INTRODUCTION:
Recently, I did something a bit odd. But given my history, perhaps some would say that is hardly newsworthy.😀
Anyway, despite the fact that there are perfectly good hiking trails leading to Pine Mountain, I opted to do a 0.7 mile bushwhack from the Presidential Range Rail Trail to Pine Mountain Road. Once on the road, I joined the Pine Mountain trail system by walking a short distance along Pine Mountain Road to the trailhead for the Pine Mountain Loop Trail. (FYI: A description of hiking trails on Pine Mountain can be found in an excellent hiking guidebook by Ken MacGray entitled “New Hampshire’s 52 with a View: A Hiker’s Guide”.)
My justification for this rather peculiar adventure was that it would be a ‘twofer”, i.e. two hikes for the price of one! It enabled me to enjoy hiking along a picturesque segment of the Presidential Range Rail Trail, as well as enjoy the terrific views from the top of Pine Mountain.
The CalTopo map presented below shows the area where this hike took place. I parked near the large yellow “P” at LEFT side of map, and then hiked the Presidential Range Rail Trail (PRRT) for about 1.9 miles. I left the PRRT at 44.3730, -71.2315 and then bushwhacked for 0.7 mile through open hardwoods to meet up with Pine Mountain Road at 44.3657, -71.2210. The yellow line at the RIGHT side of map is merely a rough depiction of my bushwhack route. It is NOT a GPX track.
The following 'side-note' might be of interest to some readers. I am told that a century or so ago, there were two hiking trails to Pine Mountain that were located in the same general vicinity of the area where I bushwhacked. One of those long ago abandoned trails was named the Straight Path, and the other was named the Brook Path.
And here is just one other point of possible interest. Pine Mountain Road is used
to access the Horton Center which is a faith-based camp and retreat center near
the top of Pine Mountain. The road is
also used for servicing the communication tower near the top of the mountain.
PHOTOS:
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