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Bethlehem, New Hampshire, United States
E-mail contact: randonneur8@yahoo.com | Facebook: facebook.com/1HappyHikerNH

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19 March 2013

A Trek in Southeast Corner of Presidential Range Dry River Wilderness


Recent rain followed by sustained temperatures below freezing created a hardened snowpack that was ideal for bushwhacking.  These conditions allow you to tramp through the forest to anyplace you want to go.  You can walk on top of the snow much the same way as walking on a paved surface!
Snowshoes barely left an imprint on the hardened snowpack
To take advantage of these marvelous conditions I did a loop hike of about 7 miles in the southeast corner of the Presidential Range Dry River Wilderness.  About half of this trek was a bushwhack, and the other portion utilized the Mt. Langdon Trail (plus a small snippet of the Mt. Stanton Trail).  At the end of this report is a map which provides a general idea of the route that I followed.

Shown below are some photos that were taken from various ledges along my route, as well as from a large logging cut located a bit NW of Mt. Langdon.
Presidential Range and Wildcat-Carter Range
Slight zoom of Wildcat-Carter Range
Mt. Parker and Presidential Range
Mt. Carrigain (in distance on left) and Mt. Parker
Iron Mountain
South view (Bear Mtn and Bartlett Haystack in foreground; Sandwich Range peaks in distance)
East view (Peaks in "The Crippies" on left; Attitash Ski Area on right)
North Moat (slightly right of center); Attitash Ski Area on left
Cliffs sometimes referred to as "Back Stairs" with Mt. Pierce on far right
Shown below is a composite photo showing zoomed images similar to what could be seen through binoculars.
Zoomed images similar to what could be seen through binoculars
The next composite shows the type of open woods that were present for the bushwhack portion of my trek.
Open woods that were present for bushwhack portion of trek
This last composite shows the trail signs that were seen along the portion of my hike that was done on-trail.
Trail signs seen along the on-trail portion of my hike
And to wrap it up, here are two miscellaneous snapshots.
Mt. Langdon Shelter
Picturesque little cascade
Lastly, as promised at the beginning of the report, shown below is a map which provides a general idea of the route for this adventure (click to enlarge).
Map showing a general idea of the route used for this adventure
To sum it up, the hardened snowpack conditions like those present on the day of this hike are a bushwhacker's dream come true!

16 March 2013

Bizarre . . . even for me! A Repeat Trek to Blake Mountain

Admittedly, I do a fair number of rather peculiar hikes.  However, it was bizarre (even for me) to do a trek to the same destination in less than a week.

The only way I can explain this strange behavior is to speculate that I came down with an acute case of OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder)!  A day or so after having hiked to Blake Mountain (the first time!), I noticed that there is another obvious route for reaching this destination.  I became obsessed with giving this route a try, and I felt compelled to try it (sooner rather than later)!

On the positive side of the equation, the snow conditions on 15-March were ideal for bushwhacking.  Recent rain, followed by below freezing temperatures, had consolidated the snowpack into a firm mass.  This was perfect for the mixed conditions I encountered, which consisted of large patches of snow intermixed with patches of bare ground.  There was never a need to use snowshoes or Microspikes since I could walk on top of the rain-hardened snow with bare boots.

And even though my destination was the same, the two routes were completely different.  At least this was consistent with my goal of trying to do something different on each of my hikes.  The map presented below shows the route taken on 09-March and the one taken on 15-March (click to enlarge).
Map showing two routes taken to Blake Mountain
Shown below is a chart which compares the two routes to Blake Mountain (click to enlarge).
Comparison chart of the two routes to Blake Mountain
The route taken on 15-March was predominately a bushwhack through woods that were mostly open hardwoods, along with a smattering of mixed conifers.  It was fairly easy to keep on course by following the various boundary markers which consisted of sporadic signage, and trees with swatches of red paint.  And for a large part of the route, the boundary parallels an old stone wall.  I assume this wall was a boundary marker for a landowner of bygone days.  The next photo shows a sample of these various boundary markers.
Boundary markings encountered along the route
Shown below is a compilation of some of the views available from the logging cut located near the top of Blake Mountain.
Some of the views from logging cut located near the top of Blake Mountain
I have just two other photos to present.  This next one shows a tree that I saw along the way.  It had quite a few resident mushrooms clinging to its trunk!
A "Mushroom Tree" seen along the route to Blake Mountain
And, as you might recall from gazing at the map shown above, my most recent trek to Blake Mountain also included a short side trip to Mud Pond.  Yes, this is one of the many bodies of water that are named Mud Pond!  It would be interesting to know how many ponds there are, in the State of NH alone, which have been bestowed with this name.  It wouldn't surprise me to learn that there might be upwards of 20 or more!  

Regardless, shown below is a photo which shows a portion of the Mud Pond that I visited on 15-March. 
Mud Pond 
To sum it up, I always enjoy bushwhacking for the pure pleasure of it.  Therefore, even though I had just visited Blake Mountain a few days earlier, this was still a fun adventure for me.  However, I now have my fill of Blake Mountain.  If I ever make a return visit, it will likely be many years from now!  And for anyone who might be curious, I found the route taken on 15-March to be more pleasurable than the one taken on 09-March.