INTRODUCTION:
In early
November 2019, I hiked in an area slightly north of Lake Tarleton, NH. Although I hoped there wouldn’t be, I
suspected there might be hunters in this vicinity, especially since it is on
public land. And sure enough, I met
hunters at two points along my route, even though it was midweek. However, each was very nice and neither had
any unkind words about my presence. One
actually complimented me for wearing a hunter-orange cap and vest.😀
So
anyway, my goal for the day was to explore an old corridor that runs above Lake
Tarleton from its northwest to its northeast corner. It has been part of the landscape since the
early 1800s and is known as the Old Charleston Road. The name is derived from a small farming
community that once existed there.
Although
the hunters I met were very nice to me, I felt uncomfortable about being there
and opted to limit my explorations of Old Charleston Road to the portion that
runs northwest of Lake Tarleton. I’ll
likely return for a more complete exploration in early Springtime AFTER the
snow is gone, and BEFORE the bugs and weeds make their appearance.
An
Internet search will bring up several interesting articles written about the
Old Charleston Road. One particularly
interesting article can be accessed by clicking HERE.
Shown
below is a USGS map from 1928 that shows the Old Charleston Road as a dotted
line. I only explored the northwest
portion (highlighted in pink at top/left on map below). So, as can be seen, there a lot more
exploring to do!
PHOTOS:
- - - - - - - -
BONUS PHOTO:
About a
week after my trek along a segment of the Old Charleston Road, several inches
of snow fell in the Bethlehem, NH area where I live. This enabled me to do my first XC-ski of the
season along an old forest road not far from my home. It was so enjoyable that I squeezed out the very
last drop of daylight before calling it quits.😀
4 comments:
Exploring old roads is one of my favorite things to do. It is so amazing to imagination who passed through there and what happened there so long ago; this is the charm of New England! Nice post.
Grant, thank you for reading my blog, and a special thanks for taking time to post your comment.
I share your sentiments about how interesting it is to imagine the circumstances as they once existed in places like the Old Charleston Road. And actually, one of the hunters I met remarked that he would love to be a ‘time-traveler’ and visit the Old Charleston Road in the 1800s to experience the everyday life of the inhabitants.
All the best,
John
Hi John,
I enjoyed reading the piece about the Old Charleston Road. And I agree that it's intriguing to imagine what life was like in the area back in the 1800s.
This area is definitely worthy of further exploration—but not during hunting season!
The bonus photo is great! I'm jealous that you've been out cross-country skiing already. We're still waiting for our first significant snowfall.
Hi Rita . . . thank you for your comments.
Regarding XC-skiing . . . well, there seems to be a pattern that has manifested itself here over the past few years. We get a nice snow in early November that is good for XC-skiing. Then, we get warm weather plus a little rain that ruins everything. Then, we have to wait until late December/early January for snow that is once again good for XC-skiing. As of this writing, warm weather and rain have ruined XC-skiing.
John
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