Mt. Roberts 2/26/11

"Breaking Trail on Roberts" (pictures)

Saturday morning it was time to hike! Missing out on hiking the weekend before due to high winds. So we were both rested after a long Friday and ready for a good hike......and that brings me back to Friday actually. Yes Friday, when all the wonderful thawing that took place the days prior, the feelings of Spring, that dash of hope that soon the trees would be budding, blah...blah...blah! Well it was all covered up with 10 inches of snow! I shoveled the driveway all day and was sore and tired. Scott had to drive home in crappy conditions and we both had to go out to clean that evening. So with plenty of snow back on the ground it looks like the snow shoes I was excited to purchase at EMS.com will be getting much more use after all!

My original plan was to hike the Pawtuckaway North peak as we had visited there once in the summer. So I packed my smaller back pack and went a little lighter on the emergency type gear. I threw my camera in the bag, which I don't usually do until I get to the mountain. Things changed however when Scott mentioned hiking one of the other mountains at Castle in the Clouds Conservation Area, that mountain being Roberts. I was unsure about it, the wind was blowing a bit and I didn't know exactly what the trail was like. But I soon agreed to give it a try, as I was certainly anxious to check it out! Sooooo, I switched everything (almost everything...) back over to my larger pack and we headed out.

We arrived at the lot at 9:30am. The first one's there by the looks, one vehicle with a person hanging out, perhaps a worker at the bottling plant? It was certainly cold, so we bundled up and I checked out the kiosk to look at the map. The route scanned, all packed and camera in hand........oh $#!% My camera was still at home in the other back pack! Oh this bummed me out so bad! Can you imagine? Me without my camera, AWE-ful! We did have Scott's camera, although I have hated it since I bought it. Lousy pictures, slow, difficult to use. I cursed at it all day, but at least I got a few decent pics out of it!

"Sigh", moving on ... sheesh, 3 paragraphs and we aren't even on the trail yet!! So, down the road we went carrying our snow shoes to the trail head (follow the road to the left, signs for Mt. Roberts trail which lead beside the horse stable). What lay ahead of us was nearly a foot of unbroken, fluffy snow! This would be our first major trail breaking on snow shoe's! The trail follows a logging road, switch backs around and comes out at the top of the horse field along an electric fence. We then made the moderate climb through the varying conditions of deep snow, snow drifts and frozen granular. You follow and cross several logging roads, but the trail is well marked by orange blazes, diamond markers and arrows.

We passed the camera back-and-forth for pictures as Scott pretty much led the way. As he broke trail I kept an opposite step so as to pack in between his steps. Animal trails were everywhere. It is always neat to see all the tracks left after a snow fall! Mice, deer, fox. One track imparticularly was impressive. It was the complete outline of a small mammal which I believe was a Bobcat. I thought fox at first, but given the track and tail imprint I am leaning towards the Bobcat....what do you think?

We saw glimpses of ledge through the trees, that being the first view point which was looking impressive from here. We made a moderate to steep climb and followed the spur trail 50 yards to a wonderful ledgy viewpoint. I don't want to diss' Bald Knob on the other side of the Castle, but I like this view much more! Easier to get to, and it includes a view over to the snow capped Mt. Moosilauke. The wind was very cold here so we hurried along back onto the trail to warm back up. Well, Scott did. I fumbled with the stupid camera trying to get the panorama mode figured out and trying to get a clear picture.

The trail began now has moderate climbs through stunted oaks, following and crossing several more logging roads. The trail then crossed some open areas that I am assuming were ledges but covered in snow. We then arrived at another view point then a third looking directly across to the other mountains in this range including Faraway, Turtleback, Shaw, Castle in the Clouds, Bald Knob beyond and Lake Winnipesaukee. We now climbed over 3 foot snow drifts then onto a lovely ledgy knob. Certain this might be the top we got a bit excited, only to find there was another rocky knob ahead. We got to that knob to see yet another ahead. I dropped my pack for a break as we talked to see how each of us was doing physically. Scott I could tell was getting tired, as he should be, he broke trail nearly 2 miles. I was getting tired myself after the day of shoveling. He than said "I'm just gonna check to see how deep the snow is beyond these trees" and off he went. Feeling left out I hoisted my bag up and followed him.

