Pages

About Me

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

Text Above Search Box

SEARCH MY BLOG USING TEXT BOX SEEN BELOW:

15 April 2014

Three Short Hikes in Vicinity of Lake Morey (Fairlee, VT)

In my perpetual quest to engage in hiking adventures that are new to me, I drove about an hour southwest of my home in Bethlehem, NH to hike on a nice network of trails at Lake Morey which is located in the town of Fairlee, VT.

There are many hikes that can be done at this location, but I only had time for three short treks to the following destinations: Glen Falls; Bald Top Mountain; Fairlee Palisades.  The hikes to Glen Falls and to Fairlee Palisades were done on trails maintained by a cooperative venture of the Town of Fairlee, Lake Morey Protective Association and Lake Morey Foundation.  The hike to Bald Top Mountain was done on the trail system maintained by the Cross Rivendell organization.

Besides having a nice network of hiking trails, here is another interesting tidbit about Lake Morey.  In winter months, the Lake Morey Resort, Upper Valley Trails Alliance and the Hulbert Outdoor Center maintains a 4.5-mile ice-skating loop trail around the lake.  This is the longest ice-skating trail in the U.S.

For those like me who are interested in knowing such things, Lake Morey was named in honor of Samuel Morey (1762-1843).  He is considered by many to be the true inventor of the steamboat, rather than Robert Fulton.  Morey experimented with a steamboat on the Connecticut River.  He patented his engine, but later sold it to Fulton who later gained fame from a steamboat he built and named the Clermont.

As to how the surrounding town of Fairlee got its unique name, there are several theories.  One is that the Connecticut River was a convenient 'highway' during the 18th century.  When a group of soldiers from Rogers’ Rangers were returning from their northward trek in the French and Indian War to the fort at Charlestown, NH, some of them camped at this spot along the river and noticed the “fair lea’’ between the hills.  And so, they decided this would be a desirable place for a town to be called “Fairlea”.

Okay, that's probably enough jabber about the lake and the town.  Shown below are some snapshots that were taken at various points along the way during my three short treks.  There are many other hikes to be done at this location, and I hope to do several of them over the upcoming months.

Glen Falls (would guesstimate the drop to be about 25 to 30 ft.)
Some additional cascades located above Glen Falls
Approaching the summit area of Bald Top Mountain
Nothing in particular, just a nice vista of rolling hills as seen from Bald Top Mountain
Zoomed view of Mt. Moosilauke from Bald Top Mtn (too overcast for any crystal-clear views of distant peaks)
Upper end of Fairlee Palisades closed due to nesting Peregrine Falcons
The nesting areas for Peregrine Falcons are on the distant cliffs (just left of center)
View from Fairlee Palisades looking eastward across Connecticut River to Orford, NH
Vast majority of my travels to all 3 locations was on snow-free trails (only a few patches of ankle-deep snow here and there)
View from shoreline of Lake Morey where I began my trek to Glen Falls (lake is perhaps only a day or so away from being ice-free)
Photo taken from Blood Brook Road at the trailhead for the hike to Bald Top Mountain
Soon after leaving the trailhead on Blood Brook Road, the trail runs adjacent to a horse farm for a short distance
~ THE END ~ 


11 April 2014

A Return Wintertime Visit to Black Cap Mountain (North Conway, NH)

It's probably fair to say that most folks hike to Black Cap Mountain during the warm weather months when you can drive to the trailhead parking lot at the top of Hurricane Mountain Road.  Therefore, this trek is likely regarded by many as a relatively mild-mannered adventure.  After all, it's only 2.6 miles (round-trip) with an elevation gain of about 675 ft.

However, during the cold weather months this hike is less easygoing.  Rather than driving to the trailhead, you need to begin hiking from the bottom of Hurricane Mountain Road where it is gated and closed to automobile traffic for the winter season.  As a result, this trek becomes a round-trip journey of about 6 miles with an elevation gain of nearly 1,700 ft.

There are rewards for doing this as a wintertime trek with its extra mileage and greater elevation gain. For one thing, you can almost be assured of having the entire mountain all to yourself.  And, without the summertime crowds, the overall ambiance of this place becomes akin to a destination that is more remote.

