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

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30 September 2015

Accessing Bog Pond from Kinsman Ridge Trail

The outcome for this adventure was somewhat uncertain since my goal was to access Bog Pond from the north where there are no trails leading to it.  Actually, there are no hiking trails to this body of water from any direction!  However, from the east, the pond is accessible by walking several miles on snowmobile trails from the area of North Woodstock, NH, or by bushwhacking for a considerable distance beyond the end of the Georgiana Falls Trail.

To achieve my goal of accessing Bog Pond from the north, I decided to explore an abandoned roadway off the east side of the Kinsman Ridge Trail (KRT) about a hundred feet north of where the trail crosses Eliza Brook.  On previous visits to this area, I've noticed that this old corridor heads southward.  It has always intrigued me as to whether it could be followed all the way to Bog Pond which lies less than a mile south of the KRT.

My overall route of travel for this trek is highlighted on the map below. It involved hiking the Reel Brook Trail to meet up with the Kinsman Ridge Trail which I hiked northward to Eliza Brook where I then went off-trail onto the abandoned roadway that heads southward for about one mile to Bog Pond.
Map showing overall route of travel for this trek
To cut to the chase, the abandoned roadway does indeed lead to Bog Pond. And, it was generally in good shape for the majority of the way.  However, there was a short segment which was a bit confusing near the beginning.  But the corridor soon became very apparent again by staying on the east side of Eliza Brook, and by maintaining a southward bearing.  It should also be noted that there was a swampy section of several hundred feet which required a short bushwhack through the woods adjacent to the roadway.

Shown below is a typical portion of the old corridor that was followed between the Kinsman Ridge Trail and Bog Pond.
A typical portion of old corridor between the Kinsman Ridge Trail and Bog Pond
Regarding the purpose that the abandoned roadway once served, I suspect it was used as a logging road.  However, it's also possible that it was built as an access road used in conjunction with erection of the high voltage transmission line that runs through this area.

It might also be of interest to know that the old roadway ends at a point along a snowmobile trail where it curves and then heads across Bog Pond (when it's frozen, of course!).

My explorations were pretty much limited to the vicinity where the old roadway ends.  It is exceptionally difficult to walk around the perimeter of the pond since it is extremely boggy.  There is a good reason why it's named Bog Pond!  Once the ground freezes, it should be relatively easy to do more extensive explorations of other portions of the pond.

And so, what did I see once I reached Bog Pond?  My views across the pond were looking in a SSW direction.  Mt. Wolf (3,478 ft) dominated the scene.  The photo below shows is a panorama of the view I experienced.  Surprisingly enough, the power lines were barely noticeable from my location at the pond.  But upon close examination of the right/center portion of the next photo you can see the faint glint of wires to the left of Mt. Wolf.
Panorama view looking SSW across Bog Pond.  Mt. Wolf is the prominent mountain at right of photo
The next photo is a zoomed view of Mt. Wolf, as viewed across Bog Pond.
A zoomed view of Mt. Wolf, as viewed across Bog Pond
The next photo shows nothing in particular.  I just happened to like it, and decided to share it.  Since the trees surrounding Bog Pond are mainly conifers, this might be about as "autumn-like" as it's ever going to be at this location.  Regardless, Bog Pond should be proud of its staging and the show it put on. The underbrush along the shore had an autumn hue, and the leaves had become colorful on the smattering of hardwoods scattered here and there.  Plus, its water was bluer than blue on the day of my visit!
A segment of beautiful Bog Pond
Besides the views looking across the pond, I also managed to get a nice view of South Kinsman (4,358 ft).  However, getting this view required some tedious maneuvering that involved treading carefully on the sponge-like surface surrounding the pond, as well as pushing my way through some tight thickets of conifers.
View of South Kinsman from an area on north side of Bog Pond
In addition to the fine views experienced at Bog Pond, there were other noteworthy sights that were seen over the course of this trek.   For example, while hiking along the Reel Brook Trail, I came across the trailside scene shown in the next photo.  Lighting conditions just happened to be perfect for accentuating the vivid colors in this little vignette.
Vivid colors at a spot along the Reel Brook Trail
Along the way, I also made a short side-trip to the Eliza Brook campsite where I snapped a photo of the lean-to shelter at this location.
Lean-to at Eliza Brook campsite
And here is one last photo. Shortly after the junction of the Reel Brook Trail and Kinsman Ridge Trail you come to the power line swath.  If you can manage to somehow ignore the power lines, the eastward view is quite pleasant.
View looking eastward from the power line swath near the junction of the Reel Brook Trail and Kinsman Ridge Trail
To sum it up, approaching Bog Pond from the north is an alternative to walking the snowmobile trails from the North Woodstock area; or bushwhacking beyond the end of Georgiana Falls Trail.  Although Bog Pond was my sole target for this particular day, it would make a nice side-trip when hiking along the Kinsman Ridge Trail to other destinations.