We spotted a very prominent knob ahead and felt this may really be the summit and we decided this would be our stopping point either way. We reached it and I unstrapped my snow shoes to climb the bare rock to get a look-see. Unfortunately this was not the summit, the ridge continued on into a pine grove with no definitive top in sight. We took a break at 11:45am and curious as to how close we were I pulled out my phone. Service was slow but I was still able to access my google maps which put us at 2400 feet. 170 ft. of elevation and a quarter mile or so from the summit. Not much, but we were happy where we were and felt no need to go further.

And so down we went and fast as always! Once again as with the Bald Knob hike the snow shoes got the best of me and as I slid down a steep section my feet went out from under me! As I made a "yelp" I landed flat out on my back...back pack that is. Luckily I had the camera so no pics of the fallen, bwah, ha, ha! Once I had the snow off me we continued. At the bottom of the ledges we crossed paths with a couple and the always annoying "how much further to the top?" question was asked without even a hello! Now let me just get this off my chest. I HATE being asked this.

First, I am enjoying myself and don't want to try and think how much time it took us to get down to this point and figure out how long that translates to going back up.
Second, if you don't know how long the trail is and don't know your math, perhaps you shouldn't be hiking! The general math is: 2 miles an hour plus a half hour for each 1000 feet of elevation gain. So, 2.5 miles = 1.25 hours, 1200 feet elevation gain = 35 min. or so which = 2 hours, perhaps longer in deep snow!
Third, if all your concerned about is the top, again, perhaps you shouldn't be hiking. Enjoy mountain as a whole, not just how fast or how many summits can I get to.
Sorry, but that is how I feel about that!

Surprisingly we passed about 8 other people coming up (a group I think) and all asked the same dam question, grrrr! Most were polite and friendly however and it was neat to see how many people we broke trail for and how much easier it would be now to descend! As we got back down below the first view point I spotted a triangular track in the snow. It literally looked like arrows pointing the way down hill! After checking my Scats and Tracks of the NE book I determined them to be turkey tracks.

As we passed the electric fence again, me being me had to get a picture next to the "HOT" sign. We then cut off the switch back and snow shoe'd down the banking. There were several vehicles parked near the stable and a group with 2 dogs out for a stroll around the pond loop by the looks. I over heard the lady say to one of the dogs "thank you for coming with us Bella". This name rung a bell as I had encountered this lone hiking dog twice on Blue Job Mt. in Farmington (tagged as the Blue Job hiker). I looked to see a black lab and so it had to be the Bella I have met. I was going to say hi to the owner but he had already jumped in his truck. We finished at 1:15pm.

We finished our day with a stop at Dunkin Donuts as always for a coffee and....what's that? A new sandwich? Two Big N' Toasty sandwiches please! WOW, so GOOD!! But not as good as the ritual Chinese food take-out and a coke and rum for dinner!! This was a lovely hike that I certainly plan on visiting again and again! The perfect distance and trail gradient for the average snow shoe hiker. Total time for us was 3:45 hours, about 4.6 miles.

Little Niagra Falls 2/24/11

"Me, Myself and an Otter" (pictures)

Google Map

A Face Book friend of mine seeing I was an avid hiker and visited Blue Job Mountain often told me about a little gem tucked around the corner that few know about. After missing out on getting outside on the beautiful Wednesday we had, I wasn't passing up Thursday's lovely weather ahead of Friday's snow storm. So I hit the bed early and got up a little earlier than usual. I stopped at Honey Dews for my coffee and made my way up the back roads over frost heaves and pot holes, an unwelcoming "welcome" to Spring thaw! Take 1st Crown Point Road in Farmington towards the Blue Job Mt. parking. As I passed I noticed two State Police Communication Maintenance trucks in the lot. I was almost intrigued to stop and hike up to see what/if any action I could catch up there at the Fire Tower. But I longed for a lonely, quite trail so I continued on. Shortly after the BJ parking lot Little Niagra Rd. is on your left. Take it to it's end at a yellow house. There is plenty of parking and a "no cars beyond this point" sign.

