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

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27 July 2015

Talus Fields at East End of East Hale

It's often difficult for me to decide whether to post some of the stuff I do, especially since I realize that the offbeat places I visit can be of little or no interest to many of my readers.  But, for those who might have some interest, here goes!

On a couple of occasions I've bushwhacked to the top of East Hale which is located on a spur that runs off the east side of Mt. Hale.  There are fabulous views from that location. However, there is a variation to this hike which I'll call East Hale "Lite".

This "Lite" version is done by bushwhacking about 0.6 miles nearly due west from the Zealand Trail parking area in order to reach the mammoth talus fields located several hundred feet below the summit of East Hale on its far eastern end.  It's a relatively easy trek through mostly open woods.  And, in less than an hour from leaving the parking lot, you can be sitting on the talus fields enjoying the views.
Photo taken upon arrival at the bottom of the talus fields
As stated above, and as can be seen in the Google Earth image below, the talus fields are indeed mammoth!  And as a result, this "Lite" version provides a lot of options for exploring.  You can climb as high as you want, and move laterally across the talus fields to your heart's content.  And yes, as might be expected, tramping about on these broken rocks can be tedious, but also a fun challenge!
Google Earth image showing mammoth talus fields at east end of East Hale
As one can well imagine, moving around to different points on the talus field will yield a variety of viewing perspectives.  To illustrate this, my blog posting contains photos taken from two of my treks to this location.  One was done in early May 2010 when I climbed higher up on the talus than a more recent trek done in late July 2015.

To begin, shown below is a panoramic view (taken in July 2015) which shows that the vista from the talus field stretches from the Presidential Range (left) to Zealand Notch (right).
Panorama photo taken on July 2015 trek to East Hale talus fields.  The view stretches from Presidential Range to Zealand Notch.
On my July 2015 trek, there was a rather overcast view of the Presidential Range as shown in the next photo.
A rather overcast view of the Presidential Range (taken on July 2015 trek to East Hale talus fields)
However, on my May 2010 trek, the view of the Presidential Range was much better.  Not only was it taken from a point higher up on the talus fields, but more significantly, the sky was clear!
View of Presidential Range was much better on my May 2010 trek.  Photo taken from a point higher up on the talus fields, but more significantly, the sky was clear!
There was a view of Zealand Notch on my July 2015 trek, as shown in the next photo.
Photo of Zealand Notch taken on my July 2015 trek to East Hale talus fields
But once again, the view of this landscape feature was much better on my May 2010 trek (see next photo).  Not only was I positioned higher on the talus field, but was a bit further on its south side.  Zealand Pond shows up in this photo. It's the small blue spot just to the right of center. With the naked eye (and even better with binoculars), the Zealand Hut can also be seen to the right of the pond.
View of Zealand Notch was much better on my May 2010 trek when I climbed to a point higher up on the talus field, and a bit further on its south side.
To sum it up, besides being a shorter hike than a full-fledged trek to the top of East Hale, this "Lite" version provides good views in its own right, and also provides a lot of options for moving up, down, and sideways on the expansive talus fields at the base of the mountain.

13 July 2015

BEFORE MY BLOG: Trek to a Cliff near Mt. Hutchins (July 2009)

This will be an experiment.  On a sporadic basis, I plan to post reports about some adventures undertaken before my 1HappyHiker blog was created.  However, if reader feedback suggests that these postings from days of yesteryear are of little interest, then I'll simply end the experiment.

Anyway, in July 2009,  I ventured to the top of a  large cliff located on a NW spur of Hutchins Mountain in the Pilot Range.  This cliff is unnamed on any map that I have ever come across.   However, it is my understanding that some of the locals refer to it as Owl's Head Cliff.

This cliff is a prominent feature on the landscape which can be seen from many places in northern New Hampshire.  Where I most often see it is when traveling northeast on Route 115 along the base of Cherry Mountain.  When looking northward, I can see it there, taunting me!

Shown below is a photo of the cliff.   However, it was not taken from Route 115.  It was taken from a much closer vantage point near Lost Nation Road.  The cliff is on the left of the photo, and Mt. Hutchins is the peak on the right.
The cliff is on the left of the photo, and Mt. Hutchins is the peak on the right
This cliff resides well within the boundaries of the White Mountain National Forest.  However, there are no official trails leading to it.  Although it would be a long and arduous approach route, you could bushwhack to this place completely on public land.  Thankfully, I had the good fortune of being granted permission by a landowner to begin my bushwhack on private land which made for a somewhat easier approach.

The top of this cliff is a very pleasant place to just “hang-out”.  It’s flat and it’s roomy enough that you don’t feel like you’re going to fall over the edge with one wrong move!  Even though the photos that were taken don't do it justice, the views from the cliff are expansive and quite remarkable.

