of the pond.

This bridge lead across the pond outlet.

A good view north to Stinson Mountain from the bridge.

Nice woods walking.

Old stone walls, no surprise at this low elevation (around 500 ft.).

View NW towards lower spurs of Stinson.

A 0.1 mile side path leads out to "The Point."

A bench awaits in piney woods.

Pretty view across to a cluster of tall pines.

"The Ledges" rise on the north side of the pond.

View across the bog to a spur of Tenney Mountain.

Neat stretch of trail along the ledges.

Long swamp walkway.

View across the pond from the NW shore.

There's a small nature center on this side of the pond, where programs are held in summer and fall. Quincy Bog is a neat little area, well worth visiting if you're in the Plymouth area and looking for a short, rewarding walk.

2011-11-30T22:36:00.022-05:00

ALONG LOON X-C SKI TRAILS: 11/30/11

Took a morning walk along the Serendipity and Black Mountain Trails on the eastern end of the Loon X-C ski trail system. These are mostly used for mountain biking and horseback riding in summer, and a trail fee is required in winter. They are on WMNF land but parking is somewhat problematical in the adjacent private development, so this is primarily a walk for "locals." One option is to bike about 1.3 mi. from the Loon ski area parking lots.

The Serendipity trail follows along the East Branch of the Pemigewasset, and then the Hancock Branch. This view looks across the East Branch to Potash Knob and East Whaleback.

A massive bench of stone.

Nice walking on an old logging road.

Heavy rain overnight had the river raging, and two kayakers went bobbing by.

Vista downstream to Potash Knob.

Looking upstream to the confluence of the East Branch and the Hancock Branch.

The Hancock Branch was running strong.

Irene damage along the Hancock Branch. Easy to see how the Kanc Highway got washed out farther upstream.

A logjam from Irene. Yikes!

X-C trail sign.
Old logging bridge abutment. The map in Bill Gove's J.E. Henry's Logging Railroads (currently out of print, but due out in a new edition in spring 2012) shows a short spur line leading across the Hancock Branch at about this location, leading to Camp 13. Hard to tell from the map how high up the slope the camp might be, but there are surely a few logging camp aficionados who know.

Looking upstream on the Hancock Branch.

I made a return loop on Black Mountain Road, pleasant walking on an old logging road. According to Gove's book, the slopes of Black Mountain were logged by J.E. Henry in the 1890s, and again by the Franconia Paper Co. from 1953-55, when a Black Mountain Camp was built. Gove says there is evidence that this area may have even been logged in pre-Henry days by river driver Nicholas Norcross of Lowell, MA.

There are a couple of branching logging roads that provide steeper and more challenging routes for X-C skiers.

The "other" Hancock Loop Trail.

A gentle downhill amble back to the start of the loop, 2.36 mi. total according to my GPS.
Fine late fall walking, between the snows.

2011-11-24T13:29:00.028-05:00

FLAT MOUNTAIN POND EXPLORATION - 2008

Since this tramper has not been able to spend any significant time on the trail for the past three weeks, we'll post an occasional trip report from pre-Mountain Wandering blog days. This one is from October 2008 and involves some exploring in the vicinity of the north end of Flat Mountain Pond, in one of the more remote and interesting nooks of the Sandwich Range.

It was a gorgeous fall day from start to finish. I launched the journey from the eastern trailhead for the Flat Mountain Pond Trail, starting at Whiteface Intervale Rd. The first easy mile on Flat Mountain Pond Trail, on newer and then older logging roads, leads to this nice view of Mt. Whiteface from an opening on a bank high above the Whiteface River.

Farther along, the trail crosses the Whiteface River - not easy at high water - and follows along beside it.

This is a nice section of walking up this valley.

After recrossing the river three miles in or so, it leads up through a corridor of hobblebush hell.

From the bog at the north end of Flat Mountain Pond, there's a long view to Sandwich Dome and its sprawling spur ridges.

The north end of Flat Mountain Pond - a watery gem of the Sandwich backcountry.

From the NW corner of the pond, a spur line of the old Beebe River logging railroad (1917-1942) leads a short distance to a pretty beaver pond with a view north towards the remote and mysterious Lost Pass, which is flanked by the northern of the two Flat Mountains on the left and a western spur of East Sleeper on the right.

A closer look at the northern Flat Mountain.

Relaxin' along the railroad grade.

Looking back down along the beaver pond/meadow.

Heading north up the railroad grade towards Lost Pass.

The brook that drains down from the pass.

A lost piece of rail.

Looking across another, smaller beaver meadow towards Flat Mountain.

Boggy country out here.

From here I struck off into the woods in search of a small, elusive ledge on a southwestern spur of East Sleeper. I'd spotted this small granite cliff from other vantage points in the Flat Mountain Pond area. Parts of the whack led through beauitful birch glades that grew up after the great 1923 Flat Mountain Pond fire, which ignited in slash from the Beebe River logging railroad operation.

After a rather lengthy zigzagging search across the broad ridge, I found the ledge and its view of Flat Mountain Pond resting on its high plateau, and Sandwich Dome beyond.

A closer look at the pond.

Looking SE down the Whiteface River valley to the Ossipee Range.

Nearby to the south, the southern Flat Mountain.

A golden glade on the way back down off the ridge.

Before heading home, I poked around the site of Camp 11 on the Beebe River line.

A crosscut saw blade nicely displayed on a bed frame. (A reminder that it is illegal to remove historic artifacts from the WMNF, plus it deprives others of the opportunity to see them.)

Another blade, almost buried after 80 years.

Late afternoon light on the beaver pond and Lost Pass. The beauty and remoteness of this area has drawn me back quite a few times over the years.

2011-11-16T08:51:00.034-05:00

KINSMAN NOTCH: 11/15/11

For various reasons, I've been pretty much off the trails for the last couple of weeks. Needing to get out in the woods, I headed up to Kinsman Notch, the "other" notch in the Lincoln area, for a brief outing.

First stop was the trailhead parking area for Beaver Brook Trail at the height-of-land in the notch, where you get a good view up to the Beaver Brook ravine, with Mt. Blue peering over in the back.

At the edge of the parking lot is a display about the amazing survival and rescue story of the WWII bomber crash on the side of Mt. Waternomee in January 1942.

I took a short hike up Beaver Brook Trail to the first cascade, which is reached in just 0.4 mile. Hard to beat for a quick waterfall jaunt, only 200 ft. of elevation gain.

Then I drove a short distance north to the Beaver Pond Scenic Area, probably the prettiest spot in Kinsman Notch. Many years ago, before a small concrete dam was built, this was known as Beaver Meadow. The pond is fed by Beaver Brook.

This wild crag rises to the west of the pond.

I crossed the stream - the start of the Wild Ammonoosuc River - at a ledgy sluice below the dam.

A maze of beaten paths is found behind the west shore. Here Beaver Pond lives up to its name.

A shoreside ledge provided a closer look at the great whale-like outcrop that juts into the pond.

This is one of the great pondside ledges in the Whites. It has the classic shape of a roche moutonnee, sloping on the north side and plucked off by a glacier on the south.

The view north to the parking area.

The rock has a beautiful wide water view to the south, backed by Mt. Waternomee (L) and Mt. Jim (R).

The view from the dam.

I headed southeast back down the notch to the first roadside pulloff, where you can see the ragged cliffs that rise above Lost River.

There is a cascade by this pulloff that I've driven by dozens of times. Today, I took a closer look.

The distant view from this pulloff includes (L to R): Mt. Osceola, Breadtray Ridge, Middle & South Tripyramid and the Sleepers through Thornton Gap, and Mt. Tecumseh.

Across the road to the NE is a trailless ridge (2909 ft.) named "Lost River Mountain" on an old view panorama from North Woodstock. The rock face on the lower R is known to climbers as the "Monkey Cliffs."

A closer look at the Monkey Cliffs. I once took my unsuspecting nephew Mike, then a teenager, on a steep snowshoe bushwhack up the hardwood slope on the L and out to the top of the cliff. He loved it!

And now, a blast from the past...a few photos from a bushwhack to Lost River Mountain in July 2008.

First view down the valley to the SE.

Some great fern whacking.

Looking back from a Monkey Cliff ledge to the massive ridges of Moosilauke.

A vista along the upper Monkey Cliffs - there are several sets of cliffs and ledges along this ridge.

Hancocks in the distance.

A perch with a look down at a lower knob, one of several labeled the "Hedgehog Peaks" on the old view panorama.