I took my 4th sip of my coffee and threw my bag on and locked the truck. Then the thought of that full coffee sitting in there getting cold.......I couldn't just leave it behind! So back into the truck to retrieve my java. I strapped it into my pouch and proceeded to the snow bank to put my snow shoes on. As I bent over to put them on my coffee spilled out onto my leg...grrrrr! That was a dumb moment! Now coffee in hand I headed down the trail/logging road at 12:45pm. I took some pictures of the marsh as I passed.

You pass a gated logging road on the right, then another road to the left with a gated bridge signed "foot traffic only". I continued past these, following the many post holes from a person/s trekking through the snow bare boot. Up a slight hill and then on my right was a graveyard! Surprised to see this out here I checked it out. The names were of the Foss family from the early to mid 1800's. The main stones were of Jeremiah and Eliza Foss and son Horace. One pretty stone caught my eye. The name was odd, Hopatio N. Foss who was born 2/18/1821...just missed his/her birthday! This poor child died at one years old 12/4/1822. There is an old stone foundation just before you enter Little Niagra road and I wonder if that is where their house stood, or if it was the yellow home? Who knows!

The road now drops and I passed another marsh area and the Big Lot River and began to wonder where this fall was and if it was large enough to even notice in the snow cover. At any rate, after a lousy weekend of wind I was happy to be out in the woods in another new area. Soon however I came to a point where the road crosses the river. A stone bridge foundation is here without the bridge. Then down stream just a little was the Little Niagra Falls I was searching for! It was just after 1:00pm. I took some pics at the head of the fall, all ice/snowed over still but partially visible. I made my way carefully down the banking to try and get a view from the foot of the fall. Not able to get close enough safely I trekked back up the ledgy banking.

I then decided to cross the river. I walked across the bridge foundation and decided to climb down to the river here as it was shallow enough and there were rocks I could balance on. I crossed with no problem and climbed the other side. I followed the banking on this side, keeping plenty of distance so as to be safe. I got a few side pics but there just wasn't enough showing. This looks like it could be a very impressive 50' cascading fall in the spring! I checked my phone wondering why I hadn't gotten my 1:15 lunch call from Scott...ahhh, no service! I probably should have messaged him where I was going. This is the second time I  broke the back country golden rule.....Tell someone where you will be and when you plan to return. Yes it's just a little ol' logging road but still, anything can happen! I grabbed for my water as I was parched to find that it wasn't there! I searched the area for it and figured it probably fell out when I put my snow shoes on at my start. Wouldn't that figure!

I popped a Ricola in my mouth to help lubricate my throat and continued on down the road. This side had one lonely bare boot trail on it. I followed the road through an open pine forest down another gully past a small stream and up a steep hill to where it ends at Barn Door Gap Road. The time was 1:37pm. I headed back to the falls where I snapped some more pictures and made my arduous crossing to the other side. Once again I crossed without getting wet! I had picked up a small branch from the trail earlier that had a nice piece of lichen on it. And now I was noticing more. I kept picking up the good ones as I went, thinking of clear coating them and making a wreath or something to hang on the wall.

I stopped back at the marsh and took some more pictures. And just as I started to step I heard a thrashing in the woods. Then, an otter poked his nose from the shrubs and looked around the surrounding area. Here I was in bright orange out in the open, I knew I would be spotted. I kept still just the same, camera in hand and ready for the slight chance of a photo opportunity! Then, he made the mad dash across the snow covered ice and down into the river bed. That little moment bumped my walk from 80% satisfied to 100%. Something so simple, yet still so intense and exciting!

The rest of the way was uneventful. I spotted a mess of fur and the tip of a fox tail to the side of the trail. That fox met his match! Now with a handful of sticks with lichens on them I still decided to walk to the other bridge to get a look-see. From here you can look right across the marsh and to Blue Job and Little Baldy to the left of the summit. The cell towers and Fire Tower all visible. I followed the shore and up the road that loops around a cellar hole and back to the main road. I finished my day at 2:15pm and there was my water lying in the snow bank! It tasted, oh so good! Roughly 2 miles round trip, 1.5 hours. Very kid friendly walk!