As I've mentioned (perhaps ad nauseam) in previous blog reports, my strong preference is to do something that is new to me on each of my hikes.  It can be something such as visiting a new destination, or using a new route to hike to a previously-visited spot.

Considering the above, it occurred to me that even though I'd hiked to Black Cap Mountain at about this same time last year (click HERE to read my report), this could become a "new" hike for me if I were to incorporate the Red Tail Trail into my route.  Several years ago, I had hiked a short segment of this trail, but never the entire trail.  (Note: This pathway is actually a mountain bike trail during the warm weather months, but during winter conditions it's sometimes used as a hiking corridor to Black Cap.)

And so, my plan was to do a loop hike.  I would ascend by hiking about 1.7 miles up Hurricane Mountain Road to the trailhead for the Black Cap Trail, and then hike the 1.3 mile distance of that trail to the summit of the mountain.  For the largest segment of my descent route, I would use the Red Tail Trail. (There is a map at the end of this report which shows my entire route.)

The ascent along Hurricane Mountain Road only takes about 45 minutes, and really isn't that boring.  The corridor is surrounded by picturesque woodlands, and the lower end of the road parallels an attractive brook with gentle cascades.

Regarding my descent on the Red Tail Trail, I was pleasantly surprised to see that there was an old snowshoe track.  Although the corridor is pretty well defined, the track made it easier to follow since this trail is unblazed.  In terms of mileage, you really don't save much by using the Red Tail Trail.  However, as compared to Hurricane Mountain Road, it provides a more scenic descent route since there are enjoyable views of Kearsarge North and the Presidential Range at several old logging cuts along the way.

Due to the intermittent soft spots in the snowpack all along the route, snowshoes were worn for both the ascent and descent.  This provided a more stable platform and allowed for a more even stride.

Black Cap (2,369 ft elevation) is the tallest mountain in the Green Hills Preserve (Click HERE to read more about this wonderful parcel of land).  The summit area has many open ledges which provide numerous panoramic views of well-known landmarks in the distance, including Mt. Chocorua, Mt. Carrigain, as well as mountaintops in the Sandwich Range, Franconia Range, Twins-Bond Range, and a host of other mountains and lakes.

Although I do love visiting Black Cap, it's frustrating that I can never seem to photographically capture its magic.  It could be my lack of skill, or perhaps the mountains are simply too far away to achieve the same dramatic impact that is seen with the naked-eye.  Regardless, shown below are a few snapshots taken during my trek.
My favorite vista from Black Cap is looking northward where the view of Kearsarge North dominates the scene and is flanked by the Presidential Range on its left and the Baldface Range on its right.
LEFT SIDE: Some of many peaks in Caribou-Speckled Mountain Wilderness;
RIGHT SIDE: Some of many ponds and lakes in western Maine near New Hampshire border
View of Moat Mountain Range in foreground with various peaks in the Sandwich Range in the background
View of Pleasant Mountain in Maine.  (A monadnock is defined as an isolated rock hill, knob, ridge, or small mountain that rises abruptly from a gently sloping or virtually level surrounding plain.  Appears to me that Pleasant Mountain meets this definition!)
Snapshot taken during ascent along Hurricane Mountain Road
Snapshot taken from one of several old logging cuts along the Red Tail Trail
Another snapshot taken along the Red Tail Trail.  Although there are a few tricky twists and turns along this unblazed trail, the corridor is generally well defined, as shown here.
Nothing special, just a snapshot taken of the brook that flows adjacent to the Hurricane Mountain Road at its lower end
The route for my loop hike is highlighted in pink.  The resolution for this map is poor.  By going to the Green Hills Preserve website (click HERE), the map can be viewed in its original form, and can be downloaded and printed.


~ THE END ~ 

02 April 2014

Trek to Mt. Crawford, Plus Two Bushwhack Side-Trips

BOTTOM LINE:  Hiked to summit of Mt. Crawford, and then continued eastward for a few tenths of a mile beyond the summit to do two short bushwhacks off the Davis Path.  One foray was to a cliff dubbed by Steve Smith as "Razor's Edge", and the other was to the south slope of Crawford Dome.