More open woods travel. Generally good going on this ridge, though there was the occasional thick stretch.

Hazy view to the SE.

From a ledge on a higher shoulder, my favorite view of Kinsman Notch. In the background, L to R: Waternomee, Jim, Moosilauke, and Blue.

The summit of Lost River Mountain.

On the way down, a ledge and cascade on a nameless brook, one of many hidden treasures in Kinsman Notch.

2011-11-07T21:37:00.023-05:00

GROTON STATE FOREST, VERMONT: 11/4/11

I had known and read about this little trail network in east-central Vermont for many years, but never made it over there until recent inspiration from John "1HappyHiker" Compton, who posted about it on his blog, and Joanne & Kevin Jones, who emailed me a copy of the Groton SF trail map. Thanks!

I parked a short way in off Rt. 232 at the New Discovery Campground area. There was an open gate, but I didn't want to take a chance on driving in farther, and in fact the gate was closed and locked when I came out at the end of the day. A 1.2 mi. walk down the access road brought me to a picnic shelter and the start of the loop trail around beautiful Osmore Pond.

The water was blue and choppy on this cold, windy day.

The trail along the west shore offered several views across the water, including this look at Big Deer Mountain, which I planned to climb later in the day.

Great spot for a picnic!

There are several walk-in lean-tos around the pond. This one has a nice sunny hardwood setting.

At the SW corner of the pond, I headed up the Little Deer Mountain Trail, which is actually 0.5 mi. long.

Nice hardwood forest on the way up Little Deer, with lots of still-green ferns. The outline of Big Deer can be seen through the trees.

There's a fine south-facing ledge just past the 1760-ft. summit, with a view over Lake Groton and surrounding hills.

Off to the SW I could see the sharp peak of Spruce Mountain, whose tall firetower promises commanding views of both the Green and White Mountains. John also recently paid a visit there, as shown on his blog . Spruce is on the western edge of the 25,000 acre Groton State Forest.

After enjoying the views on Little Deer for a while, I dropped back down to Osmore Pond and headed eastward and then north for Big Deer Mountain. A long section of trail passed through these pleasant birch woods.

A spur trail split off and headed for the summit of Big Deer.

The grades were easy to moderate except for one short steep, rocky section.

Just past the flat summit of Big Deer (1992 ft.), an unmarked side path descended left to a superb east-facing ledge that looks across a broad, forested valley to a small range of hills. This little peak is called Devil's Hill and has its own short trail and view ledges.

to the SE the wide view takes in 125-acre Peacham Bog and distant peaks of the White Mountains, including Moosilauke, the Kinsmans and the Franconia Range. On this blustery day the high peaks were mostly socked in with clouds and snow squalls.

A line of snow squalls blew through the valley just to the east.

The main trail continued a short distance past the side path to the eastern outlook, skirting this big glacial erratic.

The trail ended at a southern outlook overlooking Lake Groton and the 3000+ ft. peaks of the Signal Mountain range.

On the way back I returned to the eastern ledge for another look. Here is a closer look at Peacham Bog.

A break of sun on Peacham Pond to the north.

I retraced my steps to the Osmore Pond Loop Trail and headed north along the east side of the pond.

There were only a couple of side paths to views along this side, mainly at lean-to locations. The best spot was this sitting rock with a view south down the pond to Little Deer Mountain.

Gorton State Forest is definitely worth checking out. Its trail system provides several options for hikes combining small, ledgy peaks with beautiful unspoiled ponds. Parts of this trail system are covered in the GMC Day Hiker's Guide to Vermont, and a full trail guide can be found here.

2011-11-03T22:48:00.028-04:00

CHOCORUA CONSERVATION LANDS: 11/1/11

Looking for late foliage, I headed down to a favorite lowland area on the south side of Mt. Chocorua, two days after the surprise pre-Halloween snowfall. In the mountains, we lucked out with only 4 to 6 inches of snow, compared to two feet of heavy wet snow and accompanying power outages in the southern part of the state. By this day, a good bit of the snow had already melted at the lower elevations.

The Chocorua Conservation Lands cover 700 acres of rolling terrain west of Chocorua Lake. They included the Frank Bolles Reserve, the Clark Reserve, and the Mary Scott Nature Reserve The area is managed by the Nature Conservancy and Chocorua Lake Conservation Foundation. There is a fine network of trails here that provides possibilities for interesting loop hikes in the 3 to 5 mile range. The trails are shown on the WODC map of the Sandwich Range, though not all are named on it. The CLCF once published an informative map/flyer on the trails, but it is no longer readily available.

Before heading onto the trails, I drove down to the south end of Chocorua Lake for the classic water-and-mountain view of Chocorua.

Whiteface and Passaconaway were looking mighty fine, too.

I parked at the Hammond Trail parking area near the end of Scott Road off Rt. 16. Across the road a sign marks the access route into the Chocorua Conservation Lands.

The access route crosses the historic, privately owned Hammond farm property.

At the edge of the field, I turned left on the Heron Pond Trail.

A nice entry in the trail register.

Climbing up over an esker (a small glacial ridge), I emerged in a colorful hardwood forest.

Heron Pond, also known as Lonely Lake, was lovely in the morning sun. Last year at this time the water level of this glacial kettle pond was way down; it was good to see it back to normal. The ridge known as Bickford Heights is in the background.

Nice colors by a cove and an island. This place was a favorite haunt of the naturalist Frank Bolles, who owned a home nearby and wrote At the North of Bearcamp Water in 1893.

Late fall foliage along the shore.

After a long break, I continued to the next trail junction.

I followed the Middle Trail, and then the steep Bickford Heights Trail, to the 1060-ft. summit of Bickford Heights, where there is a ledgy spot with a partial view to the west.

Mt. Israel (L) and Young Mtn. (R).

A nice zoomed look at Sandwich Dome, way off at the far end of the Sandwich Range.

Coming down off the west side of Bickford Heights, the trail crosses some steep, slippery ledges.

At the bottom there is a collection of impressive glacial boulders. Some large slices have calved off this one.

I followed the Old Mail Road south along the top of another esker.

An obscure side path led to the "Splitting Stone," where early settlers split off slabs for foundation stones.

I visited this small glacial kettle pond just off the Old Mail Road.

A cellar hole is tucked into the woods by the junction of the Old Mail Road and the Hunter's Trail.

The Hunter's Trail leads past this stone-built "Hunter's Blind."

Up on a high hardwood plateau, the Hunter's Trail passes between these two big boulders just
before its junction with the Highland Trail.

Looking back at the boulders.

Attractive trail signs.

The Highland Trail descends through some fine hardwood forest.

Last sun on Bald Mountain, back at the Hammond Farm, capping off a very pleasant 5.2 mile loop with about 900 ft. of elevation gain.

2011-10-31T08:56:00.021-04:00

SUNDAY MOUNTAIN: 10/28/11

This little rounded, wooded peak (1823 ft.), located on private land in Orford, NH, was not accessible by trail until the 36-mile Cross-Rivendell Trail was opened a few years ago. This trail is managed via a unique partnership between the Rivendell Trails Association and the Rivendell Interstate School District, which serves Orford, NH and Vershire, Fairlee and West Fairlee, VT. Kudos to the landowners who have provided access across their land for the trail.

Though there are just a handful of limited viewpoints along the trail over Sunday Mountain, it's a nice hike and the small vistas that are available showcase the neighboring higher peaks.

This is Sunday Mountain as seen from Mt. Cube.

The Cross-Rivendell Trail traverses Sunday Mountain from east to west. I did the full traverse a few years ago, but today's hike was an up-and-back from the eastern trailhead. There is ample parking at a well-marked area off Dame Hill Rd., just in from Rt. 25A.

After a 0.2 mi. road walk, the trail runs through a strip of woods along the edge of a farm field.

This old piece of farm machinery resides along the edge of the trail.

After passing more fields, the well-blazed trail rides this nice old woods road, then turns into a footpath and climbs up the mountain on long, easy-graded switchbacks. It is a well-constructed route, much of which was laid out by former Dartmouth Outing Club manager David Hooke.

At 1.6 mi., elevation 1500 ft., and shortly after entering an unusual oak forest, the trail turns right at a ledgy spot with a finely framed vista of Mt. Cube. Here an oak leaf sails across on a light breeze.

A few steps down from the trail is an interesting view of Smarts Mountain and its long north ridge.

From here to the summit the trail meanders up through a beautiful oak forest.

Last foliage of the season.

There's a junction with a spur trail not far below the summit.