Me...how I got here...and joining the Society for the Protection of NH Forest's



Mt. Prospect in Alton 1987ish

 I have been supporting the SPNHF for a couple years now and have been getting the itch to get involved more. I have really come to love the forest and mountains of NH since I was 5 years old. My parents made sure we were always outside. We would take trips up the "Kanc" and spend the weekends on the Swift river, hiking Mt. Major (Alton), Mt. Prospect (Alton) and Chocorua. There was a good size forest behind our house where my brother and I would climb the trees, build little forts and enjoy nature. We would allow our younger sister to play with us occasionally "snicker" but usually it was just me and my bro'. There was a lake and beach down the road where we spent a lot of time swimming and exploring the river and marsh a half mile upstream. My parents owned a 100 acre forest up the road for a couple years where we continued our forest explorations.



Mt. Washington 1997

 Next came hiking the Presidential's. When I was 10 my Uncle brought me up Mt. Adams and we stayed at Craig Camp. The awe and beauty of these mountains had me "hooked" and I would soon talk my parents (church youth group leaders at the time) into these high peaks and we had 3 Youth Group hikes the following years up Garfield, Adams and Washington. Those were some of my fondest memories!



Mt. Washington 2004

 Fast forward from the 1990's to 2007 when my Mom and I began to explore the other 48. Wow! What a surprise those were. Just as exciting as the Presidential's and in many cases just as difficult if not more! So many different things to find on each trail, on each mountain, in each forest. Mushrooms, trees, rocks, water features, bugs and birds, animal tracks and the occasional run-in with the animals that left those tracks! So many wonderful things the forest has to offer for those that can slow down and appreciate the stillness, the grandeur and the minuteness all in a complete piece of beauty!



William H. Champlin JR Forest Preserve
(SPNHF)

 This brings me back to the present time. My new found hobby has progressed into more. I began to study books pertaining to the NH forests and mountains, what formed them and the many other aspects that make up a forest including mushrooms and lichen which I have taken a strong interest in. Photography is something that has also began to evolve from these experiences. View my Flickr Page for all my hiking pictures. I also began a blog (obviously...your reading it!) and began searching and exploring the forests and mountains in my more immediate area that I didn't even know existed! Something I sped by every day in my daily routines. I began to realize how many forests we still have and wanted to somehow give back and help preserve, protect and enlarge these wonderful areas.




Castle Ravine 2010



So, to bring this chapter to a close, I signed up with the SPNHF as a land steward. Training is May 20 and 21 and I am very excited to try something new and get involved! Here is the link if your interested in joining yourself! I look forward to continuing my knowledge and interest in this field and can't wait to see what the future holds for NH's forests and my little part in this vast, beautiful state I call home! So that's 25 years in a nut-shell! Who know's what the next 25 holds! After hiking/walking in Maine, Presque Isle State Park and Pymatuning Lake PA and Kennesaw GA / Stone Mt. GA I know I will be visiting many other states and THEIR forests and mountains. And of course, there is always somewhere in the New England to still explore and re-explore!

Newfield Wildlife Management Area & Abbott Mt. 2/17/11

"Warmly Greeted by the Abbott" (pictures)



Google Map

 Thursday was to see a dramatic rise in temperature and I planned to take advantage of some warm sunshine! I had planned on trying to find the trail head for Copple Crown Mt. in New Durham. I awoke earlier than usual to give myself enough time. I got a pot of coffee going, munched down on some fresh pineapple, packed up and headed out. I followed the directions in the AMC Southern NH Trail Guide. I came to the road that was supposed to be Mountain Rd. but the actual road was called Moose Mountain Rd. The pavement came to an end at 1.5 miles as the book says and a snow bank blocked the two access roads. There were "No Trespassing" signs and a house but a "No Littering" sign gave clues that this was a public access area. I still didn't feel comfortable parking here and venturing on what would be a long hike. I didn't have my heavy winter gear or emergency kit with me and I just didn't feel good about this one today. (Little did I know there is a Mountain Rd. that also enters the Moose Mountain area off of Kings Highway. I will have to explore this next time! There is also private access off Copple Crown Village Rd.)

