Mountain Wandering

MOUNT ISRAEL: 8/24/16

My brother Drew was up at AMC's Three Mile Island Camp on Lake Winnipesaukee, and we hadn't hiked together for almost a year, so we rendezvoused in Holderness and headed up to Sandwich Notch for a hike up 2630-ft. Mount Israel via the Guinea Pond and Mead Trails. Joining us was Stacie Funt, an AMC member from Long Island, who was also staying at Three Mile. It was an interesting hike with great views and a bit of added excitement.

Drew drove us up the Sandwich Notch Road from Center Sandwich to the Guinea Pond trailhead parking on Beebe River Road. Beyond the Sandwich Town Park the road was very rough, especially the short paved sections, as bad as I've seen it. Not recommended for low-clearance vehicles!

Early on, the Guinea Pond Trail crosses a powerline built in the late 1950s. We crossed it again on the Mead Trail.

Heading into the extensive wetlands along the Guinea Pond Trail, following the grade of the old Beebe River Logging Railroad (1917-1942).

Sprawling Sandwich Dome seen across a beaver swamp. The new bypass created last year around a sometimes-flooded spot on the trail was not needed today, as this stretch was bone dry.

The looming SE spur of Sandwich Dome.

Stacie and Drew getting ready to head up the Mead Trail. Five minutes earlier, we heard a rustling in the woods and then saw a bear cub scampering up a tree trunk. We hustled out of the area before momma made an appearance.

The Mead Trail passes between these twin white ash trees.

Snack break at a brook crossing halfway up the pleasant Mead Trail. A quiet spot deep in the forest.

Pileateds at work.

Lush greenery.

The uppermost section of the Mead Trail climbs through spruce forest. Right above here I took a bee sting in the arm.

Trail junction just below the summit.

Summit smiles!

Israel's ledges are a premier lunch spot.

One of the best views of the Sandwich Range high peaks.

Paugus and Chocorua off to the northeast.

Massive Sandwich Dome, front and center.

Mount Moosilauke to the northwest, beyond the upper Beebe River drainage.

A peaceful scene along the Beebe River, a short way in on the Black Mountain Pond Trail.

On the way home I took a short walk in on the Col Trail below the Rattlesnakes to visit this beaver pond with a peek at the Squam Range. Here I saw a Great Blue Heron, a group of young mergansers, Cedar Waxwings, and a pair of fly-catching Eastern Phoebes.

BLUEBERRY MOUNTAIN (BENTON): 8/30/16

I took a morning hike up this nice ledgy peak in the Benton Range via the longer western approach to check the trail configuration after several years of logging. The lower part of the trail is certainly less attractive, but it's still an interesting and rewarding hike.

Parking is on a side road off Page Road, which is itself off of Lime Kiln Road at the western base of the mountain. The distance to the summit on this sign is short by 0.6 mile.

The lower mile is on wide logging roads, with a right turn here at the half-mile mark.

There are several old stone walls along the lower mile and a half.

A drainage dip on the logging road.

Oak woods were thinned out here.

A key turn a mile in, where the trail turns left off the road into the woods at a three-way fork. Look for the yellow blaze.

One of several large clearcuts near the trail, extending up to 2100 ft. There are wooded buffers along the trail of varying widths.

Above the cuts the trail climbs through fine spruce forest.

Ledgy, scrubby terrain typifies the broad crest of Blueberry.

Nice ledgy climbing.

First view back to the west, with fog draping the Connecticut River valley.

Cairn art.

Vermont's Signal Mountain Range on the horizon. All five of the Vermont 4000-footers were also visible.

Black Mountain.

Next to this furrowed boulder an unsigned path climbs a short way to the true summit of Blueberry, where there are restricted views.

Mount Moosilauke over the trees from the summit.

Iron pins and an etched triangle mark this as a survey station of the U.S. Coast Survey in the 1870s.

Heading a little way down the east side of the crest through neat shrubby terrain. Moses Sweetser wrote about Blueberry in his late 1800s guidebook, The White Mountains: A Handbook for Travellers: "For about 1 M. from the summit the mountain is free from trees and is covered with alternate bands of carpet-like moss and granite ledges moderately inclined. The work of ascent and exploration is thus rendered easy and pleasant."

Smarts Mountain and Mount Cube beyond Mount Mist and Webster Slide Mountain.

The wonderful Moosilauke view ledge. Afternoon is a better time to admire this vista.

A closer view.

The summer breezes sigh through the many red pines on Blueberry.

Carr Mountain in the distance.

A quartz dike in the granite.

The ledgy northern peaks of the Benton Range: Sugarloaf, Black and The Hogsback. These are primarily composed of tough, erosion-resistant quartzite.

The fog has dissipated to reveal wide western vistas.

Back down through the mossy conifers.

The lower half-mile, once an old farm road, is shaded by towering oaks.

Out in a privately owned field by the trailhead, I spotted a mother bear and two cubs.

When a car drove by on nearby Page Road, momma rose up to check it out. She did the same when I started my car, and then the three of them took off on a run into the woods.

A PAIR OF MORNING HIKES

It was great to get out on two recent beautiful mornings...

EAST PONDS LOOP: 9/2/16

A fun morning hike to East Pond and Little East Pond with my brother Drew and my nephew Mike, visiting from Connecticut and Brooklyn, respectively. This is a very pleasant 5-mile loop with 1000 ft. of elevation gain.

Drew and Mike at East Pond on a cool, breezy morning, after a pretty mellow 1.4 mile climb.

Beams from a dam built for the Tripoli Mill operation (1910-1916) of the Livermore Tripoli Co., which dredged diatomaceous earth, or tripoli, from the bottom of East Pond and processed it at a mill down by the junction of the East Pond and Little East Pond Trails. There is lots of interesting information on this operation at http://whitemountainhistory.org/Livermore_Tripoli_Co.html

Looking across at East Scar Ridge and the deep gap through which the trail passes en route to the Kancamagus Highway.

Geocaching!

Dark woods along the East Pond Loop, an enjoyable 1.5 mile meander between East Pond and Little East Pond.

Ferns and birches along the East Pond Loop.

Mike lines up a ferny shot.

The dry summer has lowered the shoreline at Little East Pond.

Mike and Drew at Little East Pond.

View across Little East Pond to several peaks of Scar Ridge. I love the wild aura of this shallow little water body, tucked into a high pocket at 2600 ft.

Strolling through tall hardwoods along the old railroad grade section of Little East Pond Trail.

A foundation at the Tripoli Mill site.

Found it!

WELCH MOUNTAIN: 9/4/16

A perfect early morning for hiking a ledgy peak before a busy day at the store. On the trail at 6:45 am with only one other car in the big Welch-Dickey parking lot.

Arriving at the south ledges of Welch. The trail corridor is delineated by the logs.

Looking back at the Dickey Cliff.

Up the Mad River Valley to the Tripyramids and Sleepers.

Looking up to the top of Welch.

Jack Pine, a northern species that in the White Mountains is found only on Welch (but not Dickey) and a handful of other locations such as Chocorua's Carter Ledge and the Webster Cliffs. It grows on poor rocky soils, often taking over in an area that has been burned due to its fire-resistant cones. It's believed that there was a major fire on the southern spurs of Mt. Tecumseh - including Welch and Dickey -in 1820.

Ledges along the trail.

The big granite slab on the south slope of Welch.

South to the Campton Range.

Peering into the sun towards Sandwich Dome.

Carr, Kineo and Cushman behind Cone Mountain and the Dickey Cliff.

The trail squeezes through this crevice.

The upper part of the climb leads up over vast sheets of granite.

Along the upper ledges.

A corridor through the scrub.

At the mostly bare summit.

Dickey Mountain behind the topmost summit ledge of Welch.

Looking west across the Welch-Dickey bowl. Mount Moosilauke is in the distance on the right.

I saw no one on the climb until I met this fellow who had camped on the summit and was heading out to do the loop over Dickey. After I posted this photo on the store Facebook page, there was a message from Tom Groleau: "That's me."

