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).
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| Map showing two routes taken to Blake Mountain |
Shown below is a chart which compares the two routes to
Blake Mountain (click to enlarge).
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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!
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| 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.
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| 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.
2 comments:
Yes, I'll admit that a two visits to the same place in one week is unusual, but you still managed to make each trek distinctly different. I like the fact that you approached the summit from the opposite way, which of course added a different dimension. Probably good that there is a way to access this by public land, as well!
Thank you Summerset for taking time to respond to my Blog.
Although it was indeed bizarre to hike to the same destination in less than a week, I’m glad I did it. Having the first route fresh in my mind was helpful in doing a comparison of the two routes. Another contributing factor was that the views from Blake Mountain are quite striking. If it was a viewless destination, I might not have been so compelled to make a return visit so soon (if ever!).
John
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