09 September 2015

Bushwhack to Millen Hill, NH: A Peak Recognized Since at Least the Year 1784

BACKGROUND:

Recently I did a bushwhack to Millen Hill, NH.  This short hike (about 2 miles round-trip) fit nicely with the time that I had available.  And besides, 7 years had passed since I last visited this location.

The origin of Millen Hill's name is lost to history.  However, it is interesting to me that a peak as small and insignificant as Millen Hill is shown and is named on a 1784 map of New Hampshire, particularly since only a few mountains are included on this old map, and even fewer are named.  And even in the region known today as the Presidential Range, the individual high peaks are unnamed.  They are merely lumped together with a nondescript moniker of "The White Hills" (see far right of map snippet shown below).

Snippet from "A Topographic Map of the Province of New Hampshire", surveyed by Samuel Holland, printed by William Faden, London, 1784
(For any reader who might want to view the entire map, click HERE.)
As the crow flies, Millen Hill is only about 3.5 miles from the top of Mt. Washington.  In terms of its elevation, the summit canister labels it as 3,376 ft.  Slightly different elevation numbers for this peak are shown on various maps and lists.  For those interested in hiking lists, Millen Hill meets the criteria for inclusion on the list of NH 3,000 footers (click HERE to the view list).

THE HIKE:

There are herd paths directly opposite the Caps Ridge trailhead on the west side of Jefferson Notch Road which could tempt you to ascend via the east-facing slope of Millen Hill.  However, this approach involves negotiating a massive number of downed trees.  Several years ago, a very experienced individual advised me that it is far better to ascend via Millen Hill's north-facing slope.

Following this advice, I began my bushwhack off the west side of Jefferson Notch Road, but at a point about 350 ft north of the Caps Ridge trailhead parking lot.  From there, a WSW trajectory was followed before heading nearly due south to ascend the north-facing slope of Millen Hill.  A GPS track wasn't ran for this hike, but a rough depiction of my route is shown on the map below.
Rough depiction of my route to Millen Hill
Bushwhacking via this route is extremely easy.  There are open woods with fern patches and mossy areas.
Attractive woods for bushwhacking
Antler shed seen along route to Millen Hill
If you bushwhack southward from Millen Hill's summit for about a 100+ ft through some moderately thick scrub, you will find a tiny ledge/rocky area which offers some nice vistas toward the east, south and west.  But as you might suspect from the photo shown below, these are "stand-up" views only. :-)
This is the tiny ledge/rocky area on Millen Hill from which photos were taken.
(This snapshot was taken looking westward with the Presidential Range at my back.)
The next two photos were taken from Millen Hill looking eastward.
Panorama of eastward view from Millen Hill.  (View begins with Mt. Jefferson on far left, and progresses southward to peaks in southern Presidential Range)

