An afternoon/evening ramble exploring wetlands along Chickenboro Brook
at the base of the Campton Range, followed by a climb to a ridgetop
viewpoint and descent through an interesting valley.
Spring greens along Chickenboro Road (FR 206).
One of many stone walls from the Chickenboro hill farm days of the mid-1800s.
Big white pines.
Meadows fringing Chickenboro Brook.
Stony meander.
Desolate.
A large shrubby wetland area with lots o' ticks.
Beaver pond reflection.
Old beaver lodge.
Leather-leaf, a common wetland shrub, in bloom.
Moose bones?
Not sure why or when these wooden slats were placed in the brookbed.
Stillwater.
A rare patch of blue on a cloudy, windy day.
A pleasant wooded section of the brook.
Approaching the larger beaver pond near the head of the brook.
A freshly reinforced beaver dam.
Peaceful.
View of Mt. Weetamoo from the shrub-meadow at the far end of the beaver pond.
Inlet brook.
Red trilliums beside the inlet brook.
Rocky jumble.
A carpet of bellworts on the forest floor.
Lichen-crusted.
Spring foliage is like a green mist in the hardwoods.
Up on the ridge, a ledge with a view across the Chickenboro Brook valley to Mt. Weetamoo.
Wider view.
Picturesque sky over the NE ridge of Mt. Weetamoo.
Shadbush in flower and the NW ridge of Mt. Weetamoo.
Sun-streaked col on the NE ridge.
Hardwood whacking along the ridge.
Beeches on the ridgecrest.
A good-sized black cherry.
A secluded hardwood cove just below the ridgecrest. From here I followed a valley down to Sandwich Notch Road.
Descending in late afternoon sun.
A seldom-seen rock face in the forest.
On a hidden plateau I came across one of the largest yellow birches I've ever seen.
Awesome tree.
Side view.
I wondered if this could be a tiny patch of old growth forest.
Cascades on the brook running down through the valley.
Stream vignette. This little range is filled with surprises.
Roadblock on Sandwich Notch Road.
Wetland bordering Atwood Pond.
Atwood Pond.
Sandwich Dome from the fields along Sandwich Notch Road.
Dickey and Welch.
Looks like a great hike. Will check it out. We’re in N Sandwich now, so need to find out if Notch rd yet open. Hope all’s well.
ReplyDeleteHi Peter,
DeleteHaven't seen any reports of the Notch road opening. The sign at the barrier said to call the town of Sandwich for info. That little Campton Range is quite an interesting area!