I jumped on Google Maps on my Droid phone to try and find somewhere to go. I wanted to do something different and there are a few spots that showed up in green on the maps. One was 30 minutes away in Shapleigh, Maine called Newfields Wildlife Management Area (NWMA) and was adjacent to the Abbott Mt. Range. Perhaps I would get lucky and climb a mountain after all! I took the back roads to Mann Rd. It was pretty secluded all the way which was promising! Gray Rd. was unplowed so I continued on to Granny Kent Pond Rd. where my GPS was pointing to for the NWMA "location". Suddenly I found myself in a very crowded and overdeveloped Rd. I hate how they ever allowed this on our beautiful ponds! Thinking I wasn't going to get lucky on this trip either I slowly passed a town/association maintenance garage and out-of-the-corner-of-my-eye just as I was passing noticed a trail! I backed up into the parking area and verified that it was indeed a snow shoe trail.....Woooh-Whoooo!

Threw my bag and snow shoes on and started up the banking and up the trail. "Oh crap!" Forgot to lock the truck! Headed back to the banking and hit the button until I heard my ride "beep". Back to it now, temps. were a balmy mid. 50's and the sun was shining brightly. The packed trail was a bit soft from this wonderful weather and I was glad to have snow shoes! The trail climbs slightly and then appeared to loop over the 600 foot hill in the middle of the Management area. The sight of mountains ahead of me and a packed trail heading in that direction had me continuing on. The trail slightly drops off a rocky banking and passes through a beautiful conifer forest made up of mostly pitch pines. Past a pink boundary line you cross Gray Rd. which is apparently a snow mobile trail in winter, continue through the woods and soon cross another snow mobile trail.

Soon the trail climbs slightly passing a small brook and takes a sharp right before a large boulder. It was here the packed trail ended. Ahead lay a filled in trail which appeared to be an old woods road. Looks like I will be getting some work done today! I began breaking trail up a moderate climb. Stopping occasionally to take a breather and take in the new surroundings. I passed by a large snow shoe hare trail which was something to see. As I leveled out near the ridge top a heavily traveled herd path zigzagged through the woods in front of and around me. I was nervous at first thinking it was moose. I thought of how know one knew where I was, Scott would think I was on Copple Crown and what if a moose trampled me or something! But upon closer inspection the trail looked to be deer tracks. The scat and snow burrows confirmed this. I felt better now knowing it was only deer!

I continued along the ridge getting partial views through the trees of the surrounding hills and pond. Near the top of the ridge I lost the trail all together, not able to make out a definite way. I would take my phone out now and then to check my google map location and followed my progress up the ridge.....how cool is technology!! I then saw several snow "humps" through the trees that looked like ledges. Ahhh, the beauty of winter hiking, you can easily see through the trees and hey....if you don't know where your going you can always follow your foot steps back!

I arrived at the ledges or rock outcrops and found the highest of the three. Upon checking my map again I was smack dab on the highest point of this particular ridge at about 860 feet! I swigged down my O.N.E. Acai juice I was dying to open. It was a delicious, sweet/tart treat! This is one drink that will snap you back out of the twilight zone believe me! After a pic I determined it was too late to continue on to Abbott Mt. which was still some distance away and well, I had lost a viable trail. Happy with the days progress and discovery I made my way back down following my steps. I broke off occasionally to check out the various knoll areas looking for a clearing with no such luck. I did find a nice tree to climb and climbed 30 feet or so to get a more clear shot of the surrounding terrain.

Once back down and back into the NWMA boundary I decided to take the loop. I passed by a nice rock formation and climbed to where the trail descends again. I broke trail to the ridge top that I could see through the trees. Hoping to find that clear view I was looking for, but again was disappointed! Ah well, another high point reached (600 feet) I was ready to get back to solid ground. Once back on the road I found Abbott Mountain Rd. and driving to the end showed evidence that this was a trail. A snow mobile trail currently but also looked to be a hiking trail. Guess I will have to try this way next time!

