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

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07 April 2018

Outdoor Adventures in New Hampshire During March 2018


INTRODUCTION:

The month of March often tends to be a mixed bag of weather conditions, and March 2018 was no exception here in northern New Hampshire.  Mother Nature took away a lot of our snow cover at the beginning of the month, and then delivered a fresh supply that persisted for a couple of weeks.  However, by the end of the month, the snow cover had once again started to diminish, particularly at lower elevations.

PHOTOS:

1) Since conditions were generally poor for XC-skiing at the beginning of March, I began the month with a hike to Peaked Mountain in North Conway, NH.  Trail conditions were such that Microspikes were the only footwear needed.  Due to time constraints on this particular day, the hike was done as a 4-mile loop.  However, by including Middle Mountain, this hike can become a loop of nearly 5.5 miles.
A westerly view from a ledge just below summit of Peaked Mountain in North Conway.  Most prominent features in this scene include: Moat Mountain Range; White Horse Ledge; Cathedral Ledge.

2) Also in early March, I did a trek to the Moorhen Marsh area of the Pondicherry Wildlife Refuge located near Jefferson, NH.  This outing was particularly enjoyable since the skimpy snow cover had temporarily prevented snowmobiles from traveling along this route.
Presidential Mountain Range as viewed from Moorhen Marsh area of Pondicherry 


3) By mid-March, Mother Nature delivered a fresh batch of snow.  Hurray!
A batch of fresh snow delivered by Mother Nature in March 2018 . . . Hooray!
4) The fresh supply of snow allowed me to do some XC-skiing on groomed trail systems, such as those at the Nordic Center at Bretton Woods, NH.
Skiing the groomed trails at Bretton Woods Nordic Center
5) Also during mid-March, I skied on the groomed trail system at Great Glen Trails near Gorham, NH.
A view of Presidential Mountain Range when skiing groomed trails at Great Glen Trails Outdoor Center
6) The freshly fallen snow of mid-March also allowed me several opportunities for engaging my favorite activity of XC-skiing through the woods on un-groomed corridors.
XC-skiing through the woods on un-groomed corridors
7) Besides skiing, I also did a few mini-adventures during the mid-March period, such as a trek that included a walk along the Ammonoosuc River near Twin Mountain, NH.
“Floating marshmallows” on the Ammonoosuc River
8) By the end of March, the snowpack was too skimpy for my taste to do much in the way of XC-skiing.  And so, I did a hike to Black Mountain in Jackson, NH.  There are several pleasant views, regardless of whether this hike is done as a simple ‘out and back’ trek of about 3.2 miles, or a loop of about 3.5 miles, which is what I chose to do.
“Presidential view” from the Black Mountain Cabin en route to the top of Black Mountain
From the top of Black Mountain, there is this view of Carter Notch which is the deep cleft between Carter Dome and Wildcat Mountain.  At the floor of this cleft are two small lakes, and an AMC hut most commonly reached via a 3.8 mile hike along the Nineteen Mile Brook Trail.
9) As April approached, the winter-frozen waterways were beginning to flow once again.
Photo shows a location known as Jackson Falls which is really more like a maze of cataracts and pools than a waterfall, but picturesque nonetheless.
TO SUM IT UP:

And so, I bid a fond farewell to March 2018.  It was filled with many enjoyable adventures, but I will admit to a tinge of sadness with the realization that the passing of this month likely marks the end of XC-skiing until at least late Autumn.  However, it’s comforting to know that the Spring and Summer seasons will provide their own brand of outdoor fun. :-)

9 comments:

EvanHikes said...

Nice pictures of the Presidentials!The weather has been pretty mixed for me as well. I visited both Mt.Cardigan and Mt.Liberty this month, but both were nestled in the clouds. You can always find the right time to go for a hike. Great as usual!

P.S. Are there any ledges or grand views from Black Mountain in Jackson, or is it just views through the trees? Either way it still looks great!

1HappyHiker said...

Hi Evan,

Regarding the views from Black Mountain (Jackson), the two views that I showed in my blog are about as good as it gets for that destination. If you’re interested in similar hikes, but with better views, that are located in the general vicinity of Jackson, then you might want to consider places such as South Doublehead, Kearsarge North, or Iron Mountain (summer season only/access road closed in winter).

John

One Day in America said...

After viewing your February 2018 adventures I commented that you could sell a calendar of your photos. After viewing and reading this post, and also based on your comment to Evan, (above) I believe you could also publish a guide book to the trails of New Hampshire. (I've probably told you this before!)

Really, your posts are a wealth of information on the trails in your area. With your descriptions of length, degree of difficulty, maps, directions and photos you could publish an outstanding book. I know I would buy it!

As always, John, you managed to make the most of your March adventures no matter what the weather conditions. Love the "floating marshmallows"! Outstanding post!

1HappyHiker said...

Wow Rita! Thank you for such glowing comments!

Although I’m flattered by your praise, it’s unlikely that I’ll ever write a book about hiking in the White Mountains of NH. Many talented writers and photographers have already published a plethora of books about the White Mountains from nearly every angle imaginable.

Glad you liked the “floating marshmallows” photo. It was my favorite among the photos included in this posting.

John

One Day in America said...

Hi again, John. I agree with you about there being a plethora of books about outdoor hiking and adventure destinations. The same is true for all the places in the west that I blog about.

How about an app? I don't know anything about creating apps but apparently lots of folks are getting "rich" by creating apps for everything imaginable. But I suppose that if the guide books have already been written, then somebody has probably already created an app for that!

1HappyHiker said...

Rita . . . yup, you are right about the “app” market being pretty well saturated as well.

All of this is okay with me. I find pleasure from learning about a variety of things (including hiking) just to satisfy my own curiosity, and it’s equally pleasurable to share my knowledge (for free) with anyone who might ask for my input. Guess I’m not cut out to be an entrepreneur! :-)

John

One Day in America said...

Well, John, I'm not an entrepreneur either and I would argue that our blogs contribute far more to the world than many of the useless inventions of "entrepreneurs"—including plenty of worthless (in my opinion) apps!

I'm also happy to share my travel tales for free. I just wish I had more readers taking advantage of all this free information! So, with that in mind I'd like to thank you again for being a loyal follower for all these years!

1HappyHiker said...

. . . and thank you Rita for being such a loyal follower of my blog!

Anonymous said...

I admire what you have done here. I like the part where you say you are doing this to give back but I would assume by all the comments that this is working for you as well. outdoor recreation