Another peek at Smarts on the way up to the summit.

At the final L turn on the summit spur, a window view on Mt. Moosilauke is presented on the R.

The summit is a wooded, ledgy knob.

Nice summit sign.

On the way back down, late afternoon light on Mt. Cube...

...and on Smarts Mountain. I am a confirmed devotee of Smarts, and I think this may be the best of all views of that impressive mountain, seen from just the right distance and perspective.

The hike to Sunday Mountain is 4 mi. round trip with about 1000 ft. of elevation gain (including 100 ft. on the return trip). The Cross-Rivendell site has a detailed description of the trail.

2011-10-26T08:57:00.038-04:00

WHITE MOUNTAIN CROPWALK XXIII: 10/22/11

Every fall since 1989, I have joined Mike Dickerman and several other friends for a hike in the White Mountains that raises money for the hunger-fighting programs of Church World Service. There are nearly 1,600 community CROPWALKs around the country, but as far as we know ours is still the only one on that takes place on mountain trails. Over the years our generous sponsors have donated more than $54,000 to this worthy cause. Twenty-five percent of that has been distributed to the local Community Action Program food bank in Littleton.

The Church World Service CROP (Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty) program began in 1947 and the first CROP Hunger Walk was held in 1969. Over the past two decades CROP Hunger Walks have raised more than $294 million for CWS relief and development programs around the world and here at home. The CROP Walk theme is “Ending hunger, one step at a time.” For more information see www.churchworldservice.org .

This year's route followed the Appalachian Trail from Rt. 25 near Glencliff to Rt. 25A at the base of Mt. Cube, following the Wachipauka Pond, Ore Hill and Atwell Hill Trails. Also on the itinerary were side trips to Wachipauka Pond and Webster Slide Mountain.

After spotting cars at the south end of the route, we started off from the trailhead at Route 25 on a cool, cloudy morning. This year's CropWalkers included (L to R) Mike Dickerman, Roger Doucette, Dennis Lynch, David Thompson, Thom Davis and Candace Morrison, as well as this correspondent behind the camera.

The Wachipauka Pond Trail was our first and longest AT segment.

Though the foliage was well past peak, there was still some nice understory color as we climbed up the flank of Wyatt Hill.

At the two-mile mark, we slabbed along the base of the cliffs of Webster Slide Mountain.

We decided to climb up to Webster Slide for some views before visiting Wachipauka Pond. From the lower part of the Webster Slide Trail we could espy our objective.

In the flat col between Webster Slide and Mt. Mist, beside a mossy stone wall, were remnants of a stove from, perhaps, an old homestead - or was it a logging camp?

The Webster Slide Trail has one short, steep eroded section, then climbs moderately through a brushy stretch to a Dartmouth Outing Club sign near the summit.

After a short descent, the trail emerges in a clearing where there was once a DOC shelter, and a few yards beyond that is an outlook with a startling view down to Wachipauka Pond. Thom and Dennis take in the scene.

A true bird's eye view of the pond, with Carr Mountain in the distance.

After enjoying this vista, we followed an unmarked 0.1 mile path down to the "Southwest View." This airy ledge perch can only be accessed by a steep, tricky down-climb (potentially dangerous for the inexperienced).

From here you look straight down on the Webster Slide-Mist col, and out to Mt. Cube on the horizon, with part of Smarts Mountain visible on the L.

Mt. Mist, our next objective along the AT.

Descending the Webster Slide Trail, Candace inspects what appears to be some sort of old foundation.

Next we descended an unmarked spur trail to a clearing under a big white pine on the shore of Wachipauka Pond. This is a wonderful spot, favored by AT thru-hikers.

Mt. Mist rises across the pond. While taking a lunch break here, we weathered a pretty heavy rain shower that lasted nearly a half-hour. So much for the forecast of partly to mostly sunny.

The shower persisited for a while as we headed south on the climb of Mt. Mist. Partway up I made the short side trip on a spur path to a restricted eastern viewpoint.

With the rain stopped, we gathered for our traditional group photo at the wooded summit of Mt. Mist. L to R are Thom, Dennis, Mike, Roger, David and Candace.

Mike was the only one of us who remembered to wear his blaze orange - moose season was underway, as well as various other hunting seasons.

The broad crest of Mt. Mist is cloaked in a fine hardwood forest. In this section, lingering colorful beech leaves contrasted with ferns still wearing their summer green.

Despite some muddy footing, this was a fine walk through the glowing ridgetop forest.

This stone wall appeared beside the trail as we descended towards Route 25C.

Next up: the Ore Hill section of the AT.

I love the open stand of sugar maples on the top of Ore Hill. This is a great area for enriched woodland spring wildflowers such as Dutchman's Breeches and Blue Cohosh.

The trail meanders through the open woods.

A trailside ledge - quartzite?

This serene little pond rests beside the trail just west of the reclaimed Ore Hill mine site (which is off limits to the public). Under various owners, this mine was in operation on and off from 1834 to 1915, producing lead, copper, zinc, and silver. Eventually the shaft was deepened to 650 feet. The haul from this mine was estimated at 50,000 to 100,000 tons. For more on the history of this operation, click here.

After a very muddy section in conifer forest, we passed back into hardwoods on the slope of Sentinel Mountain.

We stopped for a brief break at the Ore Hill Shelter.

Descending off Sentinel Mountain, the trail led us into an enchanting spruce grove.

At Cape Moonshine Rd. (great name - a local resident says the road signs disappear regularly as souvenirs), we embarked on our final segment, Atwell Hill Trail, where super-mucky rock and log hopping alternated with pleasant leafy strolling. We all made it out with just a little daylight to spare, concluding another fine White Mountain CropWalk.

2011-10-21T07:23:00.044-04:00

SMARTS MOUNTAIN LOOP: 10/18/11

There's something comfortable and cozy about the mountains and hills along the Appalachian Trail between Mt. Moosilauke and Hanover. Maybe it's the bucolic surroundings in the upper Connecticut River valley, or the open hardwood slopes, or the lack of crowds. Whatever it is, it draws me back there again and again.

Probably my favorite destination of several in this region is 3238-ft. Smarts Mountain, the highest and most massive peak in the loosely affiliated chain of summits sometimes called the Middle Connecticut River Mountains. Rising in a remote corner of the town of Lyme, Smarts's huge wooded bulk dominates the landscape for miles around. This mountain has held a fascination for me ever since Mike Dickerman and I first climbed it in 1988.

On a cool, breezy and partly sunny day, I headed down to the trailhead on Dorchester Rd. for a hike over Smarts via the classic Ranger Trail-Lambert Ridge Trail loop. I decided to go up the Ranger Trail, as I figured the wet ledge slabs leading up to the Lambert Ridge junction would probably be easier to ascend than descend.

For a number of years the Ranger Trail - the old route used by fire wardens staffing the summit tower - has not been officially maintained, and parts of the trail are very wet and/or eroded. To my surprise, there were fresh blue blazes on the first 1.5 mi. of the trail, and I later found out from DOC that this trail now has an enthusiastic volunteer adopter. Good news!

After an initial short wet section, the Ranger Trail provided about a mile of mostly pleasant walking on the old woods road used by the fire wardens.

For a short distance it follows alongside Grant Brook, which drains a big valley on the south side of Smarts.In the next 0.8 mi. there were some soggy stretches, for sure, but my boots never got very wet.

One of the dry sections, with some nice understory color and a hint of Smarts Mountain behind the trees.

About two miles in, where the woods road ends, the old fire warden's garage still stands.

The next stretch of trail is gentle across the broad floor of the upper Grant Brook valley.

Bronze-tinted beech leaves border a northeastern tributary of Grant Brook.

Farther along, in at least two places you can see old telephone poles alongside the trail, remnants of the warden's telephone line.

The Ranger Trail crosses many ledge slabs as it climbs steadily to the Lambert Ridge Trail junction. Though many of these were wet, my worn boot soles gripped fairly well.

This nasty, steep, wet slab above the Lambert Ridge junction used to present a bit of a challenge, especially on the descent. Fine work performed by the DOC trail crew in 2009 has made passage up this slab easier and safer. Walking up the iron rungs at the top was like using the televators on MSR snowshoes.

There aren't a lot of views on Smarts away from the tower, but there is a good vista south over Reservoir Pond from the Smarts Mountain Tentsite, located towards the west end of the broad summit crest.
The log seat on the right side of the picture provided a nice spot for a lunch break.