The Sandwich Range in silhouette.

North to the wild spur ridges of the Tecumseh Range.

Heading back down the ledges.

Nice hemlock forest on the lower slope of Welch. On the way down I encountered a total of 62 people and 14 dogs, and more hikers were pouring into the parking lot.

THE HEART OF THE MAHOOSUCS: 9/7/16

A long day (and evening) traversing Mt. Carlo, the three peaks of Goose Eye Mountain, and Fulling Mill Mountain with my friend Mark Klim. This section of the Mahoosuc Trail offers some of the most rugged terrain and beautiful scenery in the Whites. Along the way we checked out several recent relocations made by the AMC trail crew.

Mark drove us up the bone-rattling Success Pond Road out of Berlin in his pickup, and we set off up the Carlo Col Trail at 9:00 am. The first 0.7 mile is up a logging road used to clearcut much of the area a few years ago by a "timber liquidator." Since then some 4,700 acres on this western side of the Mahoosucs have come into public ownership and is now managed by the White Mountain National Forest.

Carlo Col Trail is quite pleasant after it goes into the woods. Here Mark ascends some good log steps built by the AMC trail crew.

A birch glade higher up the slope.

A short ladder on a relocation constructed in 2014, which took the trail out of an eroded brookbed.

New trail signs where the relocation meets the old route, just above Carlo Col Shelter.

Any thru-hikers who had spent the night here were long gone.

Next up was a short climb to the Mahoosuc Trail and then the moderate ascent of Mt. Carlo, which has a benchmark at the top.

Bear Mountain in the nearly unknown Eastern Mahoosucs, from the summit of Mt. Carlo.
Its highest summit is known as a fine viewpoint, but is not easy to get to.

The first of many subalpine meadows we would traverse this day, this one on the top of Mt. Carlo.

Goose Eye from a scrub meadow on a northern shoulder of Mt. Carlo.

Starting the ascent of Goose Eye after a tedious series of wet, slippery ledge slabs descending Carlo, we enjoyed an uncharacteristically mellow stretch of the Mahoosuc Trail.

The summit of Goose Eye looms above an open shoulder.

Typical Mahoosuc Range slabs, drier on this south-facing slope.

The East Peak of Goose Eye looms ahead on the right.

First scramble on a very steep pitch up to the summit ridge of Goose Eye.

Southbound AT hiker "Fine Line" descends a set of iron rungs set in a near-vertical ledge.

In 2011 I was perhaps the first hiker to ascend these rungs after an AMC trail crew member had just applied the finishing touches and told me the epoxy was dry.

I'd rather go up them than down.

A scramble just above the rungs...

...leads to a lofty, sturdy ladder.

View from the top.

Heading over to the summit of Goose Eye, we chatted with northbound thru-hiker "Big Country," a Southern lad who had started in Georgia on May 17 and was making good time.

Arriving at the summit of Goose Eye. The Kilkenny mountains are in the distance.

Looking over to the East Peak (R) and North Peak (L) of Goose Eye and the largely open ridge between them. There are two new relocations on this ridge that I wanted to check.

Looking north to the ominous Mahoosuc Notch, with Mahoosuc Arm and Old Speck beyond.

Goose Eye's summit is one of the best.

Looking southeast.

Next up: the East Peak.

The wonderful Wright Trail comes up from the east in the col between the main summit and East Peak.

The climb to East Peak is short but amply steep.

Atop the East Peak, looking north along the ridge.

Looking back at the sharp main summit.

We knew it would mean a late exit, but we couldn't resist this inviting traverse.

Looking down the cirque-like valley of Goose Eye Brook to Sunday River Whitecap.

This was a tough down-scramble.

Lowering clouds to the east.

A remarkable series of wooden walkways built by the AMC trail crew a few years ago.

More ladders.

A nasty wet slab.

Out to the subalpine meadows!

Looking west past the main summit.

A new relocation brings the trail out to the western edge of the ridge for a view down a hidden valley.

It was like walking the Crawford Path without the crowds.

Looking back to the rather daunting East Peak.

New AMC-built bog bridges.

The East Peak and main summit recede into the distance.

A new relocated bit of trail atop the North Peak.

Looking ahead to rounded Fulling Mill Mountain, our next objective. Streaming clouds have smothered Old Speck and Mahoosuc Arm.

The Mahoosuc Trail passes over the south summit of Fulling Mill, seen as a little ledgy spot to the right of center, above a curving drainage.

Gotta love the Mahoosucs!

More meadows descending the north side of North Goose Eye.

Bog bridges made on the spot.

Down we go.

Hanging out with thru-hikers at Full Goose Shelter. The spring behind the shelter was running - a lifesaver on this humid and strenuous day.

It was after 6:00 pm, and we hoped to make it to the Notch Trail before dark.

Last climb of the day, up Fulling Mill.

Evening sun lights the ledge on the south summit, a fine viewpoint.

North Goose Eye is revealed.

The sun and swirling clouds produced a first for us: the Brocken Spectre.

According to Wikipedia, "A Brocken spectre (German Brockengespenst), also called Brocken bow or mountain spectre, is the apparently enormous and magnified shadow of an observer, cast upon the upper surfaces of clouds opposite the sun."

That's my shadow in the middle. The phenomenon appeared and disappeared a couple of times during our ten-minute stay.

Crossing meadows on the broad crest of Fulling Mill.

Time had gotten away from us between negotiating the many slippery ledges, talking with thru-hikers and enjoying the views. We moved as quickly as we could down the steep 1000-ft. drop off Fulling Mill, aiming to get down to the mellow Notch Trail before resorting to headlamps.

Sunset from somewhere on the side of Fulling Mill. We barely made it down to the junction by daylight, then walked the 2 miles on the Notch Trail and 3.3 miles along roads back to the Carlo Col trailhead by headlamp. After the trudge along the roads we reached Mark's truck at 10:30 pm. It was a memorable day and evening!

PONDICHERRY JOURNEYS

Over the last few days I've enjoyed two hikes into the interesting and scenic Pondicherry region on the northern edge of the White Mountains. On Friday afternoon, 9/10, I wandered the various lowland trails in Pondicherry National Wildlife Refuge, with visits to Cherry Pond and Little Cherry Pond. On Tuesday, 9/13 I climbed the nearby peaks of Owl's Head and Mount Martha, the two principal peaks of sprawling Cherry Mountain. This mountain was originally called Pondicherry Mtn., a name which appeared on the charter map for nearby Bretton Woods in 1772, in Jeremy Belknap’s journal of a 1784 tour through the White Mountains, and in several other sources. Pondicherry was the capital of French India and historians have speculated that the name was applied by French explorers venturing down from Canada. In 1963 the name was also applied to the wildlife refuge when it was first created.

1) PONDICHERRY WILDLIFE REFUGE, 9/9/16

I spent the late afternoon and evening wandering around the trails of the Pondicherry Division of Silvio O. Conte National Wildlife Refuge. These easygoing trails around Cherry and Little Cherry Ponds offer striking mountain views, unusual wildlife, and a variety of wetlands and forests.

This trail map is posted at the trailhead parking area off Airport/Hazen Road.

The excellent Pondicherry trail map by Wilderness Map Co. shows a "state champion" white spruce tree in about this location.

The Pondicherry Rail Trail reaches Cherry Pond in 1.5 miles of easy railroad bed walking.

Asters and goldenrod bloom in abundance here in late summer.

The viewing platform at Cherry Pond is dedicated to legendary NH ornithologist and naturalist Tudor Richards, who was instrumental in creating the refuge.

The viewing platform, a popular birding location. More than 230 bird species have been recorded on the refuge, which has been designated as an Important Bird Area.

Long view across to the Pliny Range.

Cherry Pond has long been famous for its watery vistas of the Presidential Range.

A restful spot along the Shore Path.

Owl's Head and Cherry Mountain.

