22 October 2017: Mount Cube

This past sunday, I intended to go do an aggressive in length hike for 3 52WAV peaks, but woke up a bit late. So I opted for a shorter in length hike to grab one 52WAV peak, in Mt Cube.

History: Some sources indicate that this peak was originally named Mt. Cuba, after a hunting dog that was killed by a bear near the summit. “Mt. Cube” was said to be a local corruption of this name. A different story going around says that “Cuba” was applied by a West Indian sailor who settled locally, presumably after the Caribbean island.

Peak Elevation: 2909 ft
Elevation Gain: ~2200 ft.
Trail:Mt Cube Trail (AT)
Length:6.6 miles
Time on Trail : 10:15
Time off Trail: 14:00

Getting to the trail is pretty easy - NH-25A in Orford NH. Set your GPS to go to Upper Bakler Pond Rd, Orford NH and the trailhead has signage viewable from the road. Parking is roadside - remember to park as well onto the shoulder as you can. You'll see a sign for Camp Moosilauke, and the trail you want is right across the road. the AT crosses the highway, resuming about 100 yards to the east.

The trail ascends gradually, making an indirect appraoch to the peak of Mt Cube. Only one true water crossing on this day, though in spring and after rain, I can ssee a few drainage paths seeming like more. There was some gnarly erosion at one drainage section that will require a bit of rerouting, which it looks as if someone has started the process as seen by the surveyors tape. The early switchbacks were kind of annoying and I can definitely agree that there is an opportunity to take a bushwack to the top here. I'd do so at risk only knowing the boggy land to the east of the mountain might mean a bad day for someone who doesn't scout this out beforehand.

The top offers great views into the Connecticut River Valley into Vermont. I did not take time to speculate which peaks were what, though i suspect I could see Camel's hump and Mt. Abraham and Mt Ellen. Mt Moosilauke is able to be seen from the peak as well.


Photos:

Mt Cube NH 22Oct17

I opted not to go to the north side peak of Mt. Cube, as I wanted to make it home in time to watch the 4pm football games. for the same reason i opted to not take the additional 1.5 miles to the Hexacuba shelter, which its 5-sided privy.

I'll be backdating some entries hereon out as a try to recount the important stuff I did on my 4000 footers and 52WAV quest.

Useful sources used for this post:
- https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xMQt0PwFw8vuVwMLzVFTwI0k1TwX66AM4Ht6aeQaMiM/edit
- http://outdoors.dartmouth.edu/activities/hiking/hikes/cube.html

20 October 2017: Mount Kearsarge North

Work has slowed down a bit so I opted for a farther north hike than normal while we had the prolonged nice weather during this fall season.

History: Located along the eastern edge of NH, Mt Kearsarge North is a real gem as far as views go. On a clear day you can see into the Presidential range and far into the interior of Maine. Originally named Mt. Pequawket, after a local Native tribe, it was renamed to Kearsarge North in 1957. The fire tower up there started out as an inn run by the AMC, which subsequently burned down a few times before being granted to the state for use as a fire tower.

Peak Elevation: 3268 ft
Elevation Gain: ~2600 ft
Trail: Mt Kearsarge North Trail
Length: 6.2 mi
Time on Trail: 1015
Time off Trail: 1400

The parking situation is pretty easy to see - there isn’t much here but the roadway has some decent shoulders you can pull off of. Just don't block people's driveways - some have it marked.

The trail is pretty gradual with pretty clearly marked headings. Some areas I needed to stop and look around as I crossed rock faces to determine next course but all in all, this well-traveled path requires no special guidance. I saw many dogs on this warmer-than-expected sunny day. clear views from the fire tower, which was seeing some pretty gnarly gusts when I was up there. I'm glad i carried an extra shirt in my pack, otherwise i would have been chilled for a while.

This is somehow not on the firetower quest list.

Photos:

Mt Kearsarge North, 20Oct17

This made it #17 for me on the 52 WAV list. I would gladly do it again.

17 October 2017: Mount Willard

It being peak foliage in this section of NH I wanted to go and crush a quick hike up Mt Willard near Crawford Notch. I knew this one would be amazing as I have been on this ridge before when I did Tom / Field / Willey / Avalon some time ago.

Peak Elevation: 2865 ft.
Elevation Gain: 1100 ft.
Trail: Mt Willard Trail
Length: 4.0 mi
Time on Trail: 1015
Time off Trail: 1200

The trail is not very long but has some moderate steepness to certain sections. The work to get to the top is absolutely worth the effort. Doable for people of many abilities - I did see someone who was probably in her 60's walking up with her husband. Dogs all over the place - I saw 3 Bernese Mountain dogs on this trail! I had a little snack at the top and then descended.


