New Hampshire Beautiful

"New Hampshire Beautiful" by Wallace Nutting 1923

For every fair turn of cliff, every wooded dell, every dimpled elbow of brook, every sparkling expanse, every green solitude, are set forth to catch human sympathy and appreciaition. They have waited what aeons of time for us to rejoice in their gorgeousness, and many of them are waiting yet, till a thinking, loving, watching person shall follow their curves and caress their surfaces with the eye of understanding. Nature has yet to be unveiled. Like a rural maiden whose perfections the world does not know, there are landscapes, bowers, dells, becks and burns, there are brows and bosoms of nobility and purity awaiting the awakening of men of spirit and of fire, who have in them poetry and taste, the knowledge of the beautiful and the passion to record what they so passionately see. There must yet be set forth to the world on grander canvases, canvases blending majesty with witchery, the wonderful in New Hampshire; there must yet come into expression nobler, subtler, more delicate utterances of the messages New Hampshire has latent and waiting when uttered for the world's approval.

Blue Job 1/27/10

Difficulty: Easy - Moderate:
Fire Wardens trail on South and East side of the mountain is steep and wet with loose footing.
Loop trail which follows part of the access rd. is moderate but easy footing.
Gray Hill or Little Baldy Knob trail is easy with some easy rock scrambles.

Directions: From Rt. 11/N Main St. in Rochester, NH take Rt. 202A. Just past the "4 Corner Store" take your first right at a corner onto First Crown Point Rd. Follow it for approximately 5 miles. The parking lot is on the right (signed) just over the hill. 

Report: I had planned on a sunny day today on Blue Job and didn't expect to be taking many pictures. When I arrived at the parking lot the clouds had moved in and temps. were chillier than what I had though they would be. It's fuuny, hikers generally hope for sunny sky's especially in the winter (not so much in the mid-summer) but the cloudy days always seem to give more to the views. Today especially, the sun poked through the clouds in different spots in bright whites/yellows/oranges/reds and soft blues & grays with blue patches of sky here-and-there. This is my first time on this peak where the little baldy area had it's rock exposed. This mountain is becoming a favorite of mine for sure!pics of this hike here

Blue Sky, Blue Job 1/23/10

Difficulty: Easy - Moderate:
Fire Wardens trail on South and East side of the mountain is steep and wet with loose footing.
Loop trail which follows part of the access rd. is moderate but easy footing.
Gray Hill or Little Baldy Knob trail is easy with some easy rock scrambles.

Directions: From Rt. 11/N Main St. in Rochester, NH take Rt. 202A. Just past the "4 Corner Store" take your first right at a corner onto First Crown Point Rd. Follow it for approximately 5 miles. The parking lot is on the right (signed) just over the hill. 

Report: A picture perfect day. Wish I was up North but felt a bit lazy today and stayed in Farmington. Temps. were comfortable in the warm sun, trails well packed, and clear view to Chocorua and Washington behind from Little Baldy. Spent some time at the summit fire tower then headed back down. Pics Here>http://www.flickr.com/photos/excape1/sets/72157623144183053/

Moose Mountain Regional Greenways

I received a letter a few days ago from Moose Mountain Regional Greenways concerning land conservation. It sparked my interest as this is an organization I had never heard of and it is based in Union. "The purpose of MMRG is to identify and protect important natural resource areas, including water resources, farm and forestlands, wildlife habitat, recreational areas, cultural and scenic areas; to educate others about these efforts, and to join protected lands to form greenways." They concentrate locally from Farmington - Wolfeboro.

The current project involves an easement of a 1780's farm and it's land at the base of Blue Job Mountain in Farmington. Funds are needed to cover project expenses. Please donate if you can, the preservation of land is of utmost importance for future generations. Visit there website > http://www.mmrg.info/index.html

I uploaded a copy of the letter on my Flickr Page>
page 1> http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4045/4286852463_76eb740026_b.jpg
Page 2> http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4018/4287592004_def017599a_b.jpg

Red Hill 1/16/10

Scott & I had planned on hiking Israel Mt. on this unseasonally warm day and headed to Center Sandwich under blue sky's. I wasn't sure how far in Sandwich Notch Rd. was plowed but was hopefull we would make it to the Wentworth trail head. Well, the plowed road stopped at Diamond Ledge Rd. and a sign stating no motor vehicles beyond this point so we contemplated our options. I estimated a 2 mile road walk down what looked like a busy ski mobile area, "pass"! I pulled my map out and just at the bottom of my map I saw a sliver of Eagle Cliff Trail and I said, "Oh, ya" Red Hill is nearby. I have wanted to check this peak out for some time now since I had been reading in many WMNF history books of this being a usual stop for those traveling the (then) carriage road to Mt. Washington and the notches. The views were wonderful as I have read. So a quick road detour, a pass by (book & map out), we found the Teedie trailhead almost at the center of the Squam Lake frontage and just a shy West of the town line sign. The entrance to the parking wasn't plowed but just a small snowbank blocking it (nothing the 4-wheel drive couldn't handle).