Another angle on the Presys. There were Wood Ducks and a Common Loon out on the pond, and Belted Kingfishers were rattling around.

This trail, a short link in the Cohos Trail, follows an "ice push rampart" along the shore of Cherry Pond and adjacent wetlands. This is a low berm pushed up on the shore by expanding ice, over thousands of years.

A bench along the Ice Ramparts Trail offers this view of Owl's Head/Cherry.

This large black cherry, perhaps another champion tree shown on the map, is near the junction of the Ice Ramparts and Colonel Whipple Trails.

Mt. Washington finally breaks free from its cloud cap.

Viewing platform at Little Cherry Pond, where the evening sun was glaring across the water. Saw a Double-Crested Cormorant here.

This place has a real primeval aura when the ducks and frogs are squawking.

An unusual geocache near the Little Cherry Pond Trail. As I was signing in I heard a tapping overhead, and looked up to see a Black-backed Woodpecker, a "northern specialty" of the boreal forest.

Alpenglow on the Presys.

Dusk at Moorhen Marsh, a half-mile up the Presidential Rail Trail.

2) OWL'S HEAD & MOUNT MARTHA, 9/13/16

On a gorgeous late summer day with low humidity, I made a long-overdue return to the spectacular ledges on Owl's Head, the northern spur of Cherry Mountain. And a ramble along Martha's Mile to Mount Martha is always a delight.

Owl's Head Trail is well-maintained by the Randolph Mountain Club. It leaves from a good parking area off Rt. 115.

After an initial somewhat mucky meandering lower section, rerouted twice since 2000 due to landowner issues, it follows an old logging road through young hardwoods to a crossing of Stanley Slide Brook, named for the massive 1885 landslide that crashed down the slope and killed a farmhand named Walker. The slide received wide coverage in the media.

Just above the crossing the trail enters the WMNF and climbs through a fine hardwood forest.

It gets down to business and goes up 1600 ft. in the upper 1.3 miles. This is the last pitch before it gains a northwestern ridge.

View to the Northeast Kingdom from the true summit.

Approaching the ledges just down on the SW side.

Vast western horizons.

Perhaps the best end-to-end view of the Presidentials anywhere, seen beyond the wild little Walker Valley, "The Humps" and the Dartmouth Range.

Mount Chocorua through Crawford Notch.

Oh yeah!

Looking NE to the distant Crescent and Mahoosuc Ranges.

Zoomed.

Great ledges! There are few better spots to hang out in the sun for a while.

Mount Martha looms close by to the south.

Nice new sign as Martha's Mile makes a short, steep drop off the ledges.

A typical open forest scene along the wonderful Martha's Mile, admirably maintained by John "1HappyHiker" Compton.

An impressively gnarled old white birch in the col.

A small clearing and Presidential view at the flat, brushy summit of Mount Martha. Not quite as good as Owl's Head's Presy vista.

The cleared NW vista has become quite restricted.

A beaten path leads down to a sweeping vista west and SW, best viewed while standing.

Two dozen 4000-footers can be seen from this one spot.

Liberty across to North Kinsman.

Carrigain, Hancock and Bretton Woods Ski Area.

Supports remain from the old fire tower.

Summit geocache.

I dropped down to the 90-degree turn on the Cherry Mountain Trail, where there was another new sign.

The upper part of the section leading to Cherry Mountain Road is a fine woods walk, but I didn't go far when I realized I'd left my GPS up on the summit.

Ferny footway on Martha's Mile.

Approaching from this side, these two venerable birches look like the guardians of Owl's Head.

The steep pitch up to the ledges. Tricky in winter.

The Presidentials view is better in late afternoon light.

The Northern Peaks and Mount Washington.

Washington and Monroe. The top of the Great Gulf headwall can be seen in shadow.

Before heading home, I made a short but steep and thick bushwhack down the east side of the cone to a ledge I had spotted on Google Earth.

The joke was on me, as this was the only view it offered.

Working a route back up around little cliff bands.

Lush high-elevation forest.

I wasn't totally skunked on the whack, as I chanced upon this framed vista of Mounts Starr King and Waumbek, with Mount Cabot peering over on the left. The pond is an artificial impoundment on the east side of Rt. 115A.

WILD RIVER HEADWATERS: 9/15/16

Starting from the end of Carter Notch Road in Jackson, I checked a few things out on the Bog Brook Trail and on the Wild River Trail in Perkins Notch, then bushwhacked through endless birch and hardwood glades to a large beaver meadow at the base of Carter Dome, out in the Wild River Wilderness. It was a gorgeous late summer day for rambling around this remote nook of the mountains.

Bog Brook Trail has a new trailhead and parking area on FR 233, just off the end of Carter Notch Road.

The Wildcat River was easy to cross today.

Nice spruce section on Bog Brook Trail, which has some good footing, as seen here, and some rocky and muddy footing too.

A brushy wetland along the Bog Brook Trail.

Beavers have freshly flooded the Bog Brook Trail just before its junction with Wild River Trail, necessitating a herd path/bushwhack detour around to the left.

Beaver handiwork.

Beautiful, lush hardwood-birch forest on the Wild River Trail approaching Perkins Notch.

The hobblebush-lined Wild River Trail in Perkins Notch. It feels very wild in here.

The site of the former Perkins Notch Shelter, removed in 2011. The last time I was here a WMNF archaeologist was documenting the shelter shortly before its dismantling.

There are now three tent pads on a knoll above the shelter site.

Rainbow Ridge, Carter Dome and Mount Hight from the bog by No-Ketchum Pond. This view is accessed by a well-beaten side path, not too muddy in this dry season.

The pond itself is a narrow pool of water. In 1882 AMC explorer Randall Spaulding estimated its area at 500 feet by 60 feet. Certainly it's smaller than that today. While sitting on a rock here for lunch, I watched an adult Bald Eagle soar high over Carter Dome.

The east end of the pond.

I headed back into Perkins Notch and from the lower end of the Rainbow Trail, I headed off-trail to the big beaver meadow, passing along several forest openings like this along the way.

Birches! They are abundant on this slope, growing up after a vast 1903 forest fire.

One of several moose beds I passed.

Ferns and birches.

This forest has character.

There were some open stands of spruce closer to the string of beaver ponds and meadows on the floor of the valley.

First glimpse of the meadow, Sable Mountain in the distance.

Arriving at the meadow, a gorgeous spot in the September sun. Last time I was here, in 2009, there was a fair amount of water in the meadow. My first visit here was on a snowshoe bushwhack with Creston Ruiter more than 20 years ago.

Seven years later the meadow is mostly dry, and from it I found a fine vista of the Carter Dome massif.

On that snowshoe trek we visited these ledges and others on a spur ridge of Carter Dome for dramatic views of the Wild River valley and surrounding mountains. I was tempted to whack to these ledges today, but being a bit under the weather from a bug I didn't have much ambition for climbing.

Basking in the sun on a fine sitting rock was the other option, and I took it.

The mud here was pockmarked with moose tracks.

My sunny rock perch, occupied for an hour and a half.

Great fair-weather clouds.

Early color on the forest floor.

I made use of the occasional moose path on the bushwhack. It being the start of rutting season, I was glad I didn't encounter a bull.

A shrubby wetland west of the big meadow.

A small inlet stream.

Open spruces approaching a beaver pond.

An old beaver pond.

Birches in formation.

An interesting maple. I also passed this tree back in 2009.

Gorgeous hardwood glades up on the slope above the meadows and ponds.

Nice whacking!

A giant yellow birch.

One of the beavers who flooded the Bog Brook Trail.

THE LONG WAY TO HANCOCK NOTCH: 9/20/16

On another fine sunny day I hiked from the Kanc Highway up to Hancock Notch - the broad gap between Mt. Hancock and Mt. Huntington - via the Sawyer River and Hancock Notch Trails. I wanted to check out the Tropical Storm Irene damage at the Sawyer River crossings, and also the brushing situation on the notoriously overgrown section of Hancock Notch Trail east of the Notch. Between the efforts of the Saco Ranger District trail crew and dedicated volunteers, the trail is now well-brushed all the way to the Notch. It's a fine walk, rough near the top, through some really wild country. Along the way I enjoyed some unique views from a favorite off-trail beaver pond.