The summit ridge of Smarts has perhaps the southernmost boreal fir forest in New Hampshire.

On to the tower, which was built in 1939 and staffed through 1973. In 1994 it was refurbished by DOC with funding from the US Forest Service. It now serves as an observation perch for hikers.

On a chilly, windy day, the enclosed cab of the tower was an excellent place to enjoy the panoramic views in comfort. Most of the glass panes are intact, and a couple of the windows tilt open for better visibility. Below is a window view on Mt. Cube to the north.

A closer look at Cube.

Though the promised sun made only an occasional cameo, visibility was quite good this day, allowing for remarkable far-reaching views from the tower. In Vermont, I could easily see Camel's Hump, Ellen/Abraham, Killington, Dorset Peak, Stratton, and possibly even the tip of Equinox.

In this photo, Mt. Clough and Mt. Moosilauke are seen to the NE beyond the northern "J Trail" ridge of Smarts and Black Hill, a neighbor of Cube.

The Sandwich Range off to the east, with Carr Mountain on the L.

South over Reservoir Pond, with Sunapee Mountain on the horizon.

Mt. Cardigan, Cummins Pond, Mt. Kearsarge and a shoulder of Smarts, to the SE.

My favorite view is looking down at Lambert Ridge, the Grant Brook valley, and the hills beyond.

Being a little indulgent here...

A rare break of sun lit up the little dome of Sunday Mountain to the NW, a little-known summit along the Cross-Rivendell Trail.

Before heading down over Lambert Ridge, I wandered about 0.3 mi. along the J Trail, which traverses the broad summit crest, including an eastern knob about the same height as the fire tower knob.

Coming down the steep slab above the Lambert Ridge/Ranger junction -- a unique sequence of iron rungs and rock and wooden staircases.

Heading across a broad shoulder towards Lambert Ridge, through a magical hardwood forest with its understory aglow.

Love the quartzite ledges on Lambert Ridge.

The classic view of Smarts from the Lambert ledges. If ascending, you're just halfway there.

Looking east over the Grant Brook valley.

There are many ledges on the way down Lambert Ridge. From this one, you see south to Holts Ledge and Moose Mountain.

The trail winds through a ledge-meadow.

From the cliff at the SE end of the ridge, the late foliage - mostly oak - was a colorful surprise.

A marvelous quartzite perch.

This DOC trail, laid out by Bob Averill (editor of the two-volume Moosilaukee Reader) in 1986, is one of the finest segments along the AT in New Hampshire.

Evening sun on Winslow Ledge, from the last viewpoint on Lambert Ridge.

Last sun before the switchbacking hardwood descent to the trailhead. This terrific loop over Smarts is 7.5 mi. long with 2400 ft. of elevation gain. For more than you ever wanted to know about Smarts Mountain, click here .

2011-10-09T23:45:00.033-04:00

NORTH FORK COUNTRY: 10/6/11

On a sunny but cold and windy day, with a touch of November in the air, John "1HappyHiker" Compton and I decided to shelve a hike over the Willey Range and instead journey farther west to Ethan Pond and the remote country around the North Fork of the Pemigewasset River's East Branch.

We started from the Willey House Site on the floor of Crawford Notch. Behind the buildings we followed a short path up to a new wooden viewing platform built by Crawford Notch State Park manager John Dickerman and crew.

This spot has a great view of the Webster Cliffs.

Right behind it are the Willey Boulders, the rocks that are said to have split the famed 1826 Willey Slide, sparing the house below, but not the Willey family, who ironically fled into the path of the slide. These historic chunks of stone were “rediscovered” in 2008 when White Mountain collector Paul Accamondo obtained an old postcard showing the boulders, and brought it to Dickerman’s attention. You can find an image of this (or a similar postcard) with a Google search on "Willey Slide" "postcard." A photo of these rocks also appears in the 1925 booklet, The Willey Slide, by Rev. Guy Roberts. From the boulders a new side path leads 80 yards to the Kedron Flume Trail, creating perhaps the shortest loop hike to a viewpoint in the White Mountains.

Then we headed up Kedron Flume Trail, following long gravelly switchbacks and some steeper pitches up to the crossing of Kedron Brook at Kedron Flume, with a view across to the south end of the Webster Cliffs.

The cascade above the crossing is long, thin and lovely.

Below the trail is a waterfall of major proportions, but it's hard to safely get a good look at it. This might rank as a major Notch attraction if it were accessible from below.

Above Kedron Brook, the trail has a section of steep, rough climbing.

A bit of color along the Ethan Pond Trail.

The NW wind was whipping up little whitecaps on Ethan Pond. With the water so sky-blue, this spot was even more beautiful than usual. Ethan Allen Crawford, who discovered this watery gem in 1829, was quite taken with it: "For beauty and grandeur, it is no where surpassed by any spot, to me known, about these mountains.” The Twin Range outlines the western horizon.

The ledges we planned to visit could be seen in the distance.

The shelter, bustling with AT thru-hikers a few weeks earlier, was empty and forlorn.

Lots of plank walkways along the boggy sections of the Ethan Pond Trail.

A view back to the imposing western face of Mt. Willey.

A 0.6 mi. relocation, done a few years ago, takes Ethan Pond Trail on a meander to the north.

This section of trail provides a closer look at the cliffs.

We left the trail and crossed the North Fork.

Traversing a flat area, we found some nice open woods. This is wonderful wild country.

We reached the edge of a remote bog pond, which we wanted to have a look at before we climbed to the ledges.

Looking south from the edge of the pond, we had a glimpse of Mt. Carrigain.

North of the pond is a picturesque bog sprinkled with cotton grass.

John takes in the scene. A bit of the nameless summit east of Whitewall Mountain can be seen in the distance.

The whack up to the clifftop ledges was more difficult than anticipated, with some steep rugged terrain and generally scrappy conifer growth. Both of us had encountered easier conditions on prior visits to these ledges.

Eventually we found our way out to the best clifftop perch, and spent an hour soaking in the sun and the wide views over the eastern Pemi Wilderness. From this vantage, Mt. Passaconaway, way south in the Sandwich Range, is perfectly centered through Carrigain Notch.

The spruce plateau of the eastern Pemi sweeps for miles out towards Carrigain and Hancock. There are thousands of acres out there where no one ever goes. East of the Shoal Pond Trail, there are no trails and no peaks – only endless ranks of gloomy spruces, the dark forest cover broken here and there by a moose-haunted bog

Looking east, we had a clear view of Mt. Willey, with a peek at Ethan Pond.

Stairs and Resolution peer over in the distance.

We took a different route down, and after some initial softwood tussling we found better going in birch glades aglow in their October colors.

We passed this small bog illuminated in late afternoon sun.

On the way out we made a short bushwhack to the edge of another bog with a view back to the ledges we had visited.

Here also was a view up to the West Peak of Mt. Field behind its long south ridge. What great country out here along the North Fork!

2011-10-05T08:43:00.025-04:00

ZEALAND VALLEY & NOTCH: 9/30/11

A half-day hike into the beautiful Zealand area, one of the most peaceful locales in the White Mountains. Though the red maples had mostly flamed out after a spectacular show reported by hikers a few days earlier, the scenery was nonetheless superb. This area was originally called "New Zealand" in the late 1800s, supposedly a humorous reference to its remoteness.

After an initial rather miserable rough and rocky section, the Zealand Trail is a very pleasant walk, mostly along the grade of timber baron J.E. Henry's logging railroad, which ran in the late 1880s. I call these the "halfway rocks," marking the 1.25 mi. mark of this 2.5 mi. trail.

In another half-mile, you get the first of several views of the surrounding mountains across beaver ponds, swamps and meadows. This is Zealand Ridge, with Zeacliff on the L and "Zeacliff Pond Peak" on the R.

Beavers have recently flooded the approach to the "Z-bridge."

New beaver pools and dams.

A typical Zealand scene.

Along the Zealand Trail.

A view across another beaver pond to Mt. Tom. This flat spot was reportedly a loading area during the logging railroad days.

Zeacliff Pond Peak seen across the north end of Zealand Pond.

Zeacliff over the south end of Zealand Pond.

Looking north to various spurs of Mt. Hale.

The Ethan Pond Trail heading south along the railroad grade from the Twinway/Zealand Trail junction.
My plan was to explore in Zealand Notch today. Rather than continue on the trail out to the spectacular open rocks, I decided to do some bushwhacking along the floor of the notch, starting off with a descent through these beautiful maples.