Parked under the pine trees, our bags on our backs, we headed up the Teedie Trail at 11:00am. The trail makes it's way next to and through rock walls and an interesting section of some sort of tree vine which has taken over the area. Bare berry bushes were ubundant and many different kinds of animal and foul tracks, particularly of deer who have heavily burrowed this area. Careful to follow the yellow blazes so as not to confuse ourselves with the deer paths which blended with the trail at times, we quickly began a steep climb. Limited views were seen through the trees the entire time of Squam Lake. Once to the Eagle Cliff junction we took a left and made a simple .4 miles to the Eagle Cliff summit 1,270' at 12pm. Not much, other than a bald rock knob now mostly overgrown, it was more of a ledge than a cliff. We continued on past this for another .2 miles or so just to make sure we weren't missing anything...and perhaps we did. Back on the top we had a break, climbed back down to the junction and decided to carry on to Red Hill.

The Eagle Cliff Trail continues from the junction and drops down to a col. than rises steeply again up what we thought was the summit of Red Hill (I had no map of this section and didn't really retain much of what I quickly read in the book in the parking lot). Limited views again through the trees adding Eagle Cliff Knob below and Sandwich Dome to the North. Once atop this and across it's wooded summit we saw the true summit much further on and the Fire Tower came into view. Back down into another col. then back up again...this was really tiring us out!

We dragged ourselves on reaching the summit cabins and fire tower of Red Hill 2,030' at 1:30pm. A group of about 8 were chatting by the fire wardens cabin and a man was answering questions about the tower and telling stories. He turned out to be a fire warden apparently doing a guided hike/tour of some kind. We made our way up the tower to the observation deck where views opened up 360* across to Lake Winnipesaukee, Squam Lake, the entire Sandwich Range (except the Osceolas), and the Bald Mt. Range (as I called it). It was spectacular! Views past these ranges were hazed/clouded in and I can just imagine what you can see on a crystal clear day. We ate lunch, explored a little more than headed back down the way we came at 2pm.

Going down was easy, with an exception of the cols. that we had to go back up. The snow on Teedie trail was now pretty mooshy and slippery from the warm temps. and the sun shining on it all day but was not all that much of a hinderance. We made it back to the parking area at 3pm.

Pictures of this hike here> http://www.flickr.com/photos/excape1/sets/72157623099390319/

Review:

Total trip time - 4 hrs.

Total Milage - about 6.9 miles

Total Elevation Gain - about 2500 ft.

Weather - Great temps. in the mid-upper 40's, mostly sunny only distant cloud/haze cover. Thin snow pack, no traction needed. Light wind at summits.

Eagle Cliff, unless we were missing something not really worth the visit unless you are hiking this side of the mountain. Red Hill, views from the fire tower some of the best! A great hike overall, a steep climb with rewarding views all in a half day. Take Red Hill trail if you want an easier more direct approach.

Peaked Mt. 1/9/10

Saturday was forecasted to be cold but clear and it was just that when we got going in the morning. I decided on a small peak (small/lesser known peaks seem to be my calling card) which I have had on my "check me out list" for some time now...Peaked Mt. 1,739' in North Conway, NH (Green Hills Preserve - Nature Conservancy). We arrived at the Pudding Pond trail head in North Conway and headed out at 11:00am. There were several couples headed to the pond loop (on our way up & down) and many of them with happy-go-lucky dogs. The trail starts out on a gradual railroad grade up to the first junction where we took a left up Peaked Mt. Trail. Trails throughout the day were well packed and marked well.

Here the trail got a little steeper, then an onslaught of minor puds for the next 1/2 mile until we reached the Thompson Trail Kiosk. Took a right here and the trail climbed steeply up to the 3rd trail junction and up to the open ledges. The many sounds from Cranmore keeping us company. We could hear the chairlift, music from the lodge?, and could hear the skiers swishing, laughing & screaming as we watched them travel through the trees on the trails (and they were packed!). Views on this side of the mountain were great to Mt. Washington and it's southern neighbors. I pittied those on the Southern Presi's today as they looked pretty clouded in.

After climbing up many open ledge and beautiful pitch & Red Pine we arrived at the summit at 12:30pm. Views opened up to Black Cap, Middle & Rattlesnake, Chocorua, the Moats, Whitehorse & Cathedral Ledges, Carrigain and I think the Hancocks. There were no views of Washington and limited views of Cranmore & Kearsage North. I tarried along the ledges taking pics, slipping once on some hidden ice too-close-for-comfort near the cliff, scaring the crap out of Scott...dumb-da-dumb-dumb-dummmd! We made quick time down until we came to an icy stream and wouldn't ya know it I was tramping through the knee deep snow and trees to get pics!