Near the start the Sawyer River Trail passes this fine ledgy cascade and pool on the Swift River.

Low water at the Swift River crossing. This can be a tough one.

Fall is on the way!

Snowmobile bridge over Meadow Brook.

Bog along Meadow Brook.

Easy walking along the grade of the old Sawyer River Railroad.

Lots of wetlands through here.

Beaver pond reached by a short bushwhack off Sawyer River Trail, looking across to an eastern spur ridge of Mt. Huntington.

Reflections.

Beyond the wetlands, the trail traverses a beautiful stretch of woodlands.

Trail junction at a spot called Hayshed Field.

The Sawyer River, looking downstream.

Looking upstream to Mt. Carrigain.

Another nice spot along the river, just off this first pleasant section of Hancock Notch Trail.

Nice easy walkin'.

Part one of the two-part initial crossing of the river.

Nice color looking downstream.

Sand and stony rubble left by Irene between the two parts of this crossing.

Looking downstream from the second part of the crossing. This area was rearranged by Irene.

Recent brushing work by volunteers Bill Tarkulich and James Murray has resulted in a clear corridor. Thank you!

Major Irene damage at the second crossing of Sawyer River on Hancock Notch Trail, by the confluence with the river's south branch.

On the far side the trail scrambles up a steep slope of gravel and rock, as shown under the "V."

Washed-out bank.

Looking down from the high bank at the trail crossing.

As it climbs for a quarter mile along the major south branch of the river, the trail crosses several jumbles of Irene debris. The destruction along this remote tributary is amazing.

The trail crosses several of these rubbly areas.

Yikes!

No issues where the trail crosses the south branch.

A beaver meadow beside the trail.

The lovely beaver pond that I bushwhacked to. I'd been here several times before, but probably not for 15 or 20 years.

View of "Juno Peak" and South Hancock.

Closer look.

From the south end of the pond, I enjoyed a unique view of South Hancock (on the left) and the mountain's lofty east ridge.

The east ridge is notable for the two glacial cirques on its south side.

Two more beaver ponds are hidden away on the floor of the eastern cirque, far from any trail.

The wild hump of Juno Peak, which forms the north side of Hancock Notch.

Since the trail was in such good shape, I decided to continue up to Hancock Notch. This is the third crossing of the Sawyer River.

Wild spruce woods heading up towards Hancock Notch.

The trail is rough as it ascends to the top of the Notch.

A glimpse of the talus on Mt. Huntington from the east end of the Notch.

Farther along, a peek at the Huntington talus from a spot just off-trail.

Endless spruce woods line the broad floor of the Notch and the valleys on either side.

Hancock Notch sitting rock.

Deep, wild country.

Great brushing work by the Saco Ranger District trail crew, creating a nice clear passage. They spent five days up here. What a change! When my good friend Mike Dickerman checked this trail for the guidebook five years ago, he couldn't even see his feet through the encroaching branches.

Evening light on the trailside beaver meadow.

Golden light and storm destruction on the south branch.

Dusk at a beaver swamp along the Sawyer River Trail.

SOUTH MOAT: 9/22/16

A sunny afternoon hike to one of the best of the "52 With a View" peaks. Though it's only 2,770 ft. high, the climb to South Moat packs a punch with 2,200 ft. of elevation gain in 2 1/2 miles. I also grabbed 8 geocaches along the way (part of a series of 30 caches along the length of Moat Mountain Trail).

At the start the trail follows a reroute into the woods to the left around a sometimes-active logging yard. After 0.1 mile, the logging is left behind.

The next 1.2 miles of the trail follow a smooth sidecut section that was constructed in 2004-2005 by the Saco Ranger District trail crew.

Dry Brook living up to its name.

A great stretch of walking.

The second half of the trail ascends 1,650 ft. in a mile and a quarter, with many ledgy sections.

This large outcrop at the two-mile mark (elevation 2,000 ft.) is a destination in itself, even if you don't continue to the summit.

It has a wide view to the SW, including the Ossipee Range and Mt. Chocorua.

Early colors.

Ledgy inclines.

Looking down the trail.

Views pop out as you ascend the scrubby, ledgy summit cone.

Blueberry foliage.

The miniature trees on this little shoulder at 2,600 ft. somehow reminded me of a long-ago hike on North Traveler in Baxter State Park.

Getting close to the top.

Blueberry color and SW view.

The Sandwich Range seen beyond the Dry Brook valley.

The high peaks of the Sandwich Range.

Peering north to North Moat, the Presidentials, and Wildcats-Carter Dome.

Across the Saco Valley to Kearsarge North.

Jumble o' peaks.

South Moat summit.

Cairn art.

South Moat from the ledgy bump just to the north.

South Moat summit.

Painted sky.

Low sun highlights reds in the valley.

Looking west.

Chocorua.

THE BACK DOOR TO MIZPAH: 9/26/16

On a spectacularly clear fall day, Mark Klim and I took the long route from the Dry River Valley to Mizaph Spring Hut and Mount Pierce, 6.8 miles to the summit. The notoriously obscure Mount Clinton Trail lived up to its reputation, if only in its lower half-mile.

We had a mix of morning sun and shade along the lower part of the Dry River Trail. Surprisingly, a group of three redliners also heading for the Mount Clinton Trail pulled up to the trailhead on Rt. 302 as we were getting geared up. They left ahead of us and hopefully had a good hike.

A washed-out bank along the first of several trail relocations necessitated by damage from Tropical Storm Irene.

The classic view from a bluff along the Dry River Trail: Mount Monroe, Mount Washington and the headwall of Oakes Gulf.

Suspension bridge over the river.

More Irene damage.

One of the few bits of railroad grade walking left along the Dry River Trail. The Saco Valley Railroad operated from 1892-1898 and crossed the Dry River 13(!) times.

One of the rougher relocations cut around washouts from Tropical Storm Irene.

A new junction with Mt. Clinton Trail, a short distance SW of the old one.

The riverbed is twice as wide here as it was before Irene. The water level was low, as expected, and the crossing easy. In high water, forget it. We took a long break in the morning sun on the far side.

Looking downstream along the widened river.

A nice place to hang out!

To find the trail on the west side of the river, we followed cairns about 100 yards north along the outwash and rocky rubble.

Here's where the current route hops up into the woods. Then, following orange flagging with little discernible footway, we went 15 yards to the right, 15 yards to the left, then 30 yards again to the right to meet the original trail route (which, going back, shortly ends at a high washed-out bank).

The trail was overgrown but followable for 0.3 mile until it passed under a large spruce blowdown. Just past this obstacle, beaten paths led uphill to the left (with, as it turns out, bogus flagging) and downhill to the right. After investigating both of these at some length, it was obvious that neither of these was the trail.

The real trail continued across the slope but had no visible foot bed at this point and was disguised by what might have been a very old washout.

Once on the real trail, we soon came to the first of the 7 crossings of the brook that drains this remote valley (plus several additional tributary crossings). From here on there were no serious issues in following the trail.

There was a fine stretch through hardwoods along an old tote road after the first crossing.

Dropping down to the fourth crossing.

A nice little cascade and pool.

Yup, that's the trail.

An Irene washout along the brook.

High in the valley is this designated tentsite.

A peaceful brook crossing.

This fern meadow almost looked like an old logging camp site.

Colorful hobblebush hanging over the trail.

The junction with Dry River Cutoff, a half-mile below Mizpah Spring Hut.

A large random erratic high on the mountainside.

Beautiful boreal forest above the Dry River Cutoff junction. Aside from the route-finding issues down low, we found the Mount Clinton Trail to be a very pleasant approach with generally decent footing and a nice feeling of remoteness. The Saco Ranger District trails folks do plan to work on this trail either later this fall or next spring to clear out the problem areas.