DETAILS:

In early spring, it's often challenging for me to come up with suitable options for outdoor adventures.  Although there is still a ground cover of snow, the warmer weather generally makes the snow unsuitable for any enjoyable cross-country skiing.  Snowshoeing is still an option, but the sun-softened snow can cling and clump, thus making each step seem like lifting leg weights.  And then as spring progresses, the snow melt can raise water levels and cause issues with brook crossings.

As dismal and foreboding as the foregoing paragraph might sound, there are still some outdoor adventures in the early days of spring that can be enjoyed with some thoughtful planning.

My decision to hike to Mt. Crawford was based upon the knowledge that the trail (Davis Path) is generally well-travelled and therefore would likely require little if any trail-breaking.  Also, the brook crossings on this trail are rarely problematic at any time of year.  And lastly, since the overnight temperature was below freezing, I figured that the snowpack should remain relatively firm and non-clinging, at least until mid-day when the temperature was expected to rise into the low 40s.

In planning this trek,  I had thoughts of possibly extending the hike by continuing eastward beyond Mt. Crawford to visit Mt. Resolution.  However, on the morning of the hike, I received an e-mail from Steve Smith reminding me of yet another possibility which was to bushwhack to a cliff that he had dubbed as "Razor's Edge".  Although I'd never been there, I knew where to find it from the description in his November 2012 blog.  Steve's suggestion also prompted me to consider including yet another bushwhack to a nearby spot known as Crawford Dome.  I'd been there before, but never during wintry conditions (Click HERE for report of my previous trek to Crawford Dome.)

There were no real issues with the hike to Mt. Crawford other than some annoying postholes created by someone who apparently decided to hike the trail without snowshoes.  Some of the postholes were incredibly deep!  It had to have been a very uncomfortable hike.

Following my hike to the summit of Mt. Crawford, conditions were such that I opted to continue eastward along the Davis Path and do the short bushwhack to Razor's Edge.  The snowpack was relatively firm, and the cliff was found with no problem.  It was an enjoyable mini-adventure which provided unique views of the Razor Brook Valley.

Since the snowpack was relatively firm for the trek to Razor's Edge, I then decided to continue onward and do a bushwhack to the cliffs at the northwestern end of Crawford Dome.  Well, that didn't work out nearly as well!

Not only had the air temperature risen, but also the approach to Crawford Dome is predominately south facing.  These factors resulted in a very soft snowpack.  Once I began sinking thigh-deep on a frequent basis, I knew it was time to call it quits (or fold 'em, as I like to say).   But before giving up, I did manage to make it to a ledge which provided some very pleasant views.  And, much to my surprise, there was one segment of the ledge that was completely free of snow!

PHOTOS:

Shown below are some snapshots taken during this adventure.
Approaching the first open ledges en route to summit of Mt. Crawford
Snapshot taken on final approach to summit of Mt. Crawford  (looking northeasterly toward Stairs Mtn and southern Presidential Range)
Looking northward up the Crawford Notch from summit of Mt. Crawford
A vista similar to preceding photo, but looking a bit more westerly
Southward view from summit of Mt. Crawford looking toward Mt. Chocorua and peaks in Sandwich Range
Extreme zoom of Stairs Mtn with peaks in the Carter-Wildcat Range peaking through the gap between Stairs Mtn and Mt. Resolution
Looking southward down Razor Brook Valley from the cliff dubbed by Steve Smith as "Razor's Edge".  (Several decades ago, the Razor Brook Trail traversed this valley and connected with the Davis Path.)
A vista similar to preceding photo, but looking a bit more westerly
Extreme zoom of Mt. Chocorua
The snowpack was fairly firm for the bushwhack to "Razor's Edge" cliff.  (However, snowpack had softened considerably by time I started next bushwhack to Crawford Dome.)
Snowpack became too soft to comfortably continue all the way to Crawford Dome, but at least managed to get part way and had pleasant views of Mt. Resolution, Stairs Mtn, and 'peeks of peaks' in Presidential Range.
As they say in real estate, "location, location, location"! Much to my surprise, there was one segment of this south facing ledge that had huge expanses of snow-free rock.
This snapshot was taken on my descent from Crawford Dome.  It's being shown merely because I thought it was one of the most attractive vistas I've seen that includes the Attitash alpine ski slopes.
For those interested in the locations of my three destinations, each spot is marked with a red "X" on the map (click/tap to enlarge)
~ THE END ~