We arrived back to the lot at 1:15pm as bicyclists were just coming off the bike trail. A great little hike with outstanding views for a modest effort! Total Trip Time: 2.25hrs. Total Mileage: about 3.1. Weather: Crystal Clear in the upper teens/low 20's, some wind.

Pics of this hike Here> http://www.flickr.com/photos/excape1/sets/72157623175790814/

Blue Job Mt. 1/6/10

Difficulty: Easy - Moderate:
Fire Wardens trail on South and East side of the mountain is steep and wet with loose footing.
Loop trail which follows part of the access rd. is moderate but easy footing.
Gray Hill or Little Baldy Knob trail is easy with some easy rock scrambles.

Directions: From Rt. 11/N Main St. in Rochester, NH take Rt. 202A. Just past the "4 Corner Store" take your first right at a corner onto First Crown Point Rd. Follow it for approximately 5 miles. The parking lot is on the right (signed) just over the hill. 

Report: After a tuff night (as it's been all week) of vacuuming up never-ending sand at my cleaning accounts I finally fell asleep in my comfy bed around 5am ... thinking, "it's supposed to be clear on Wednesday, maybe if I get up early enough I will hike Blue Job." Well some pion in my body was listening 'cause I awoke at 8:30am and had trouble getting back to sleep (which is usually not a problem). So I said OK, fine, you win. I got up and made coffee and got my pack together with nothing in it but my E-kit, stabalizers, winter hat & gloves crackers and a water. Yes this is a tiny mountain but things can still happen.

I pulled into the lot after a 20 minute drive (snapping a shot of Blue Job across Whaleback Pond) and started out at 9:50am. It was clear that it was gonna be cold as the wind was blowing good in the parking lot and I had to take out my winter hat (wish I brought my balaclav...or however you spell it!). The trail was nicely packed down, and was the same at the Fire Tower loop section that Scott & I skipped last visit. It felt a little awkward, this being my first solo hike in a good 2-3 years, but I soon got over it as the trail somewhat steeply climbed, wasting no time going up. Limited views were off-and-on and more so at the first radio tower. Here the jeep road comes in which was packed down with snow mobile tracks, leaving some ice patches here-and-there. One final steep climb and around the corner the cell tower came into view and then the fire tower.

At 10:15am I climbed the narrow stairs to the windy/cold observation deck. Views were alright, most of the Northern peaks were clouded in. I did see a sliver of the ocean to the East and the factory smoke stacks puffing away in Newington. Spent about 5 minutes there then climbed back down. I noticed a trail which headed in the direction of the bald knob that we had been to on our first hike here. I followed it and soon found snow covered cairns, which were the only markings on this trail. I carefully jogged down this section as it dropped back down to the col. Here the packed trail ubruptly stopped at a 5 ft. snow drift. There was a faint snow shoe track that I was happy to step in, falling a few feet into the snow just twice. Once back onto solid ground and the open area the tracks split in all sorts of directions, hikers taking whichever way 'floated there boat' as there are no visible markers here. I followed the more direct route and soon spotted the large summit area rocks.

I arrived on the top of this knob (which someone on VFTT called "little baldy") at 10:30am. The wind was still pretty strong but more tolerable than it had been before. After taking some pics and a video on a low battery, I headed back down the loop, back to the loop junction and got to the lot at almost 11:00am. Total trip time 1hr. Views from the Fire tower not all that impressive, I prefer the Little Baldy knob. A nice 1 hour work out! Pics of this hike here> http://www.flickr.com/photos/excape1/sets/72157623153916894/

Mt. Major 1/1/2010

Difficulty: Moderate (steep and rough especially on ledges)


Directions: From Alton, NH take Rt. 11 West and follow it for about 6 miles. Trail head parking lot is on the left (blue sign)

Report: My mom left me a message on my phone New Years Eve night that she was hiking Mt. Major (Alton, NH) in the morning. I was game, and was up on time to meet her at 10:00am. The lot was surprisingly 1/2 full. Despite this we saw only a couple people on the trails. The skies were overcast and there were snow flurries falling the entire time. Temps. remained in the low 30's. The summit ledges had a sheet of soft ice under the snow, so I took out the stabalizers for us to use. They worked perfectly, mom was impressed with how well they worked. Made the summit with ice covered trees posing for pics and only about a 200 ft. visibility on the summit areas. Thought I would entertain you all this year with my Sponge Bob, and brought a SB foam cube (got a pic on trail & at summit ). We made our usual loop down the Brook trail and got back down our usual time. Total trip time 1hr. 45min. HAPPY NEW YEAR

Pics of this hike here> http://www.flickr.com/photos/excape1/sets/72157622989789503/