Mossy!

Leaving the Wilderness.

Mizpah Spring Hut, opened in 1965.

Fall hut crew member Chris, who has visited my store a number of times, offers guests a friendly greeting. The turkey-and-rice soup and peppermint/chocolate pound cake were delicious!

From byway (Mount Clinton Trail) to highway (Webster Cliff Trail/AT).

One of two short ladders on the steep climb up the south side of Mount Pierce.

Steep and rocky.

My favorite spot on Pierce - the broad ledge with southwest views above the steep pitch.

Looking out to the southern/central Whites.

Lower Montalban Ridge and Mount Chocorua.

The Sandwich Range beyond Mount Jackson.

Cheers!

Carrigain and Hancock.

An open ledge on the south summit of Pierce.

Summit benchmark.

Summit cairn.

Western view.

Ledge with a commanding Presy view.

Evening sun.

Across the upper Dry River Valley to Mount Isolation.

Time to head down.

Descending along the venerable Crawford Path.

TWO TRAILS RENEWED: 9/29/16

On a fine sunny day I hiked two trails that have seen major improvements this year.

On the east side of Hurricane Trail on the south ridge of Mt. Moosilauke, the Dartmouth Outing Club trail crew led by Sam Kernan did a ton of drainage work, and cut two relocations plus a new spur to a ledge viewpoint.

On several trips to the Hubbard Brook Trail between Mt. Kineo and Mt. Cushman, volunteer Bill Tarkulich and friends brushed and blazed the entire trail, rescuing it from obscurity, and marked a relocation around an area of beaver activity that had obliterated the trail. Kudos and thanks!!

Along the Moosilauke Carriage Road, headed for Hurricane Trail.

Oops!

The site of Camp 1 of the early 1900s Park logging operation.

One of many new drainages constructed by DOC.

A nice ferny section of Hurricane Trail, rather Kilkenny-ish.

A new footbridge on a relocation around a wet, eroded section.

Cribbing work along another wet stretch.

Sign marking the new spur along the height-of-land on Hurricane Mountain.

The spur path has soft footing.

Approaching the view ledge.

It won't add Hurricane to the NH 52 With A View list, but this sunny spot has a nice vista south to Mt. Kineo, Stinson Mtn.,Whitcher Hill, and Carr Mtn. Chokecherry Hill is close by on the right.

The fine peak of Mt. Kineo.

More good work along Hurricane Trail.

Another relocation bypasses a nasty section at the top of the steep climb on the west side, and offers this little view out to the Killington Range on the horizon.

This relo was cut through some very dense growth.

Returning along the ridgecrest.

Ferns and a hint of foliage.

A fern meadow beside the trail.

The South Peak of Moosilauke from the Breezy Point trailhead.

Mt. Kineo from Breezy Point.

It was a short drive to the western trailhead for Hubbard Brook Trail off Rt. 118. A short way in is this junction with the notoriously obscure northern section of Three Ponds Trail.

The first 0.4 mile is up a somewhat overgrown logging road.

A good sign marks the turn into the woods.

Most of the Hubbard Brook Trail is a ramble through fine hardwood forest...

...with views of several beaver wetlands along the way.

Great woods!

An old yellow birch with character.

The trail climbs to and enters the deep notch between Mt. Kineo and Mt. Cushman, then runs parallel to a large beaver swamp.

A beautiful beaver pond/meadow resides deep in the notch, elevation about 2000 ft. The trail through the notch was originally opened in 1881-82 by the AMC as the "West Thornton-Warren Path," with a spur leading to the cleared summit of Mt. Kineo. It was abandoned by the early 1900s, but reappeared on maps in the 1920s.

The rugged slopes of Kineo rise on the south side.

A neat section along the shore of the pond.

View from the east end.

Near the east end the trail had disappeared into an area of beaver damming and tree-felling. There is now a blazed reroute around the north side, though it's brand new with no footway, so at present it is a "bushwhack with blazes."

The beavers have been busy...

...very busy.

Coming from the east, this is where the trail was lost.

Towering maples on the north side of the notch.

Dead tree dance.

A dusky pool.

A beaver meadow down below, to the west of the notch, with dusk approaching.

2016 WHITE MOUNTAIN CROPWALK-- WEST ROYCE/BASIN RIM/WILD RIVER LOOP: 10/2/16

On a misty fall morning, six of us gathered at the Wild River Road for the 28th annual White Mountain Cropwalk, a "hike for hunger" that benefits the programs of Church World Service. This year's participants included Thom Davis, Roger Doucette, Dennis Lynch, Candace Morrison, Gary Tompkins and this correspondent. Our route followed an 11-mile loop over West Royce Mountain and the Basin Rim and back along the beautiful Wild River.

Since its inception in 1989 our walk has raised more than $73,000 for the anti-hunger programs of Church World Service, with more than $18,000 of that provided to local food pantries in the western White Mountains. Every year some 1,600 CROP Walks are held across the U.S. Ours is the only one in which walkers hike on mountain trails. We owe the success of our walk to the consistent generosity of our sponsors. The CROP Walk theme is “Ending hunger, one step at a time.” For more info visit www.crophungerwalk.org. To make a donation for our walk, make a check out to "Church World Service" and mail to me (Steve Smith) at PO Box 445, Lincoln, NH 03251. Thanks!

Candace admires large hemlocks on the Burnt Mill Brook Trail, our ascent route to the ridge.

In normal water flow, this is an attractive cascade.

Gnarled trees in the col at the base of West Royce.

Different styles of signage.

A boulder cloaked in ferns, moss and rock tripe.

On the Royce Trail, up into the fog.

A Valentine ledge.

Enjoying the view of gray air on a West Royce outlook ledge.

Roger checks out the supports from the former West Royce firetower, which was built by the WMNF in 1940 and abandoned by 1948.

Trail signs at West Royce summit.

This ledge appears to be the true summit of West Royce (3210 ft.).

On a clear day, this ledge on the Basin Rim Trail has a nice view of the Baldfaces.

The northern section of the Basin Rim Trail is a wonderful moss-fringed ridge walk through a dense conifer forest.

It's like this for nearly a half-mile.

Quartz chunks.

Basin Rim Trail has some steep and rugged spots, too. This is a tricky spot to descend, where butt meets root.

Approaching an oak-fringed outlook ledge overlooking The Basin.

Taking in the first view of the day.

Basin Pond through the mist.

Signs at five-way Rim Junction.

Gary enjoys the vista over The Basin from a ledge 0.1 mile south of Rim Junction. As Thom, a glacial geologist, explained, this valley is the lowest-elevation glacial cirque in the Whites.

Another angle.

From the nearby "white ledge," looking across at an arm of West Royce.

The reason for our hike.

Glacial erratic.

Into the Wilderness on the Black Angel Trail.

A bracket fungus - one of the largest we've ever seen.

A beautiful spot on Blue Brook near the Blue Brook Tentsite.

One of three tent pads at the site.

Thom climbs into the fog as the Black Angel Trail runs up over a ridge en route to the Wild River Valley.

Dennis descending into the valley along an old logging road.

Hanging out on the bank of the Wild River.

Looking downstream along the Wild River, with water as low as we've ever seen it.

The upstream view.

Looking across.

The former location of Spider Bridge, washed out for a final time in 2005.

Nice pool.

Wild River scene.

A spot along the Wild River Trail blocked by Tropical Storm Irene; a bypass goes around to the left (heading south).

The remains of the recently dismantled bridge over the Wild River on the Moriah Brook Trail. A rock-hop crossing (dangerous in high water) will now be required to access the Moriah Brook Trail from this end.

COOLEY HILL TRAVERSE, 10/4/16

I joined Linda Moore for a hike up the Jericho Road Trail to Cooley Hill, a former firetower peak on the western edge of the Whites, then took a new ridgecrest trail across to the Cooley-Jericho Community Forest, with a bushwhack to a unique view ledge en route.

