SPRING PERFECTION ON DICKEY MOUNTAIN: 4/14/09

On a crisp sunny day John Compton and I enjoyed a leisurely hike up Dickey Mountain, one of the classic April hikes that melts off early in the season. Conditions: bare, dry ground in the hardwoods, mostly dry on the granite ledges with a few wet but grippy spots, and patches of ice and old hard snow in the spruce woods between the ledges and at the wooded summit area. On these we picked our way carefully, and a couple of stretches required Stabilicers on the way up.

Our main objective was the vast open ledge 0.2 mile north of the summit, one of the great hangout spots in the mountains. We found the sketchy but followable route to the ledge, starting down on the east side of Dickey just before the trail turns right to drop to the col with Welch. The meandering "path" stays on open ledge the whole way out to the slab, with minimal impact on vegetation. We spent 2+ hours on this football-field sized slab, wandering around to take in views from various angles. There are great perspectives on Moosilauke, Kinsman Ridge, the Franconias, the wild southern spurs of Tecumseh (Green, Hogback, Fisher), and the Sandwich Range.

A lower perch looked down into the broad basin on the NE side of Dickey.

It was hard to leave. On the way down, we stopped to check out the mysterious circle carved into a ledge just above the big lower slab. What, or who, created this?

EAGLE LEDGE: 4/9/09

Eagle Ledge is the last southern outpost of the Moat Range, a 250-ft. cliff facing SE that is well-known to rock climbers. Several pages are devoted to it in Ed Webster's climbing guide. After abandoning a trek on the Carter Ledge Trail due to mushy snow and standing water, I drove up Passaconaway (formerly Dugway) Road 3/4 mile west of the new South Moat trailhead. The whack to the top of Eagle Ledge was 98% bare ground from the start through dry oak, pine and hemlock woods. I circled around the W side through some steep, rocky terrain and emerged on ledges with a stellar view of Mt. Chocorua and the Third Sister.

Just above here I peered across at the impressive main cliff. I watched a pair of circling ravens who apparently have a nest under an overhang. This was especially interesting as I am currently reading naturalist Bernd Heinrich's "Ravens in Winter" with "Mind of the Raven" on deck. They have an amazing variety of calls. From the top of the main cliff the views stretched east to the Green Hills and Pleasant Mountain.

At the top of the shoulder was a big, gently sloping granite slab where someone had built a rock windbreak, complete with flat slabs for backrests. This spot proved irresistible for a long nap in the spring sun.

BARE GROUND ON THE BENTON RANGE: 4/2/09

After dealing with some mushy snow on Tuesday, the search was on for bare ground. I had a hunch the hardwood-clad west slopes of the Benton Range might fit the bill, and it paid off with a fine bushwhack to The Hogsback. The Lime Kiln Road was a muddy rutted mess in places, but the road in to the west end of Blueberry Mountain Trail was better and parking was fine. The field and woods at the trailhead were bare! Walked the first half mile of the Blueberry trail,, which follows a lovely old farm road. And then, bare hardwoods, all the way up the slope. Along the way I traversed several areas that were logged maybe 25 years ago, with new flagging perhaps marking future cuts. I found a portal of uncut woods leading up between two big old clearcuts. Then I negotiated a large selectively cut area that was a bit brushy and brambly but not bad. Above 2300 ft. was a beautiful open forest dominated by maples, a whacker's dream.


I angled up to the col between Hogsback and Jeffers, with 98% of my steps to this point on bare ground. Followed a rough and frequently obstructed herd path N along the crest, with a fair amount of ice and a bit of snow. Getting to the great open viewing ledges on The Hogsback (which are a bit S of the actual 2810-ft. summit) required some manuevering through dense spruces and scrambling up sharp-edged quartzite ledges.

Those of you who have been there know that this upthrust ledge is one of the finest viewing perches around. Cardigan and Sunapee are to the south, Smarts and Cube to the SW. The western sweep is vast, taking in the Green Mountains from Stratton to Mansfield beyond the Connecticut River valley. Ledgy Sugarloaf, a pergerine falcon nesting site last year, is close by to the NW. The Nash Stream Range, Pilots, Cabot and Waumbek can be seen far off to the north. To the NE, the Kinsmans and Franconias rise beyond sprawling Long Pond.

Moosilauke is a giant presence to the southeast.

It's the kind of place you can linger for hours on a sunny day, which I did.