A pretty productive day. Didn't hit a mountain top or get a fantastic view but the weather was super and I discovered a new hiking area which is ultimately what this blog is all about.....discovering unmarked or unknown hiking/walking areas. Total trip was around 3 miles, 390 ft. elevation, 2 hours
Despite the minuscule numbers this hike was tough snow shoeing in soft snow and my calf's are SORE! Was a good work out!

Stuck On A Swiss Mountain? There's An App For That - Technology News Story - WMUR Manchester

I wonder if we will ever see this in NH? Many will argue that technology can increase the risk people are willing to take especially among the amature hiker. We can only hope that hikers realize there is not always cell phone reception, especially in the WMNF and the only safety one has is bringing the proper gear, knowing your trip information, sticking to a plan and telling a responsible person where you will be and when you will return. Make sure you follow the Safe Hiker Guidelines (Hikesafe.com) Be safe and have fun! Most importantly, return home alive so you can share your adventure with your friends and family and live to hike another day!
Stuck On A Swiss Mountain? There's An App For That - Technology News Story - WMUR Manchester

Bald Knob 2/12/11

"A Crispy Day" (pictures)

After finishing my work Friday night I stopped by my brothers in Dover to pick up my hiking pole he had accidentally brought home with him from our hike up Kearsarge North. We chatted and talked about our plans for Saturday. He was headed to snow board with his son, I was headed to hike. I got home late at 11:30pm but was still determined to make my Tornado Balls! I popped my Advil PM, something I HAVE to do when going to bed early as I WILL NOT sleep. Working nights my whole life and my biological clock is on hyper mode from 10pm to 3am! I whipped out a double batch in no time, added 2 banana's for good measure and made the tedious effort to roll them all. 30 balls in all by the time I was done! Then, the just as lengthy clean up afterwards! 12:30am was rolling around and I was beginning to feel the woozy affects of the Advil and took my shower and passed out in the fluffy blankets!

I awoke 6:30am and dragged my sorry ass out of bed. I hate getting up early! Showered, threw on the hiking layers and stumbled down stairs to give Scott that "leave me alone, I'll rise but I won't shine" look. I opened a can of Tuna to make my sandwich and made the mistake of squeezing Ranch dressing into it confusing that bottle with the horse radish sauce bottle. I wasn't too happy! So, opened another can and got the dam sandwich ready! All the other bars and Tornado Balls packed, bags packed and snow shoes ready we packed up the truck and headed out.

We originally planned on joining Laurie and Russ for a second attempt at Mt. Hale, but I knew we wouldn't make such a long hike (still being new to snow shoe's and Scott not being a very big fan of winter hiking) so I planned for something on the lighter side. I had wanted to get back to the Brook Trail and Bald Knob at Castle in the Clouds for a winter hike, and that would be our goal for the day. We passed by Lake Winnipesaukee, with all it's bays dotted with bob houses, cars, trucks, warming up snow mobiles, four wheelers and people! We quickly made it to the parking area for Castle in the Clouds Conservation Area and parked with the other 2 vehicles.

We almost decided not to bother with snow shoes, but not wanting to make that mistake twice I attached mine to my back pack and Scott followed suit. Our start time was 8:30am. It was a short plowed road walk to the trail head for Brook Trail where we said our hello's to two people walking dogs along the road. The trail was not packed down at all. There was one snow shoe trail a week old and that was it! I was rather excited we would be making good use of the snow shoes finally breaking a trail! The deep, ice crusted snow was difficult to walk in. It sounded like a big bowl of Rice Krispy's all day! We soon we met a more packed trail. We arrived at the first of many falls, all of which were snow covered and iced over. We crossed over to an unpacked trail section, then back onto packed and so on.

We arrived at the first large fall which unfortunately was also snowed over as was the 40 foot fall at the boardwalk which was a thick column of ice. We adjusted our bunched up socks here and tightened boots and snow shoes etc. A small snack and then it was the steep climb up the banking and up to the connector trail. This is used as a snow mobile trail in the winter. We walked the road down and up to the Bald Knob cutoff trail and began the 1.3 mile climb. We started off slow, but that was fine because it was early and we were just gonna take our time and enjoy ourselves.