The trailhead sign just off Rt. 116 in Easton.

The McConnell cellar hole is tucked into the woods beside the trail.

The Jericho Road Trail is a mellow woods walk with easy grades and excellent footing. It won't be that way much longer as a major USFS logging project will soon reconstruct the lower half of the trail into a gravel haul road, and there will be mucho cutting along most of the trail, though some will be buffered. (There always seems to be money for building logging roads. What about a new bridge for the Moriah Brook Trail?)

More good walking.

Tall slender maples, above the cutting area.

One of the biggest sugar maples we've seen.

About 0.1 mile before the summit a side path leads to a restricted view to the Kinsman/Cannon/Lafayette area. The higher peaks were socked in.

The supports for the Cooley Hill fire tower, which operated from 1939-1948. Cooley Hill was named for a local Easton farmer in the 1800s.

From the tower site we followed the brand-new and as yet nameless yellow-blazed trail that leads across the ridge through the Cooley-Jericho Community Forest. The first part winds through large areas cutover by the previous owner about 8-10 years ago.

Lots of prickers and berries, a good place to run into a bear.

The next half-mile leads through a corner of the WMNF.

Near here we bushwhacked down to a neat ledge I had first visited back in 1990.

A jagged rock formation.

The ledge has a great view of the Kinsmans across the Easton valley.

Linda couldn't resist exploring a cave area behind the ledge.

Climbing out of the cave.

Following her lead, I dropped into the cave for a look. Here's the "View from the Bottom."

A peek through the trees at Bald Peak (just left of center).

Nice trail!

A ferny turn.

This ridgetop glade was magical.

Fields of ferns.

What a fine old tree!

Loved this place.

Ferns display fall colors, too.

A nicely constructed section along the east slope of Cole Hill. Mountain bikers through NEMBA have done a lot of work on this trail.

Junction of the Blue and Yellow Trails.

In the northern part of Cooley-Jericho, the yellow-blazed trail briefly merges with a blue-blazed loop and passes this ledge seat with a partial view.

We followed the blue trail down through young growth to a ledge with a better view.

Unfortunately the high peaks were still socked in.

Linda makes a friend.

A view to Vermont's Northeast Kingdom.

There are more views at the trailhead at the end of Trumpet Round Road in Sugar Hill.

Managed by the Ammonoosuc Conservation Trust, the 840-acre Cooley-Jericho Community Forest is a joint project of the towns of Sugar Hill, Easton, Landaff and Franconia. My friend Linda has done much trailwork here and also frequently leads nature walks. For more info visit http://cooley-jericho.org/

OWL'S HEAD: 10/6/16

October is the best time in the western Pemi Wilderness, and the long trek to Owl's Head is always a memorable experience. I hadn't been to the summit in 10 years, and wanted to check the condition of the path to the top, and also two increasingly popular "bushwhack" routes used on the approach. It was a spectacular day of bright sun, deep blue skies and vivid foliage.

The foliage was glowing right from the start, with Black Mountain seen from the Lincoln Woods parking area.

The leaf-strewn Lincoln Woods Trail.

A hint of red at Bondcliff View along the East Branch.

A colorful swamp along the Black Pond Trail.

Owl's Head from the Black Pond outlet.

Black Pond and Bondcliff.

Along the Black Pond "bushwhack," originally used as a route to bypass highwater crossings on the Lincoln Brook Trail, but now being increasingly used as a shortcut.

Lincoln Brook at the lower crossing on Lincoln Brook Trail.

An attractive ledgy area on Lincoln Brook.

Great walking under tall hardwoods on the Lincoln Brook Trail.

A sliding cascade on Lincoln Brook.

Canopy color.

Old railroad grade.

An artifact near J.E. Henry's Camp 12. (As always, these should be left as found.)

Yellow birch glow at the last Lincoln Brook crossing.

Cairn marking the start of the Owl's Head Path.

The beginning of the path.

The lower part of the slide.

Views appear partway up the slide, here looking up to the head of the Lincoln Brook valley.

Southwest to Mt. Flume and Mt. Liberty.

A closer look.

Upper Franconia Ridge.

Mt. Lincoln, Lincoln Slide and Mt.Lafayette.

Lincoln Brook valley at your feet. This ledge at 3000 ft. is a great spot to take a break.

Heading up...

...and looking back.

Above the slide, the Owl's Head Path is nasty in places.

The Owl's Head Path.

The path between the "old" and "new" summits is now well-beaten, a decade after the "re-discovery" of the true high point.

A near-summit view, sort of.

A cairn marks the true summit, elevation 4025 ft.

There are many step-over blowdowns on the unmaintained Owl's Head Path.

This little knob is the "old" summit, which I didn't even recognize on the way in.

Along the ridgecrest.

Having heard a lot about the "Brutus Bushwhack," I followed it on the way down. It's more pleasant than the steep and rough Owl's Head Path, but has one very steep section of its own that would not be sustainable if it received heavy use.

Birches along a section where the route follows the remnants of a century-old tote road.

Late afternoon sun on the west slope of Owl's Head.

Franconia Brook, looking upstream. With the current low flow, it was the easiest crossing ever at this spot.

Owl's Head from a beaver meadow near the Franconia Brook Trail.

Alpenglow on Bondcliff.

THREE PONDS LONG LOOP: 10/11/16

On a gorgeous October day I enjoyed a trail-and-bushwhack loop through the hardwood-rich Three Ponds area between Carr Mountain and Mount Kineo. This small but expansive mini-wilderness holds many ponds and wetlands from which to admire the foliage.

These tree has long guarded the first pitch up on the south end of Three Ponds Trail.

A familiar beaver meadow on Sucker Brook.

Signs point the way.

A Carr Mountain ridge glimpsed along the Three Ponds Trail.

The trail briefly jogs onto this new snowmobile trail.

The hidden Lower Pond, reached by a short bushwhack off the snowmobile trail.

A mat of Leatherleaf fringes Lower Pond.

I found a scene of peace and beauty at the Middle Pond.

Long view looking north to Whitcher Hill.

Getting Mount Kineo into the picture.

The water level was way down, exposing many rocks at the south end of the pond.

A colorful arm of Carr Mountain.

One of several views as the trail follows the shore a few feet back in the woods.

A new sign for Donkey Hill Cutoff.

The beaver dam crossing just past the Donkey Hill Cutoff junction was easy today.

Nice view of Carr from the NE corner of Middle Pond.

A closer look at Carr's summit.

Heading to the Upper Pond.

The water level was down at the Upper Pond. A fisherman who came by said it was the lowest level he'd seen in 30 years.

Looking towards the south end of the pond.

Upper Pond has a fine sitting rock at the end of the spur path.

Beyond here, a pleasant surprise awaited. The notoriously overgrown Three Ponds Trail north of the ponds had received a recent thorough brushing, at least as far as the mile and a half I took it. This section, at least, is now a fine remote woods walk instead of a near-bushwhack.

This is what part of this section of trail looked like in June 2015. Big thanks to whoever cleared it out!

Farther north I bushwhacked down to the shore of remote Foxglove Pond.

A lovely name for this hidden gem.

A Foxglove Pond friend.

The bog at the north end of Foxglove Pond offers an unusual view of Carr Mountain and its long north ridge. The trail corridor leads through the edge of the bog and is very squishy; best to make a 100-yard bushwhack bypass through the woods, ending up at this view. A wild spot!

Carr Mountain and its principal northern spur.

A great time of year to walk in the woods.

At the four-mile mark the Three Ponds Trail crosses a snowmobile trail; the 1 1/2 mile section to the east is a newly constructed and ultra-wide route connecting with the Mount Kineo Trail.

Above the snowmobile trail, Three Ponds Trail narrows and requires some attention to follow, though there was still evidence of recent brushing. I don't know if the trail was brushed all the way to its northern end.

I bushwhacked east along the slope of Whitcher Hill, passing this interesting fungus.