First I visited some cascades on Whitewall Brook that Ken Stampfer and I had found a couple of years ago.

Looking south down a long reach of Whitewall Brook.

As I made my way down the sometimes brushy floor of the notch, there were occasional peeks up at Zeacliff from meadowy spots.

There were some lovely birch glades down there.

A moose bed in one of the meadows. I was hoping I didn't run into a bull, it being the height of rutting season.

After whacking a good 3/4 mile, I came to an open area of meadows and beaver ponds, with a clear view up to Zeacliff.

The beaver dams here looked fairly recently refurbished, with quite a bit of mud in them.

After some poking around, I found a spot with a fine view of Whitewall Mountain rising above its namesake brook in the heart of Zealand Notch.

A closeup of the Whitewall cliffs. As I was preparing to leave this wonderful spot, I inadvertently dumped my camera into the brook, ker-plunk! I fished it out and tried to dry it off.

This is the kind of picture a point-and-shoot digital takes after being immersed in three feet of water. It then ceased operating entirely - Carol later told me trying to operate it after it's wet is the worst thing you can do. A week later, though, it's working again, but for how long, who knows? Despite my bonehead move, it was yet another rewarding visit to Zealand country.

2011-10-01T08:26:00.038-04:00

MIDDLE MOUNTAIN & BALD CAP PEAK: 9/27/11

John "1HappyHiker" Compton and I joined up for a trail-and-bushwhack exploration in the Shelburne area, where we have both been hiking a bit in recent weeks. Our plan was to follow an old route up Middle Mountain from the west (off Peabody Brook Trail), which is in the process of being reopened by the Shelburne Trails Club, then bushwhack up to the expansive clifftop ledges on the south face of Bald Cap Peak. We had both been to those ledges before - in my case way back in 1990 on a foggy and warm late winter trip when a friend and I thought we were climbing Middle and ended up on Bald Cap Peak - but on our visits we had both found less than ideal conditions for enjoying the views.

On this sunny, warm late September day, good views were virtually guaranteed. This western part of what will be called the Middle Mountain Trail follows an old route shown on the USGS Shelburne quad, mostly on old logging roads. At present it is only a flagged and uncleared route, but the STC plans to clear and blaze it in the near future.

The upper part leads through some pleasant stands of second-growth hardwood.

We thought this weathered old signboard may have marked the junction with the former steep trail up Bald Cap Peak, which was abandoned by the 1970s.

An old cairn marking the route on the gentle north slope of Middle Mountain.

From the ledges on the summit of Middle, we could see some nice developing foliage on the east ridge of Bald Cap Peak.

A summit sign bearing the attractive logo of the Shelburne Trails Club.

The ledges of Bald Cap Peak loom impressively to the north from Middle Mountain.

A closer look at the cliffs.

John scouting out the mountain. We had both previously ascended this steep mountain by a route to the right of the main cliffs, and our plan for today was to use that general approach after visiting a view ledge down near the base of the slope.

A short bushwhack from the old trail sign brought us to that lower view ledge, which provided a nice vista towards the Moriahs and the Presidentials.

Looking back at Middle Mountain.

This was a nice spot, and it was tempting to linger here, but we wanted to take a long break at the top of the main cliffs.

Behind this ledge was an unexpected hardwood flat.

Then we hit an impassable wall of ledge. After a traverse to the right, John led us up through a very steep "seam" in the mountainside.

A couple of hundred feet higher up, we made a short detour to a small perch beside a dark, sloping cliff - a wild spot indeed!

We had a good view out to Bear Mountain beyond Mt. Ingalls.

More or less following the guidebook description from the 1960s, we circled left and found some traces of the old trail, including this cairn.

We wiggled our way up through a number of ledges and cliffs....

...with some terrific views along the way.

The terrain was a little tricky on the final approach; we would have been better off circling up and behind.

John starts the final approach.

This airy maneuver was the key to reaching the top.

And what a top - the view looking east.

The obligatory boot shot, looking south over Middle Mountain.

Peering down at the hardwood forest at the base of the cliffs.

John checks out the ledges to the west.

Capturing the SE view.

A clifftop red pine, bowed but not broken.

Just hangin' out - we spent over an hour here basking in the sun on these expansive ledges.

Originally we thought we might head over the broad, wooded summit of Bald Cap Peak to the Peabody Brook Trail near Dream Lake. But we had both floundered in dense spruce back there on our respective previous trips, and that did not sound appealing today. So we headed west down the ridge, hoping to hit some lower view ledges along the way. A short way down we found another old cairn.

We descended along the base of this rock wall for hundreds of feet.

We miscalculated on the location of the lower ledges and never found them, but we did traverse some fine open woods at times.

We came down to the Peabody Brook Trail not too far above this ladder.

Just below the ladder we had our last view of the day from a slide opening along the trail. And what a great day it was!

2011-09-26T08:06:00.045-04:00

GENTIAN PONDS & MIDDLE MOUNTAIN: 9/21/11

On a fine sunny day I made a long loop that visited Gentian Pond and Moss or Upper Gentian Pond, two exquisite high mountain ponds, and Middle Mountain, a small ledgy peak, all in the southern part of the Mahoosuc Range. I parked on North Rd. in Shelburne across from the start of the Austin Brook Trail.

This is a unique trailhead where you enter through a wooden turnstile, a neat rustic start to the hike.

The lower part of Austin Brook Trail is nice walking on an old woods road. After a mile you come briefly beside Austin Brook, then cross it to emerge on the gravel Mill Brook Rd. There is a relocation in the works that will bypass this crossing and another on the road, where a bridge was recently taken out.

A fork in Mill Brook Rd.; this will soon be bypassed.

I meant to follow the flagging for the relocation, but started at the wrong brook crossing (oops!) and ended up following some other flagging line, then bushwhacking for quite a ways. Along the way I did find this nice little cascade and gorge on Austin Brook.

I eventually came back to Mill Brook Rd., which is also the Austin Brook Trail farther up the valley, then followed the trail as it turned left onto an older woods road.

A big logging job just concluded this summer in this privately owned commercial forestland; in one spot the skidders briefly ran up the trail. If you hike on the lower slopes of the Mahoosucs, you must expect signs of logging either new or old.

Farther up, the trail crosses a plateau at the base of the ridge, where there has been beaver activity for a number of years. This old beaver pond has gone dry.

One of the beaver openings provides this view up to cliffs on one of the many spurs of the sprawling Bald Cap Mountain complex of ridges.

The trail crosses an open area with this nice beaver pond vista to the east. Cool area out here.

Once across the beaver flats, the Austin Brook Trail abruptly launches into a steep 400-ft. climb to Gentian Pond.

At the top of the climb sits Gentian Pond Shelter, recently shored up by the AMC construction crew.

This is a room with a view, gazing south across the Androscoggin River valley to the summits of the Moriahs.

The layout for the shelter and tentsites.

The tent platforms are tucked into spruce woods up behind the shelter.

A commemorative plaque by the shelter.

A path drops down to the shore of Gentian Pond, which enjoys a rugged setting under the cliffs of another spur of Bald Cap. Beavers have raised the water level in recent years, but there's still a ledge to hang out on at the shore, close by the beaver dam at the outlet. Lucia and Marian Pychowska, intrepid AMC adventurers who explored the Bald Cap region in the 1870s, bestowed this name on the pond after gathering bottle-gentian along its shore.

There has recently been a trail reconfiguration near Gentian Pond. The Mahoosuc Trail/Appalachian Trail now bypasses the pond and shelter, and the Austin Brook Trail now extends 0.1 mi. past the shelter to this junction.

A new section of the Mahoosuc Trail, 0.2 mi. long, was cut as part of this redesign.

I climbed a half-mile up from this junction to tiny, beautiful Moss Pond, so named by the Pychowskas because it was "surrounded by beds of moss." On the USGS Shelburne quad, it is named Upper Gentian Pond.

I spent a long time lounging on a small rock seat at the shore of Moss Pond. Nestling on a high, hidden shelf at 2,530 ft., and rimmed with spiky spruces, it's as peaceful a place as you can find in the mountains. Years ago, Mike Dickerman and I spent a half-hour watching a bull moose feeding and swimming in this pond.

On the way back down to Gentian Pond, I spotted this nifty boulder in the woods.

I headed back down the Austin Brook Trail, which follows Mill Brook Rd. through some recent logging cuts with views up to several of the Bald Cap humps.

With logging concluded in this area for the foreseeable future, a number of drainage berms were made to prevent erosion on the road.