Slightly zoomed view of Mt. Washington from Millen Hill
Shooting photos into the late-day western sun can be challenging.  Nonetheless, shown below is a poorly lit view from Millen Hill looking westward toward Bretton Woods and surrounding peaks.
View from Millen Hill looking westward toward Bretton Woods and surrounding peaks
I thought it might be of interest to include a snapshot taken on my previous visit to Millen Hill in early October 2008.  As can be seen, there was a light skiff of snow on the Presidential Range, and a cog railway car was billowing smoke while en route to the top of Mt. Washington.
Photo was taken on my previous visit to Millen Hill in early October 2008
To sum it up, Millen Hill is a worthy destination, but is primarily known only to peakbaggers and those who simply enjoy the challenge and rewards of off-trail travel.

05 September 2015

Currier Mountain (NH): Fire Tower Long Gone, But Good Views Remain

An afternoon of off-trail trekking led me to Currier Mountain (once known as Pine Peak).  This little 2,790 ft peak is situated between Cherry Mountain and the northern Presidential Range.  It was once the site of a fire tower that was in operation from 1916 to 1934, and was removed in the 1940s.  As I understand it, the tower was built primarily to keep watch over the major logging slash on the northern slopes of the Presidential Range.

There are no longer any maintained trails to Currier Mountain. However, there are several ways to access it via a combination of bushwhacking, old logging roads, and the Corridor 11 snowmobile trail.  Most commonly, treks are launched from either Mill Brook Road (FR 93), or from Jefferson Notch Road.  I've used both approach routes and have no particular preference.

For this particular hike, I chose an approach that began from Mill Brook Road (see map below).  Using this route, it was a round-trip journey of about 6 miles.

Most topographic maps (including the one presented below) show the segment I followed between Mill Brook Road and the point where a sharp ESE turn was made toward Currier Mountain.  

The sharp turn was made to access another old logging road that doesn't show up on any topographic maps that I've seen. Nonetheless, this old corridor is there, it's easy to follow, and it does show up as a faint line on Google Earth.  Accessing this old roadway involves a short bushwhack to work around a swampy area at the beginning.  Also, another short bushwhack is required at the other end of this corridor to make the final climb to Currier Mountain.
Map showing my route to Currier Mountain
The vast majority of my route involved old logging roads and the Corridor 11 snowmobile trail.  I'll readily admit that this isn't the best time of year to be traveling these types of corridors since summer weeds are still abundantly present!   But, presumably due to traffic from the local animal population (moose, etc) and the occasional human traveler, there was a very discernible pathway through the weeds.  However, you wouldn't know it from viewing the photo shown below!
Believe it or not, there is a defined pathway through all the weeds!
The views from the old fire tower must have been stunning. However, even without the benefit of a tower, Currier Mountain still has some good vistas from its east-facing cliff.
A view from Currier Mountain.  (In the background are Adams, Jefferson, Clay and Washington, and in the foreground are Mt. Mitten and Mt. Dartmouth.)
A slightly zoomed version of one portion of the view shown in previous photo.
The next photo shows the tiny little ledge on Currier Mountain from which the above photos were taken.
Photo showing the tiny little ledge on Currier Mountain from which the above photos were taken.
On this and other treks to Currier Mountain,  I've found no evidence of the old fire tower, other than some communication wire (presumably), as seen in the next photo.
Communication wire (presumably) for the old fire tower which once stood on Currier Mountain
Currier Mountain, with its small white cliff-face, can be seen from various locations on the Presidential Range.  The next snapshot was taken several years ago when hiking the Castle Trail.  It shows Currier Mountain with the huge mass of Cherry Mountain looming in the background.
Photo taken several years ago from the Castle Trail.  It shows Currier Mountain with the huge mass of Cherry Mountain looming in the background.
And lastly, shown below is another snapshot from a few years ago.  It was taken when I hiked to Currier Mountain during the colorful Autumn season.
Another photo taken several years ago when hiking to Currier Mountain during the colorful Autumn season.
To sum it up . . . little mountain, little bushwhack . . . BIG views!