My main destination was this sunny, grassy ledge, which I had visited in 2004. Back then it offered some interesting restricted views over the ponds to the south thanks to branches broken by the 1998 ice storm.

Tree growth has obscured the lower part of the vista.

But it still provides a neat perspective on Carr Mountain.

Doin' the twist.

I whacked down to a small lower ledge that John "1HappyHiker" Compton visited in 2013. Here there was a very narrow vista of the Brown Brook Marshes, my next destination. Stinson Mountain rises behind.

Next was a steep whack down the south face of Whitcher Hill.

I followed the new snowmobile trail for a short distance under tall hardwoods.

I whacked over to the northernmost of the mile-long chain of beaver meadows known as the Brown Brook Marshes.

Looking north.

As I recalled from previous visits, there were some wonderful open hardwood glades running parallel to the wetlands.

Park-like.

Can't get enough of this!

Whitcher Hill from another meadow.

Treebeard's cousin.

At this glade a bull moose appeared ahead of me - always a concern during rutting season. (Too far away for a photo.) He spotted me but wasn't aggressive. I stood stock still for ten minutes as he slowly and intermittently moved away. Then I gave a wide berth to his direction of travel.

Evening sun on another meadow.

Golden woods.

Along the Mount Kineo Trail.

My route shown in blue; yellow lines are trails from the White Mountain Guide Online.

OUT AND ABOUT AROUND CRAWFORD NOTCH: 10/14/16

I spent a crisp, chilly day (that cleared off beautifully after morning clouds) checking out a few trails from the Cog Railway down to the Sawyer River area. There was still plenty of good foliage hanging on.

A sign marks the designated hiker parking lot below the Cog Railway Base Station.

Here I wanted to check out the status of the link trail from the Base Station to the Jewell Trail. The Jewell Link starts right beyond the Cog's Platform A. This is a 0.2 mile walk up from the hiker lot.

It immediately crosses the Ammonoosuc River. The former bridge here is gone and this can be a difficult crossing. The regular Jewell Trail from the WMNF parking lot does have a bridge over the river. From here the link climbs 0.3 mile to the Jewell Trail.

As I drove past Bretton Woods, Mt. Jefferson was emerging behind the Mt. Washington Hotel.

Century-old pet cemetery along the Saco Lake Trail.

View across the water.

The steep little side path to the viewpoint called "Idlewild."

An old metal railing is a safety feature.

Mts. Field, Avalon and Tom across Saco Lake, from Idlewild.

Footbridge over the start of the Saco River.

Signs at the Willey House Site.

Along the peaceful Pond Loop Trail.

View across Willey Pond along the Pond Loop Trail.

The steep slopes of Mt. Willey.

Beaver dam on the Saco River.

Looking south down the Saco.

The Sam Willey Trail is a very pleasant stroll.

Crawford Notch view from the Sam Willey Trail.

This bench was placed here by John Dickerman, Crawford Notch State Park Manager.

Two paths diverge around a venerable maple.

Interesting sign at the start of the Sam Willey Trail.

The south end of the Webster Cliffs from the Webster Cliff Trail parking.

Along part of the new West Side Trail, blazed but not yet officially open, a roly-poly route along the lower west slope of Crawford Notch between the Ethan Pond/Webster Cliff trailhead and the Kedron Flume Trail. Next year it will be extended south to the Pleasant Valley Picnic Area and the start of the Maggie's Run trail. This excellent system of new trails on the floor of the Notch (also including the Saco River Trail) has been developed over the last few years by John Dickerman, manager of Crawford Notch State Park, and his crew.

An interesting boulder along the West Side Trail.

A side trail near the bottom of the Kedron Flume Trail.

These boulders are thought to have split the 1826 Willey Slide, sparing the house (but not the occupants, who fled into the path of the slide).

Viewing platform in front of the boulders.

View of Webster Cliffs from the platform.

On to Sawyer country.

Leaf-strewn walking along the Sawyer Pond Trail.

The layout at Sawyer Pond Campsite.

The classic Sawyer Pond view of Mt. Tremont and Owl's Cliff.

Owl's Cliff and its great rocky eye.

The sprawling ridge of Tremont.

Sawyer Pond Shelter. Surprisingly, there was no one around late on a Friday afternoon.

Little Sawyer Pond, hidden on a shelf above the big pond.

Looking towards Mt. Tremont.

Gripping the earth.

An Irene washout along the Sawyer River Trail.

An obscure brook crossing by a beaver dam on the Sawyer River Trail.

The mark of Irene on the Sawyer River.

CRYSTAL MINE TRAIL: 10/18/16

On a glorious October afternoon (at least north of the notches), I checked out a new Randolph Mountain Club trail that leads to an old quartz crystal mine in the Randolph Community Forest, on a western spur of the Crescent Range. The mine was used by General Electric Co. during World War II to provide quartz crystals for radio sets. It's an interesting 4-mile round trip hike with just 650 ft. of elevation gain.

Before heading out, I crossed the highway to a field with a foliage vista of Mt. Bowman, Mt. Jefferson and Mt. Adams.

The trail starts to the right of this building on land now within the Randolph Community Forest. It's 0.8 mile west of the Castle trailhead at Bowman.

A temporary RMC sign shows the way.

After a half-mile of sometimes rocky trail through the woods, the trail turns left onto a RCF forest road.

Nice easy walkin'.

Looks like a major maple tapping operation is in the works.

The trail follows this grassy road for a while.

RMC trail signage.

The upper half-mile leads through an open sugar maple forest, especially gorgeous at this golden time of year.

A gentle old woods road on the upper part of the trail.

It's the best time of year for hardwood rambling.

The first of three shaft holes at the mine site. Notice the rope on the left. Collectors do drop in, but not this kid!

Another shaft hole.

Beautiful quartz chunks are scattered about. Hobby collecting with hand tools is allowed. I took a small sliver home.

This looks like the most accessible mine shaft.

Heading back down the golden road.

Bear tree.

In October, this section has to be one of the nicest walks in Randolph.

A very short off-trail diversion rewarded with this vista of Mts. Madison and Adams from the top edge of an old logging cut.

Tenacious.

At the trailhead, I returned to the field across Route 2, as the light was now better on the Northern Peaks.

Adams and Jefferson.

A fine look into Cascade Ravine on Mt. Adams.

Afterward I drove over to Bowman for the short walk to Rollo Fall (0.8 mile round trip). The unmarked route follows this grassy woods road at first.

Rollo Fall was just a dribble, but still a pretty spot.

I finished the afternoon with a quick jaunt up the lower Howker Ridge Trail.

I enjoyed scenes like this along Bumpus Brook.

The Devil's Kitchen, a cool name for a cool place. Thank you, RMC, for maintaining such a fantastically varied network of trails!

PHILBROOK FARM TRAILS: 10/19/16

Another grand October day, much of which I spent rambling around trails in the lower southern Mahoosucs in Shelburne. These trails are centered around the historic Philbrook Farm Inn and are well-maintained by the Shelburne Trails Club.

The Philbrook Farm Inn on North Road has been welcoming hikers since the 1860s. It has been operated by five generations of the same family. Day hikers are welcome to park in an area on the southwest side of the Inn, but should check in with the innkeepers (nice folks!) before heading onto the trails.

The view from the front of the inn isn't too shabby.

There are several cottages available for rent in the summer.

A major intersection of trails named for the colors of their blazes. I made a very pleasant loop over Mt. Cabot (elevation 1512 ft., the "other" Mt. Cabot) via the Blue and Red Trails.

Beechwood on the Blue Trail.

A steep pitch leading up towards the summit of Mt. Cabot.

One of the handsome signs placed by the Shelburne Trails Club.

A view NE to remote Bear Mountain in the eastern Mahoosucs, from a ledge near the summit of Mt. Cabot.

A trail sign on an old foundation at the summit of Cabot.

The comfortable main Cabot view ledge has a magnificent cleared view SW across the Androscoggin valley to the higher peaks.