Right off from the first climb I turned to talk to Scott and the backs of my snow shoes sunk in the soft snow. Losing my balance I planned out my fall and exclaimed I was going down! I fell off trail into the crunchy, but otherwise soft snow! Arm dug in and stuck, and the heavy pack holding me down I waited for Scott to snap the picture before I could get him to pull me back up onto the trail. The rest of the trip was pretty uneventful. We passed over the first ledge area with partial views and I broke out the "Balls". After our break and snack I got a burst of energy and got a couple hundred feet ahead of Scott. Once on the Bald Knob trail Scott caught up for the last .3 miles.

We reached the Bald Knob summit at 11:15am. The wind was blowing steady here making the low 20's feel like the low teens. The view was wonderful. The clouded sky's made pictures better then if the sun was shining which would have caused solar glare off the snow and there was a wonderful glow behind the Belknap range beyond Lake Winnipesaukee. Some quick pics and we were headed back down out of the cold. Scott took the usual lead down and boy did we drop down the trail with haste! There were a few near falls for both of us and Scott nearly pulling his back out on one particular slip. We had some fun following the two ski paths that weaved back and forth on and off the hiking trail. We arrived back at the snow mobile trail. A scary moment of the machines coming just as we got on the sharp corner of the road then onto the Shannon Brook trail for an uphill walk back to the truck. Finishing time was 12:30pm.

This trip was just enough for us. Plenty of elevation, about 5 miles. Temps ranged in the mid to upper 20's with a wind chill at the knob. A beautiful area that I can't wait to explore over the next year! And I can't wait for a Spring hike on the beautiful brook trail when the water is gushing over those falls!

Mt. Major 2/6/11

"Frozen" (pictures)

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: The wind was howling outside as we awoke at 6:30am. It was an interesting night! What was originally supposed to be 3-6 inches of snow turned out to be an inch of snow and a night of sleet and freezing rain. To top that off a thunder storm rolled through about 11pm which took me by surprise! The sun was shining however this Super Bowl Sunday morning. The clouds were a-glow in dark orange as the sun rose from behind the hills. I quickly decided to scrap what was supposed to be a fresh powder snow shoe up Locke's Hill and instead do the undoubtedly ice covered Mt. Major. It had been some years since I have done Major in ice and I was excited.

We arrived at the trail head at 8:00am. Art was right on time (a Mt. Major regular) and he was heading up his usual way up the Express route off the boulder trail. We geared up, deciding to leave the little used snow shoes behind as the trail was well packed and holding a fresh crusty inch of snow. Threw the micro-spikes on and headed up the Mount Major trail. Trees were coated in ice and made an erie noise as the wind blew the branches to and fro. The rising sun shined through lighting them up like glass. I threw aside the occasional branch that lay in the trail, apparently not able to withstand the weight of the gripping ice on it's bow and falling to it's doom.

As we climbed the temperatures got cooler and the winds picked up. Scott began to fall behind but I pushed on and coaxed him along. We slowly snaked our way around bent frozen trees and snow drifts to the first ledge followed by the second ledge and then the third and final. We arrived at the summit at 9:30am. Winds were whipping at a face numbing 40 mph. Views were beautiful as always, although the Ossipee mountains and beyond were wrapped in gray snow clouds. Ice covered trees shined brightly in the sunlight up here. Snow was deep, nearly a foot and crusty on top.

Scott rejuvenated took the lead down as usual. We made our descent of the ledge and crossed paths with a lady hiking up with two dogs. One of the dogs this tiny little black thing was so cute and adorable! We talked with the lady a bit and the little dog kept barking at her to "let's go!" We soon arrived at the cut off for the Express route and made quick time down the softening snow. We passed Art on his second trip up this trail today! We chatted, I updated him on my parents whom he passed often on the trail and we returned to our descent. We arrived back down quickly, hitting the Boulder trail for a short 100 feet then back on the parking lot at 10:00am Always the perfect little hike on any day!