NORTH RIDGE OF MIDDLE SISTER: 3/6/18

Mark Klim and I bushwhacked up the northern spur ridge of Middle Sister to a sunny view ledge. Off-trail snow conditions were excellent, providing some of the best snowshoeing of the season, and the views were crystal-clear.

The snow bridge over Twin Brook at the start of Champney Falls Trail was still holding up.

A beautiful late winter day in the Champney Brook valley.

Squirrel convention.

Champney Brook above the falls.

View from a brookside ledge above the falls: Mt. Carrigain, Vose Spur, Owls Cliff, Mt. Tremont.

Heading up the ridge on firm snow with a soft layer on top.

Snowshoe hare.

Bobcat?

A happy snowshoer.

Nice woods.

One area had a dozen or more moose scrapings.

Typical varied woods along the ridge.

Blue sky and bright March sun.

A wandering grouse.

Mt. Washington and Mt. Monroe.

This area was burned in a 1915 fire, and the birches that grew in afterwards are now dying off.

A peek at Mt. Willey and Mt. Field with Bartlett Haystack in front.

A nice open corridor higher up on the ridge.

The final push to the ledge through deeper, sugary snow and denser woods.

Sandwich Range view from just above the ledge, elevation 2800+ ft.

Mark makes his way down to a sitting rock.

The Sandwich Range 4000-footers.

Mts. Paugus, Whiteface and Passaconaway.

Mt. Tripyramid and ledges on a northern spur of Mt. Paugus.

The Hancocks and Mt. Carrigain across the Albany Intervale.

A jumble of peaks to the east of Carrigain.

Mark takes it all in.

Side view of the ledge.

Parting panorama. The first time I visited this ledge a decade ago I continued snowshoe-whacking up the steep upper ridge to Middle Sister, but today we decided to just stay here and enjoy the sun and the views for an hour and a half.

An opening along the ridge reveals the Presidentials from Eisenhower to Madison. All told, we spotted 26 4000-footers from our vantage points.

Great snowshoeing heading back down the ridge.

Enjoying the late afternoon sun.

Ledges at the top of Champney Falls.