Shown below is a sample of the view looking SSW.  On the distant horizon (beginning on the left), peaks in the Willey Range can be seen, as well as the top of Mt. Carrigain.  As the vista extends further to the right, peaks can be seen in the Twin Range, Franconia Range, as well as Mt. Moosilauke.
Vista (L to R) includes peaks in Willey Range; Twin Range; Franconia Range; Mt. Moosilauke
The next photo shows a WSW view.   If you look closely, you can see the red roofs of the Lancaster fairgrounds complex.  It’s adjacent to the large green field that is seen in the upper portion of the image.
A WSW vista that included red roofs of Lancaster fairgrounds complex which is adjacent to large green field at upper portion of photo
The final photo shows this massive cliff as seen from a point near its base. There are two things that should be mentioned here.  One, I did not use a frontal assault to climb this cliff!  I approached it from its backside.  Secondly, this photo shows a lot of the cliff.  HOWEVER, there is still a sizeable portion of the cliff that is hidden behind the trees in the foreground of the photo.
Cliff as seen from a point near its base
The map shown below provides very little detail, but perhaps it might be somewhat useful for orienting yourself as to the location of the cliff.

To sum it up, this was an interesting place to visit.  If it were more accessible, then it would likely be a very popular destination.

04 July 2015

A Hike to PATN (Peak Above The Nubble)

It has been over a month since I've posted anything to this blog.  Not only is there an element of laziness involved, but also a fair amount of time has been spent over the past few weeks coordinating and attending a large family gathering.

Regardless, here is a brief posting about a trek recently taken to visit a mountain that is on the list of New Hampshire Hundred Highest peaks, and also on the list of New England Hundred Highest.  The mountain of which I speak has an elevation of 3,813 ft, and is often referred to as simply PATN, which stands for Peak Above The Nubble.  The "Nubble" part of its name refers to a smaller, but very prominent, peak just to the north of PATN that tops out at 2,713 ft.

There are no formal hiking trails to PATN.  Reaching the summit involves a bushwhack.  The more traditional route involves an approach from the north beginning at Haystack Road. (Click HERE for a link that describes this route.)
    
Rather than using the traditional northern route, I recently bushwhacked to PATN using a western approach which is preferred by some, myself included.

Shown below is my GPS track superimposed on a topographic map.  The round-trip mileage was about 3.9 miles.
My GPS track superimposed on a topographic map
The majority of this bushwhack was through open woods such as shown in the following snapshot.  However, there were a few sporadic gnarly spots, especially near the top.
Majority of this bushwhack was through open woods, but there were some gnarly spots, especially near the top.
I exited the woods about 0.25 miles from the top of PATN, and then followed a slide for a little over a tenth of a mile.  The photo shown below was taken looking down the slide from near the spot where the slide ends.
Looking down a slide which I incorporated into my trek to PATN
From the slide there is a view of peaks in the Franconia Range (upper left of photo below).
Photo taken from upper end of the slide where there is a view toward peaks in the Franconia Range (upper left).
Shown below is a snippet from my GPS track that is superimposed on a Google Earth image.  It shows the portion of the slide that I traversed.  I purposely waited until reaching this spot before incorporating the slide into my route.  From previous explorations in this area, I knew that the upper portions of the slide tended to be more navigable than the lower portions which can be very slippery/wet and more like a steep brook bed with actively flowing water.
A snippet from GPS track superimposed on a Google Earth image.  It shows the portion of the slide that I traversed en route to PATN.
Upon reaching the top of PATN, there is a viewpoint just below the summit that provides a sweeping vista.  It includes the Presidential Range, as well as Middle and South Sugarloaf, plus Mt. Hale, the Willey Range, and North Twin.
Sweeping vista from viewpoint near summit of PATN.  It includes the Presidential Range, as well as Middle and South Sugarloaf, plus Mt. Hale,the Willey Range, and North Twin.
Also taken from the viewpoint on PATN is the slightly zoomed photo shown below.  The Presidential Range is featured, but also seen are the tops of Middle and South Sugarloaf, as well as a portion of Mt. Hale.
The Presidential Range is featured in this slightly zoomed photo taken from the viewpoint on PATN.
Shown below is another zoomed photo taken from PATN.  It shows a rare look at the orange-colored ledges on top of South Sugarloaf (center of photo).  And, directly behind South Sugarloaf, are the ledges on Middle Sugarloaf.
(As an aside, a report was posted to this blog in April 2013 about a bushwhack to South Sugarloaf.  Click HERE.)
Zoomed photo showing a rare look at the orange-colored ledges on top of South Sugarloaf (center of photo).  Directly behind South Sugarloaf, are the ledges on Middle Sugarloaf.
During this bushwhack adventure to PATN, I didn't see any moose.  However, I did see something that was once attached to a moose!  Certainly wish I'd gotten to this antler BEFORE the woodland critters gnawed on it.  It was simply too chewed up to bother carrying it out of the woods to add to my collection.
A moose antler seen along my route to PATN
To sum it up, I'm not a person who aspires to hike a mountain just because it's on a particular list.  But, will admit that it's gratifying to navigate your own way to a trail-less mountain, and then have it be one that qualifies as a New Hampshire Hundred Highest peak, as well as one of the hundred highest peaks in all of New England. :-)

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POSTSCRIPT:  Please note that at the top of each of my blogs there are two search tools that can be helpful in locating a particular topic.  One is an icon labeled "CLICK HERE FOR A LIST OF ALL MY BLOG REPORTS".  And located above that icon is a search box that enables you to search my entire collection of blog postings for specific words and word combinations.