Howe Peak, Shelburne Moriah and Middle Moriah,

The cloud-kissed Presidentials.

Might be the last time for this for a while...

Signs in the col between Mt. Cabot and Mt. Ingalls.

A new spur trail (actually a reopening of an old trail) has been flagged to the shore of little Judson Pond. It will be blazed and officially opened soon. Along the way it goes through one area that was logged this summer. It will soften with time.

Along the shore of small and secluded Judson Pond.

Lots of sitting rocks along the shore - a nice spot to relax in the sun for a while.

Descending from Mt. Cabot through spruce and pine on the Red Trail.

The golden time of year.

There's a short side path to a place with the neat name of "Mary's Aerie."

No real view here anymore, though.

Along the Wiggins Rock Trail, underneath Wiggins Rock.

A sign marks the top.

This vista is all grown in, too.

Next I checked out the Shelburne Trail Club's unique cable car, available for high-water crossings of Mill Brook along the Yellow Trail.

VFTC (View from the Car). Its use requires arm strength and caution.

Near the Maine-New Hampshire border I took a walk on the short, easy trail in Bill Hastings Memorial Forest, dedicated to a longtime Fish & Game Conservation Officer.

A peaceful scene on the Androscoggin River.

Old silver maples along the riverbank.

A serene setting.

The trail loops back through a beautiful open floodplain forest.

Gorgeous!

Next up was a hike a mile up the Nineteen Mile Brook Trail to see two trail relocations and a major new footbridge installed by the AMC Trail Crew.

Corridor of gold.

The new bridge.

On the way through Pinkham Notch I stopped for a dusk mini-hike to a viewpoint a short way up the Square Ledge Trail. The beaver pond at the start of the Lost Pond Trail was pleasingly placid.

An AMC sign points the way.

The east side of Mount Washington at twilight time.

ALBANY MOUNTAIN AREA: 10/24/16

A cold, blustery day for visiting one of the best sub-2000-foot viewpoints in the Whites and a few other places on the eastern fringe of the Whites. Snow-free trails and some late foliage.

View of Pickett Henry and Pine Mountains from Flat Road in West Bethel, ME.

Trailhead sign. This is now officially the Albany Mountain Trail from end to end.

Over the last few years Albany Mountain Trail adopter Eric Rathbun has done an amazing amount of work to improve the northern section of this trail. Thanks for all your hard work, Eric - the trail is a pleasure to walk!

Trail crossing on an old beaver dam.

Beaver pond next to the dam.

Glowing beech woods.

More good work by Eric.

Junction with the spur to the summit of Albany Mountain. The middle section of the Albany Notch Trail has been closed due to beaver flooding, and its southern section is now part of the Albany Mountain Trail.

The spur to the summit meanders up some ledges.

The upper part of the spur is a pleasant ramble through a ledgy red pine forest.

A band of blueberry color.

Approaching the eastern viewpoint just north of the summit.

From these ledges 50 yards east of the trail's end, there was a nice foliage view to the east.

Looking NE to Broken Bridge Pond and mountains in the Rumford, ME area.

A closer look at Broken Bridge Pond.

By far the best views on Albany Mountain are from the SW ledges. What was once a semi-bushwhack with bits of cairned path is now a well-defined route marked by cairns, leading over the true summit and then along the west side of the ridgecrest.

A larger cairn marks the true summit.

First look at the sweeping SW view.

The path crosses these sloping ledges.

The view ledge at the end of the path. Quite a spot!

Looking down on Number 8 Pond, with Miles Knob and Speckled Mountain beyond.

Kearsarge North, North Moat and the distant Sandwich Range.

The Baldface Range, with Doublehead on its left.

The scene behind the view ledge.

I bundled up against the cold wind and spent an hour taking this in.

Caribou Mountain beyond the cliffs of Albany Notch.

Looking south to Keewaydin Lake and Pleasant Mountain.

Keewaydin Lake and hidden Lombard Pond.

A survivor!

On the way back I spotted this vista of snowy Goose Eye Mountain in the Mahoosucs beyond the spiky top of Farwell Mountain.

Blueberry fire.

This red pine is toppled but still kicking.

Back at the beaver pond.

Farwell Mountain - an interesting bushwhack destination - above a beaver meadow.

I drove a short way down the road to Crocker Pond Campground for a two-mile round trip stroll to Round Pond via the Albany Brook Trail. At the trailhead is this nice view of Crocker Pond.

A Rock of Gibraltar out in the water.

There was some great late foliage where the trail skirts the edge of Crocker Pond.

Neat ledges on the shore of Crocker Pond.

Colorful forest rambling.

A note to anglers at Round Pond.

Trail's end at peaceful, secluded Round Pond.

Looking at the west shore of Round Pond.

I whacked around the west shore for a view across to the cliffs on a small ridge east of the pond. Back in the '90s a whack to the topmost cliff provided a great bird's eye view of the pond.

Late in the day I drove up Tyler Road to one of the more remote trailheads in the Whites, where the east end of Haystack Notch Trail meets the north end of Miles Notch Trail. The road in was much improved over its state five years ago, though a soft drainage dip at the very end could be a challenge for a low-clearance vehicle.

I made a quick check on the condition of each trail from this large clearing (added to the WMNF a few years ago) to where they leave logging roads and enter the woods. Things have changed a bit from 2011. Note that the mileage on the Miles Notch Trail sign is incorrect. The north and south trailhead signs were inadvertently placed at the wrong ends. This 30-acre open area is being maintained as a Permanent Wildlife Opening.

The start of the Miles Notch Trail.

The brooding hulk of Caribou Mountain seen from Miles Notch Trail.

Dusk view of Miles Notch from Haystack Notch Trail.

LONE OAK TRAIL & LAKE CONSTANCE: 10/26/16

On a raw gray day I took two short hikes to interesting destinations on the western edge of the Whites.

This short, steep trail just outside of Woodsville is on land under conservation easement held by the Upper Valley Land Trust.

The trail makes a stiff climb up a well-defined oak-clad ridgelet.

Over the last two years significant improvements have been made in a cooperative effort of UVLT, the JAG (Jobs for America's Graduates) program at Woodsville High School, and AMC Trails. There are now six well-constructed switchbacks on the upper part of the trail, which formerly went straight up the slope.

Approaching the viewpoint on a spur of Gardner Mountain.

The "Lone Oak."

The view overlooks a long chain of mountains sprawling down the east side of the Connecticut River valley.

Piermont, Cube and Smarts.

The Benton Range - Black, Hogsback, Sugarloaf, Jeffers and Blueberry.

This area outside of Woodsville at the mouth of the Ammonoosuc River has the interesting name of No Man's Island.

Heading back down the steep little ridge.

Short hike #2 followed old woods roads and an unofficial but well-defined trail to Lake Constance, a fine backcountry pond that was added to the WMNF in the 1990s.

As it approaches the pond, the path runs along an unusual quartzite hogback forested with red pines and blueberry shrubs.

More red pines.

Looking down at the south end of the pond.

The path descends to this rocky spot behind the shore.

Looking north up Lake Constance.

All the comforts of home.

Looking south down the long, narrow pond.

Peering down at the bog-meadow at the south end of the pond.

On the way back I followed another unofficial path to a 1600-ft. knob with open quartzite ledges offering westerly views. Piermont Mountain is seen on the left.

A steep descent brought me to lower, more open ledges.

Prominent little Peaked Mountain in Piermont, with Killington on the horizon.

Big slabs and more Vermont mountains.

LOWER ACTEON RIDGE: 11/8/16

On an unusually balmy November day, I enjoyed an entertaining loop to ledges on Bald Knob and Acteon Peak at the lower end of Sandwich Mountain's Acteon Ridge. A combination of hiking trail, climber's path, bushwhack, and mountain bike path.

An unusual directional marker on a climber's path.

The "Yellow Jacket Boulder," one of many impressive chunks of stone scattered
across the SW slope of Bald Knob. This one is fairly popular with local climbers.