Photos:

Mt Willard (NH),  17OCT17

17 October 2017: Middle and North Sugarloaf Mountain

My peakbagging day continued as I decided I wasn’t done yet after bagging Willard, I wanted another 52WAV peak. I knew that sugarloaf's peaks were right up the road, so there is where I went.

History: Named by Professor Charles Hitchcock in the 1870’s, likely due to its resemblance to “loaves” of sugar that were the way it was purchased back then, or something along those lines.


Peak Elevation: Middle Sugarloaf 2539 ft. / North Sugarloaf 2310 ft.
Elevation Gain: ~ 1100 ft
Trail: Sugarloaf Trail
Length: 2.5 mi
Time on Trail: 1300
Time off Trail: 1500

Parking here wasn’t really that bad on Zealand Rd. – I got there late and had to deal with no parking spaces so I parked on the shoulder. They were doing some road work on Zealand Rd. The trailhead is just over the bridge, not to be confused with a Nordic skiing trail right off the parking area. I made the mistake of wandering there because I didn’t see the signage at first.

The trail is easy to follow and the steepness isn’t too bad until you get past the junction of the col trail between North and Middle peaks. I saw only one dog on the trail here. I went up Middle first and was blown away at the views from the dome. It primarily faces Hale and Zealand area of the northern rim of the Pemi Loop, but also provides some views north. The total span of this dome’s view is about 270 degrees.

After chatting with some European visitors I descended to take a look at the North peak. One complaint here is that the trail could use some cleanup as I had to wanter through a downed tree’s remnants to find a heading. Once up there, I got a clear view of the area north of Bethlehem, NH. After grabbing my pics I descended the same route I ascended.

Photos:

Middle and North Sugarloaf Mountain (NH); 17OCT17

Afterwards I was pretty bushed – I called it a day and headed home to see the dog and get some grub.

Links:
- https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ex2aH7z7yWhhiHp-BrQjGMZikK2zDhcXzjld0XgT52c/edit
- http://www.hikewithdogs.com/sugarloaf-trail-zealand-road-3-4-mile-round-trip-up-middle-sugarloaf-2539-and-north-sugarloaf-2310/

11 October 2017: Dickey and Welch Mountains

With foliage season in NH just around the corner I wanted to get onto what is supposed to be one of the best views in the state – The Dickey and Welch loop has nice ledges that offer fantastic views into the white mountains. This was a solo job I took on just to get something productive done with a day off.

History: there wasn’t much out there as far as background on whom these peaks would be named after. If you have any definite info please share! Looking at this ledge I’d say there must have been a substantial forest fire on these peaks some time ago and the terrain never quite recovered fully. The vegetation on this loop once you’re on the ledges seems pretty fragile so hard to imagine it will be a fully wooded peak anytime soon.


Peak Elevation: Dickey Mountain 2734 ft. / Welch Mountain 2605 ft.
Elevation Gain: 1800 ft
Trail: Welch and Dickey Loop Trail, unnamed spur trail to viewppoint on Dickey
Length: 4.4 mi
Time on Trail : 0950
Time off Trail: 1245


I knew what this mountain would offer – nearly 2 miles of open ledges with amazing views. I didn’t quite expect the terrain to be comparable to some of the “easier” 4000 footers in aggressiveness. I read somewhere after this hike that this half0day trip is a good measuring stick for friends who want to do the higher elevation peaks. I wasn’t so lucky here but that’s ok (see first dated entry)

The grading on this loop was pretty manageable. Getting to Welch ledges in no time I kept trucking as I saw that I hadn’t reached the peak of Welch yet. Some of the rock faces going up were fun to stop on because turning around you had this amazing vista behind you. Once I reached Welch’s summit I stopped and chatted with an older couple with their friendly dog. Descnding the col between the peaks, which is deceptively steeper than the topo will lead you to believe, I noted the large cairn. I wonder why that’s there?

Heading back up to Dickey you once again are on a scramble type face, perfectly manageable. The view from Dickey was pretty nice too. I noted on my map that there is a spur trail that leads north to a ledge, about 0.1 mi from the dickey summit. I didn’t see any markings so I followed what I think were a herd path to the small cairns I saw on a rock field of the viewpoint. Breathtaking views see photos. After a brief stop for a snack I descended on the loop;, doing so wasn’t too bad as the trail is marked but sometimes its easy to find yourself wandering off orientation. I also found a blue blazed trail that was not on the maps I had or saw. Does anyone know what this is for? I didn’t see anything online about this but didn’t look very deeply either.

This is a great loop hike perfect for the half-day hikes with astounding views. Absolutely worth the effort and worthy of the 52WAV list.


Photos:

Dickey Mountain and Welch Mountain 11OCT17

Note: this is entry is slightly backdated.