Well down the valley, I turned right onto a western branch of Mill Brook Rd., and followed it a mile to its end in a logging yard, with Middle Mountain looming ahead. To the left, after a short bushwhack around a slash pile, I followed a short connecting path to the Middle Mountain Trail. This connector is in the process of being reopened by the Shelburne Trails Club, and my bushwhacking buddy John "1HappyHiker" Compton has done some brushing on this trail, as related on his blog.

The connector led to a signed junction where I turned right onto the Middle Mountain Trail, a long-abandoned route recently restored by the Shelburne Trails Club.

After climbing easily up a woods road, this path kicked some butt, late in the afternoon, with a stiff grade up through a ledgy oak forest.

Near the top, beautiful red pines took over.

The trail emerges on the broad ledgy summit by this glacial erratic. It's technically not really the top; the 2,010-ft. summit of Middle Mountain is off to the east a bit, and the best views are over that way too.

I really liked the view of Bald Cap Peak, with its cliffs looming close by to the north.

To the NE are Mt. Success and Lary Brook Mountain.

From a ledge around the corner, a fine vista east and SE over the Androscoggin valley to Caribou Mountain, Speckled Mountain and the Royces. Little Mt. Crag is down low on the left.

Looking east to the wide-spreading ridges of Bear Mountain in the trailless eastern Mahoosucs. Green Mountain, the highest peak on the L, reportedly has a low-scrub summit with great views. Someday, hopefully... Mt. Ingalls, last week's objective, is in the foreground.

I descended the full 1.6 mi. length of the Middle Mountain Trail, a pleasant walk on old woods roads once off the steep summit cone. This trail sign is a short distance in from North Rd., on what has been called the Gates Brook woods road or Gates Brook Trail. A 15-minute walk on North Rd. brought me back to my car, without having to pull out the headlamp. This was a very interesting 12-mi. loop, with a great variety of scenery.

2011-09-18T22:07:00.028-04:00

THE SCUDDER TRAIL REBORN: 9/14/11

The Shelburne, NH area has a hiking tradition dating back to the late 1800s, when AMC trampers would sojourn at the Philbrook Farm Inn (which is still welcoming guests today). There has long been an extensive network of trails in Shelburne, leading to some of the small but interesting mountains at the south end of the Mahoosuc Range. However, over the years some of these trails fell into disuse, while others were obliterated by logging.

Enter the new Shelburne Trails Club (STC), which had its beginnings in 2009 and was formally organized in 2010. Over the last two years, this energetic band of local residents has re-opened several abandoned trails, and has spruced up some of the other trails in the area.

One of the trails re-opened by the STC is the Scudder Trail, which ascends 2242-ft. Mt. Ingalls. I had climbed this back in 1992, when it was previously open, and at that time it was obscure enough to almost be called a bushwhack. On a subsequent visit in 2006, it had been decimated by logging in its lower part, and was removed from the guidebook. Now it has been re-opened and re-blazed, and I joined Dick Lussier, President of the STC, for a hike up the Scudder on a hot, hazy, midsummer-like day.

The trailhead is 0.5 mi. up from North Rd. in Shelburne on the gravel Mill Brook Rd. The trail sign was adorned with a moose bone.

The first 1.3 mi. leads up an old skidder road where the woods are recovering from logging. Dick and other STC members have been working hard to keep the brush at bay in these open areas.

With the abundant sun, this area has a wealth of late summer wildflowers.

After passing a junction with a connecting trail to Mt. Cabot (the other Mt. Cabot), the Scudder Trail turns left and runs along a neat clifftop shelf, passing an excellent ledgy viewpoint. The Presidentials were smothered in clouds and haze, but there was a good look at Shelburne Moriah Mountain, seen to the south across the Androscoggin valley.

The upper half of the Scudder Trail is a gem. It meanders upward through a variety of woods, with mostly easy grades and occasional steep pitches to keep you honest. There are fine conifer stands...

...brushy blueberry patches...

...leafy beech woods...

...and more outlook ledges. The footway is not yet well-worn in some places, but the trail is well-marked with orange blazes that can readily be followed with a little extra attention through the many twists and turns.

One ledge just to the right of the trail offers a view east to Bear Mountain, a high trailless peak in the eastern Mahoosucs.

A cozy little col along the ridge of Mt. Ingalls.

One section of trail looped to the left over some more ledges, following cairns from the original route, which was laid out in the 1950s. Dick related that this trail was cut by Seth Briggs - who in his 90s still works on Philbrook Farm area trails - and a Mr. Scudder, because Mrs. Scudder wanted a trail up to the ledges she could see from the valley.

Just before the summit, we took a lunch break at an expansive ledgy area which, on a clear day, would have a fine view of the Presidentials. This photo is underexposed so that at least some of the mountains would show up through the haze.

The true summit, marked by a slightly vandalized sign, is wooded.

The trail continues another 0.1 mi. to a tiny pond secluded in the forest, which, as Dick told the story, was unofficially named after a local resident perhaps 20 years ago. The name has made it onto at least one trail map.

A quiet place, indeed.

Heading back across the near-summit ledges, with the Royces on the horizon.

A late afternoon vista back at the lowest outlook ledge.

We made a loop back over 1512-ft. Mt. Cabot. A woodworker member has made beautiful signs for the STC.

A little way down from the summit of Cabot on the Blue Trail, a spur drops to a ledge with a view of Bear Mountain beyond a shoulder of Mt. Ingalls.

Speaking of bears, one had left its calling card at the summit.

This old foundation is located at the summit of Mt. Cabot. Dick noted that there was once a shelter here, used by guests of the Philbrook Farm Inn. Apparently they would spend the night here and a guide would cook up breakfast for them in the morning. He also said that the currently overgrown view towards the Presidentials near the summit of Cabot would soon be cleared out by the STC. We then descended the pleasant Red Trail off Cabot, and followed a connector back to the Yellow Trail, which in turn took us back to the Scudder Trail near the trailhead. This was a most interesting and enjoyable day - thanks to Dick and his fellow STC members for all their good work on the Shelburne trails!

2011-09-14T23:29:00.045-04:00

COHOS TRAIL & VICTOR HEAD: 9/9/11

Back up to the Nash Stream Forest in northern New Hampshire for some rambling on another section of the Cohos Trail, the 160-mi. route that runs the length of Coos County. Today's route was a long loop around Bald Mountain, with a side trip up to the clifftop ledges on the little nubble named Victor Head. Four miles of this trek - the Cohos segments called Bald Mountain Trail (or Bald Mountain Notch Trail) and Rowell Link - would be new trail territory for me. My friend John Compton (aka 1HappyHiker), who has a great hiking blog, the Bald Mountain Trail this spring and gave it a good recommendation.

The trail's start off Percy Road in Stark looked inauspicious. The lower mile or so is a snowmobile trail, and I feared much of it would be weedy and wet as it looks here. But most of it turned out to be pleasant grassy walking.

The sign reads Bald Mt. Notch Trail, which is more accurate than Bald Mountain Trail, since the trail does not go to the summit of Bald, but passes through a neat little notch behind it.

A typical section on the snowmobile trail.

I inspected this sagging bridge from the side before tiptoeing across it.

At 1.4 mi. the trail turned right onto a footpath and climbed through pleasant woods.

Approaching the notch behind Bald Mountain, the trail slipped into a dark conifer forest, with a peek out at The Horn and Mt. Cabot.

On the other side of the notch the trail wound through beautiful birch glades.

An old logging camp clearing beside the trail.

Where a moose bedded down in the meadow.

Historic artifact?

The next mile or so was on the Rowell Link, which crosses Rowell Brook on this nifty bridge.

Looking upstream from the bridge.

In typical Cohos Trail fashion, after meandering through some wild conifer forest on a rough, narrow footway, the trail changes character as it breaks out onto a major old logging road, the Jimmy Cole Brook Road, with a glimpse of the Pilot Range.

Smooth walkin' on this grassy road, reminiscent of the carriage roads at Castle in the Clouds Conservation Area in the Ossipee Mountains.

Rocks come in handy when there are no handy trees for blazing at a trail junction.

This part of the Cohos Trail is called the Old Summer Club Trail, because parts of it were restored from an old trail that led from the Percy Summer Club on Christine Lake to the Percy Peaks. Near the start, it passes a boulder with character.

Beautiful forest strolling, with good footing.

The side trail to Victor Head climbs 500 ft. in 0.4 mi.

The last pitch edges along mossy ledges.

