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

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30 April 2021

Bushwhack to Pine Mountain near Gorham, NH

 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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6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great to see you posting once again John! So seldom do mountain bloggers combine their outing narratives with choice natural and human history nuggets as you.

You remind me that, even after 30 years of White Mountains exploration, I have another marvelous destination to visit.

Cliff Daly
Ottawa

1HappyHiker said...

Cliff, thank you for reading my blog, and special thanks for the kind words contained in the comments you posted.
Readers such as you provide inspiration to me for posting reports of other adventures in the future.

John

Don Robinson said...

I really enjoy your blog posts. Always unique and interesting! Informative too!

1HappyHiker said...

Don, thank you for your kind words. I am so very appreciative.

It might be a while before I generate any more blog postings. My time for hiking adventures has been greatly reduced due to time commitments involved with providing care to an elderly parent.

John

Wayne W Walls said...

I love on hikes when I get to see large pieces of stone, like in your last photo!

1HappyHiker said...

Wayne . . . thanks for reading my blog and posting your comments.

John