Bushwhack to Abbot Hill and Priest Hill, NH

When it comes to planning my hikes, I'm not a "list person".  But, I must admit being intrigued when recently discovering a list of over 400 New England peaks that didn't make any other list (Click HERE to view the list.)

Anyway, since the list contained two peaks(Abbot Hill and Priest Hill) that are practically at my back door, I decided to visit them in late January 2016.  There are no trails to either of these locations, and so a bushwhack was required.

Shown below is a map with my GPS track superimposed.


Abbot Hill at least has a view, thanks to an old logging cut.  However, if Priest Hill has any views, I failed to find them.

The photo below shows a  view that was found a short distance SW of the Abbot Hill summit at a steep spot with an old logging cut. (Twin Range at left, Garfield at center, Lafayette at right, partially obscured by trees).

The two photos, shown in the composite below, were taken at the summit of Abbot Hill where there is a large boulder, and an old sign.  Whereas, the summit of Priest Hill was merely a nondescript spot in the woods (unless I missed something?).

As part of my 3.7 mile loop over Abbot Hill and Priest Hill, I incorporated a segment of what is labeled on some maps as the "Profile Recreational Trail", which basically follows the corridor of old U.S. Rt 3.

There are portions of the Profile Recreational Trail that  are scenic (such as shown in the next photo), plus it is a nice place for XC-skiing.  However, there are portions that are less scenic and have downed trees obstructing the corridor.

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