On the west side of the summit there's a great stand-up view of the Percy Peaks.

The best spot to hang out is a ledge on the south side, reached by a spur path.

The views aren't panoramic, but they are nice, particularly looking over Christine Lake to the Pilot Range.

View east to the Mahoosucs. The September sun was pouring down on the ledge, and a nap was in order.

After a snooze, I made my way out to another, more open ledge just to the east, proceeding carefully to protect both me and the fragile lichens.

This was a fantastic spot, with perhaps the best of all northern views of the Pilot Range.

A zoom on (L to R) Unknown Pond Ridge, The Horn, The Bulge, and Mt. Cabot.

Looking SE to Mill Mountain, the northeastern outliers of the Pilots, and the lower Mahoosucs in the distance.

After a long stay atop Victor Head, I descended back to the Old Summer Club Trail, and then followed unmarked old woods roads down to Christine Lake.

Although the North Country got off pretty lightly from Tropical Storm Irene, this snowmobile bridge over Rowell Brook bit the dust.

Another historic relic in the forest.

A key woods road junction on this route. If ascending from Christine Lake, you turn left onto this road a half-mile from the start.

You briefly walk on the road that leads to the Percy Summer Club, which graciously allows hikers access across their land.

South Percy (L) and Victor Head (R) from the beach at the east end of Christine Lake, where there is public parking.

After a 1.7 mi. road walk back to my car, I drove over to Northside Road a mile outside of Stark village for an evening climb up a recently blazed, rough trail to the top of Devil's Slide, the dark cliff that looms over that picturesque town. The lower slopes of Devil's Slide are in Devil's Slide State Forest, while the ipper slopes are part of the Forest Society's Kauffmann Forest. In its middle section, the yellow-blazed path passes through some nice hardwood forest.

Evening sun in the woods, approaching the clifftop.

A crag a little ways down the edge from trail's end overlooks the town of Stark, whose covered bridge and classic white church are featured in countless photos. Stark is also well-known for its World War II German POW camp, the story of which is masterfully chronicled in Allen V. Koop's book, Stark Decency.

Looking east past a lower cliff and out over the Upper Ammonoosuc River valley.

Last light on the Pilot Range, time to head for home.

2011-09-10T08:12:00.035-04:00

PERCY PEAKS: 9/1/11

The twin Percy Peaks, North Percy (3,430 ft.) and South Percy (3,234 ft.) are the iconic peaks of northern New Hampshire. Though they are not the highest mountains in the area, their symmetrical cones and bare ledges dominate the landscape for miles around. In 1803, a writer called North Percy "the most exact and beautiful cone which I ever beheld." They are also the inspiration for the logo of the Cohos Trail, which runs 160 mi. through the length of Coos County. This view is taken from the nearby little peak called Victor Head.

On a hazy late summer day, I hiked the loop over the Percys - up the older Percy Peaks Trail and down the newer Percy Loop Trail, with a road walk in between on the Nash Stream Rd. The Percys are both located within the 39,000-acre Nash Stream State Forest. The GPS track of the loop hike is shown on this snapshot from the USGS Percy Peaks quad via the National Geographic Topo! program.

This sign on Nash Stream Rd. marks the start of the trail.

In its lower part, the Percy Peaks Trail passes through some fine hardwood forest.

This prow-like boulder marks a left turn in the trail.

The last time I hiked this trail, a few years ago, much of it was badly eroded. Over the last couple of years, it has received a major facelift from crews working out of the North Woods Stewardship Center in Vermont. Long stretches have been relocated out of washed-out gullies, and other sections now feature well-built rock staircases. Excellent work!

Higher up, the trail climbs through woods alongside this dangerous mossy slab.

Then there is a section along some side-sloping ledges on the rugged flank of North Percy.

Beautiful open woods approaching the col between the peaks.

I headed up South Percy first. From a junction above the col, I descended a short distance on the Old Summer Club Trail (part of the Cohos Trail), then climbed the unmarked steep and rough path up to the south summit. My friend John Compton aptly described this path as "hobbit-like."

The outstanding feature of the view from South Percy is the impressive close-up of North Percy, with its great granite slabs fully displayed.

Nearby to the NE is the massive wooded ridge of Long Mountain.

On the southern flank of Long is the neat little gap called Bald Mountain Notch, with Bald Mountain on its right. The Cohos Trail runs through this little-known pass.

After descending to the col, I headed up to North Percy, where the upper half of the climb leads up a series of steeply-pitched granite slabs. Moses Sweetser's 1876 guidebook likened it to "climbing up over the dome of the United-States Capitol." This rock is very grippy, even with worn soles like those on my Merrell boots. Don't know what it's like when wet, but on a dry day you stick to it like flypaper.

Looking west across the ledges.

A hiker emerges under the cone of South Percy.

Looking SE to Bald Mountain, Victor Head and Christine Lake.

A sign marks the flat, scrubby summit of North Percy. Though it was late in the summer, there was still some good blueberry pickin' up here.

A new USGS benchmark is placed next to an iron pin that probably dates back to the days of the U.S. Coastal Survey in the 1870s.

There are expansive views in nearly every direction from ledges around the summit area. This view looks north up the Nash Stream valley, with the Sugarloaf Mountain range enclosing it on the west.

Looking NNE to (L to R) Mt. Muise, distant Dixville Peak, and Whitcomb Mountain.

After a long stay atop North Percy, including an obligatory summit snooze, I headed down, making a short side foray to look down the steep slabs used by the long-abandoned West Side Trail, which was laid out by the great climbers Robert and Miriam Underhill.

An interesting angle on South Percy from here, with the Pilot Range on the horizon.

Back down off the cone, I turned L on the Percy Loop, a fine trail that was opened by the Cohos Trail Association around 2001.

Halfway down this route, in the valley of Long Mountain Brook, is the Percy Loop Campsite, situated in an attractive birch and hardwood glade.

On a kiosk there's the story of how this campsite came to be.

One of the more charming privies I've seen, if outhouses can be said to have charm.

The lower 1.5 mi. of Percy Loop follows an ancient logging road down through this lovely hardwood valley - a great section of walking.

This sugar maple is a monarch of the Long Mountain Brook valley.

On the mile-long road walk back to the Percy Peaks Trail parking spot, there were a couple of spots where you could follow paths down to nearby Nash Stream. Not much evidence of damage from Tropical Storm Irene up here in the North Country.

From the edge of a roadside logging cut, there was a view back up to North Percy.

But the highlight of the road walk was a chance meeting with Kim Nilsen, the founder and visionary of the Cohos Trail, who was worked tirelessly for more than a decade to make the trail the varied and fascinating route that it is today. He pulled up in an old pickup and asked if I was "doing the loop," then introduced himself. We talked trails for a good half-hour before he headed up the road to a remote camp and I continued the trek back to my car. Thanks for all your great work on the Cohos, Kim, and for writing perhaps the most entertaining and informative guidebook on my overloaded bookshelf!

2011-09-05T00:15:00.021-04:00

IRENE DAMAGE ALONG THE EAST BRANCH: 8/31/11

Three days after Tropical Storm Irene's prodigious rainfall drove the East Branch of the Pemigewasset River to record flow levels (17 ft. at the gauge in Lincoln, with a flow on the order of 30,000 cubic ft. per second), I took a morning walk at Lincoln Woods to assess the damage. Just a month earlier Carol and I had "adopted" the Pine Island Trail, a lovely footpath meandering along the east side of the river parallel to the Pemi East Side Trail. We had made one brushing and blowdown removal trip on this easy trail, but after Irene swept through I found that a bulldozer might be a more appropriate tool than a bowsaw.

The water level had dropped enough so that I could hop across Pine Island Brook near the start of the trail. Even along this secondary channel, uprooted trees were strewn along the banks.

And thick drifts of sand had been deposited in the woods.

The first 0.1 mi. of the trail was OK, but when I reached the spot where it came close to the river, and had been sandy from previous overflows, I found that things had changed rather dramatically, starting with a newly opened view upstream to SW Twin.

For some distance beyond this point, the trail was....gone. This surviving blaze tree marked the start of the first section that was washed away.

Across the river, I could see that the riverbank was severely gouged and undercut.

More sand-drifts in the forest.

As I bushwhacked north through the mangled woods behind the former trail location, I edged carefully out for another newly revealed vista, downstream to Black Mountain.

"End of Trail."

Torn roots along the new riverbank.

The middle section of the trail was farther back from the river and was in good shape, until the spot where it swings back out towards the normally dry, rocky overflow channel at the north end of "Pine Island." The tree destruction here was stunning.

