SANDWICH NOTCH & BLACK MOUNTAIN: 11/14/16

A gorgeous November day for an interesting bushwhack ramble on the north side of Sandwich Notch. There's always something interesting to see in this quiet corner of the Whites.

Before the Sandwich Notch Road ducks into the woods, it passes this field with a great view of the sprawling ridges of Sandwich Dome.

An even wider view.

I parked up near Atwood Pond and followed an unofficial path down to a great ledge on the shore.

Looking towards part of the ridge I would soon be ascending.

Strolling along the historic Sandwich Notch Road, which dates back to 1801.

The first objective of my bushwhack was a cliff right above the road, on the north side.

Here I found a view of East Weetamoo and Upper Hall Pond.

Some ancient spruces graced the woods behind the cliff.

I headed NW up the ridge through open spruce woods at first....

...and then wide-open hardwoods that almost had the look of old pastureland, though I saw no stone walls here.

A very large white ash, I believe.

A fern meadow surrounded by spruces.

Another angle on this unusual opening in the forest.

This open glade of sugar maple and white ash seems a likely spot to find Dutchman's Breeches in the spring.

Hardwoods adorn this mini-summit.

This was a nice spot for a break.

Beautiful open woods atop the flat southwestern spur of Black Mountain.

A grassy ridgetop meadow.

Looking south to East Weetamoo.

A great time of year for hardwood whacking, heading for the Algonquin Trail.

I continued for some distance through open spruce woods on a spacious plateau.

I crossed a random ledge shortly before reaching the Algonquin Trail.

A steep and rocky pitch on the Algonquin Trail.

A sunny ledge perch near the trailless summit of 2732-ft. Black Mountain.

Looking out to the Ossipee Range and Mount Israel.

The bulky mass of the SW shoulder of Sandwich Dome, also known as Black Mountain. The summit of the Dome peers over on the left.

A nice sweep of wild country at your feet.

The Squam Range and the Weetamoo peaks.

Sachem Peak from the north side of Black Mountain.

The Osceolas.

Nice spruce-woods section descending the Algonquin Trail.

Looking back up the Algonquin Trail.

A thick carpet of dry fluffy leaves made for slow going on the descent.

Beaver meadow along the Algonquin Trail.

A stone wall along the historic Old North Road, dating back to the Sandwich Notch settlement of the early1800s. There are dozens of such historic sites in Sandwich Notch that are described in a booklet published by the Sandwich Historical Society, which can be purchased at http://www.sandwichhistorical.org/excursions-61---70.html. The Sandwich Notch publication is the 69th Excursion, 1988. A previous version was published in the 16th Excursion, 1935.

Possibly an old barn foundation.

A remnant of the Old North Road, which ran from Sandwich Notch Road near the height-of-land past Guinea Pond to Mount Israel Road. The Sandwich Notch community was mostly abandoned by the time of the Civil War. For more images of historic sites in Sandwich Notch, visit photographer Erin Paul Donovan's gallery.