06 October 2017: Middle and South Carter Mountain

I'm all on board for finding ways to save some unnecessary mileage and my friend Bob the Lovegoat found a cutoff for a trip out to bag Middle and South Carter on a traverse. I only have a few peaks left on the Carter-Moriah range to do after this hike, namely the Wildcats and Shelbourne-Moriah. BTLG’s post about this hike can be found here: https://lovegoatfilms.blogspot.com/2017/10/two-carters-for-price-of-one.html

History: The carter range was named for

Peak Elevation: 4610 ft (Middle), 4430 ft (South)
Elevation Gain: 3600ft or so (estimation based on location of Camp dodge)
Trail: Camp dodge bushwhack (not a TH), Imp Trail, Carter-Moriah Trail, Nineteen Mile Brook Trail
Length: 11.5 mi (estimation due to bushwack)
Time on Trail: 830ish
Time off Trail: 1430

We started at a logging path from Camp Dodge, which saved us about a mile of walking. We ended the day at the Nineteen Mile Brook trailhead. About 10 minutes into the hike, it started raining, and an hour later it let off. I was soaked, and did not change my shirt until South carter. Thankful to not have come down with hypothermia - also glad I had a sweatshirt in my bag.

The trail wasn’t too bad to ascend. The Imp trail section we started on is the less aggressive of the two trailheads, which make a loop towards the North Carter Trail and Carter-Moriah Trail. We did not do the trip to North Carter as we were strained on time due to my friends both having childcare needs at the end of the day. It would have added another mile to the trip for something that is not a true 4000 footer per the AMC. I’ll have to go back to it for when I am wrapping up my Peakbagging for the NH 100 highest, since this is well above 4500ft.

On Middle carter, we could not find what BTLG was looking for – a popsicle stick marking what someone had designated the highpoint. We did find a geocache though which was neat. Then we moved right on to South Carter, where we had a standing lunch of tuna pouches and whatever else each of us brought. I mowed my Uncrustables and some trail mix, shamelessly. The descent down Nineteen Mile Brook was pretty tame and not noteworthy.

Photos:

Middle, South Carter 06OCT17

03 October 2017: Mount Cardigan (and Rimrock, South Peak)

This was my second time out with my friend from work, "Zoey", and her dog LOGAN. Logan is a handful and today he had a ball as we explored Mount Cardigan. This is one I will gladly do time and time again, and I would love to try all of the trails up this gem.

History: Cardigan Mountain resides within a state park bearing it's name, this peak offers many things to a vairety of people. The geology of the mountain is notable, as is the network of alpine ski trails in it's shadow on the eastern slopes. Those ski trails were developed by the Civilian Conservation Corps. The summit saw a rather devastating forest fire back in the 1850s and has never truly recovered. The AMC has a lodge on the eastern side of the mountain, making it a popular destination for hikers to set up as a base camp for day hikes.

Peak Elevation: 3156 ft
Elevation Gain: 1100 ft (est)
Trail: West Ridge Trail, South Slide Trail, Skyland Trail
Length: 5.5 mi
Time on Trail : 1000ish
Time off Trail: 1300ish

This was Zoey and I's second hike out - we wanted something quick and fun and Cardigan definitely hit the nail on the head. My friend and her BF are working on the NH48 as well and any hiking to keep fitness up for either of us was a welcome challenge. I was aiming to bag a bunch of of the 52WAV peaks this fall as well. I had intended to advise we try the other side's trails so we could go to Firescrew Mountain, but I had a brainfart on the drive up and we ended up closer to Orange NH. I didn't really care that much about what we did as long as we got out on the trails! Firescrew, I'll be back for you.

West rim trail was pretty easy to get to, parking there is ample (state park fees apply) and the West Ridge Trailhead even has composting toilets for those who need such a thing. The trail offers pretty easy grading for most of the way. It's the most direct way up the mountain peak as well, which comes in handy for weather related rapid descents. We decided that because the mileage was short we could explore the south peak and rimrock as well. We found some of the buildings along the way which are either for nordic skiers or fire wardens, maybe? Or maybe they're something you can reserve? I'll have to do some digging later.

The peak is balder than I am, and offers panoramic views. The fire tower was not open and did not appear to be occupied while we were there. When we arrived we only saw a few other people. LOGAN made a friend who chased him the entire time. The other dog's owner was pretty nice, and I think she thought my friend and I were an item, which was kind of awkward (for me anyhow).

We descended straight down West Ridge Trail at the end of the day. The blazes are clearly marked and I have no complaints about the condition of anything here. It was a remarkably stellar day outside. And I didn't burn too badly!


Photos:

Mt Cardigan (Including Rimrock and South peak) 03OCT17

Link to useful info about Hiking Cardigan: https://www.nhstateparks.org/visit/state-parks/Cardigan-Mountain-State-Park.aspx