This is the route of the trail.

Where the overflow channel comes off the main river, the storm surge had created a huge pile of rocks. The water flow of the channel is now confined to a narrow trough along the northern edge.

The path of Irene's destruction, overlooked by trailless "Peak 2675."

From the edge of the overflow channel, a nice view upstream to West Bond and Bondcliff.

North of the overflow channel, the trail was again obliterated. The spruces it led through were gone; there were now hardwoods along the relocated riverbank. I worked out through the mess to the edge for a view of Owl's Head.

"End of Trail, Part II."

The northern 0.1 mi. or so of the trail lives on, as it was away from the full force of the raging river.

At another rocky overflow channel near the north end of the Pine Island Trail, there was now a new sandbar.

For the return walk I followed the gravel road known as the Pemi East Side Trail. Long sections of this were severely gullied by the storm, and a culvert at the base of a steep hill was blown out by a small brook, leaving a gaping cut in the road.

The culvert had been pushed 50 ft. or so downstream.

A new view across the river had been opened farther back along the East Side Trail. The landscape and riverscape have a new look at Lincoln Woods, post-Irene, and the Pine Island Trail will continue to exist only if major relocations can be made to replace the sections that now reside in the East Branch.

2011-09-02T21:39:00.037-04:00

NORTH COUNTRY TOUR: 8/24/11

Carol and I hadn't been up to the North Country of NH in a couple of years, time for a visit. With a drive that long, we try to make a full day of it!

We took Rt. 3 up to Colebrook, then headed off on Rt. 145, the hilly back road to Pittsburg. Along the way we stopped for a look at Beaver Brook Falls, which was beautiful even with low water flow.

Footpaths run up to the base of the falls on either side for a closer look.

We continued on to Pittsburg. turned R on Rt. 3, and drove up to the dam at the bottom of Second Connecticut Lake. Our main objective for the day was a hike on the new Falls in the River Trail, which was opened by the Cohos Trail Association just last year. This hike was highly recommended by our friends Joanne and Kevin Jones. The trailhead at the dam is well-marked, with plenty of room for parking.

This trail is a gem! It follows along the Connecticut River through nice conifer woods with a mostly smooth footbed and only a few steeper pitches and rough stretches. There are several spots where you can obtain good views of the river.

A typical section of the Falls in the River Trail.

This was my favorite spot on the trail, where the placid river is fringed with picturesque meadows and wetlands.

Several folks were fly-fishing at the edge of a backwater - a classic North Country scene.

At 1.4 mi. we arrived at the Falls in the River - a cascade and gorge with some great ledges to hang out on. This is a fine destination for a short hike, and could be combined with other short hikes in the Pittburg area such as Magalloway Mountain, Garfield Falls, and Second Connecticut Lake.

Looking downstream into the gorge.

The river gathers steam as it approaches the falls.

Carol headed back while I continued another 0.7 mi. south on the Falls in the River Trail, which runs along a ridge high above the river, passing the "King Pine" shown below, then comes back down next to it and eventually crosses Big Brook on a bridge and rises to meet the Moose Alley Trail. A R turn on Moose Alley leads to a trailhead on Rt. 3 in just 0.1 mi. This is a shorter approach to the falls, but the longer approach from Second Connecticut Lake is more scenic.

On the way back I found another gorgeous view of the river on a short side path.

From Second Connecticut Lake we drove up the remote Moose Alley stretch of Route 3 to the border crossing. The border station was under construction, but there was a marked area for parking on the R for hikers heading to Fourth Connecticut Lake.

I did this neat hike the last time we came to Pittsburg. Today I had other hike plans, so I only went up to check out the trailhead, which is across the road just past the border station.

On the way back south we stopped by the lovely, undeveloped Third Connecticut Lake, whose western and southern shores are part of a Natural Area owned by the State of NH.

Next stop, Dixville Notch! After a long drive down Rt. 3 and across Rt. 26, we arrived at the entrance to the Balsams Hotel.

Right by the entrance is the trailhead for the short, steep and scenic Sanguinary Ridge Trail. I hadn't been on this trail in a few years, and wanted to check its condition. Carol stayed at the car with a good book.

After 0.2 mi. on a steep, switchbacking climb, I emerged in the open amidst the weird landscape of Dixville Notch.

The crag known as Table Rock looms across the Notch.

Looking west out of the Notch to Lake Gloriette.

This spire is known as Index Rock.

The trail heads up a steep, open scree slope, over rock steps recently built by the North Woods Stewardship Center.

Looking back down at Index Rock.

Higher up I emerged on a perch where I could wave to Carol down below; our car is the one on the R.

This ledge is appropriately known as "Balsams View." The peak behind the hotel is Abeniki Mountain, which is accessible by one of the Balsams' own hiking paths.

I climbed up to the Cohos Trail junction at the height-of-land on Sanguniary Mountain and went another quarter-mile down Sanguinary Ridge Trail, but turned back before reaching the next outlook as the evening was getting on and I had two more short hikes to cover. The tricky spot shown below was near the bottom of the descent back to the car.

Next we drove through Dixville Notch and down to a wayside area at the east end, where the Huntington Cascade Trail begins, leading to the Three Brothers Trail and, eventually, Table Rock. I wanted to check out the trail along the cascades, as a hiker had taken a serious fall into the gorge early this summer, and a difficult technical rescue ensued.

An easy walk led to the lower cascade, obviously in low, pre-Irene flow.

The trail then climbs steeply parallel to the brook. It's hard to get a good look at the high, thin upper cascade, which falls into a very steep and deep gorge. The trail itself is not overly close to the edge save for one narrow spot, but there is very dangerous terrain close by. Caution is certainly advised in this section. I followed the trail up to where it crosses the brook above the cascades and becomes the Three Brothers Trail, then hustled back to the car. One more drive and short hike to go!

We drove across Rt. 26 to Errol, then north for 7 miles on Rt. 16 to this short graded, and wheelchair accessible trail on the Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge. Didn't even know this existed until I saw it on John "1HappyHiker" Compton's blog. I set off as dusk was drawing on. It was an easy, flat walk of just 0.3 mi.

At trail's end was a covered wildlife viewing platform.

Not much to see in near-darkness, but it was a very peaceful spot with an insect chorus chirping in the background. Would like to return here in daylight next time we're up this way. It was a long drive home to Lincoln in the dark. Curiously, in 280 miles of driving through the North Country, we saw nary a moose.

2011-08-30T21:40:00.014-04:00

GALE RIVER TRAIL: 8/23/11

Took a hike partway up Gale River Trail to walk and measure the major new relocation that keeps the trail on the west side of the Gale River, North Branch, thus avoiding two major crossings.

The first crossing was at 1.7 mi. from the trailhead. The relocation starts about 50 yards before that.

Newly cut relos make for soft walking and easy wheel-measuring, with fewer rocks and roots than old, eroded paths.

Some nice sidecut work leading to the crossing of Garfield Stream.

The crossing of Garfield Stream - which flows down through the valley between Garfield Ridge, Mt. Garfield and Flat Top Mountain,- is much easier than those of the Gale's North Branch.

Good cribbing/step work.

This happened to be the day that the relocation was officially opened - in fact I had to hunt for it a bit on the lower end as the last 20 feet hadn't been cut through yet. These two hikers, Kim and Michele Vecchione (forgot to get their hometown) were the first "guests" on the new section.

The justly proud trail crew from the Pemi Ranger District: L to R, longtime crew member Glenn Spencer; Trails Manager Jenny Burnett; and volunteer extraordinaire Giff Kriebel, who is well-known to adopters on the Pemi. Some two months of work last fall and this summer went into the construction of this 1.1 mile long relocation, one of the longest in recent memory. The Gale River Trail is now 0.1 mile longer. As it turned out, this project was timely - the old route of the Gale River Trail along the east bank may well have been partly obliterated by the surging flood waters of Tropical Storm Irene.

This informational sign was posted at either end of the new relo.

From the upper end of the relo, I continued a half-mile farther to the spot where the trail comes out on an open gravel bank at the base of an old slide. This is a nice lunch spot, which is what I used it for.

Here you get a view down to the river and up to the high ridges of the Twins.

Looking up to a high, wild spur of North Twin. This is a neat, secluded little valley, and there is some interesting bushwhacking to be found on either side. No time for that today, though. It was a pleasure walking back over the nice new trail bed. Galehead-bound hikers will appreciate it!