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@dlh161

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Saturday’s weather was forecasted as the better day for the weekend so I decided it would be a cycling day on the Presidential Rail Trail including Jefferson Notch Road to the Caps Ridge Trailhead, the highest point on the road. Sadly I have not cycled as much as I have wanted this year. I started at the Pondicherry Wildlife Refuge and headed for Jefferson Notch Road. The Presidential Rail Trail is built along a line once used by the Boston & Maine Railroad to transport lumber and paper between Berlin and Whitefield. There are picture perfect views of the Presidential Range, the Pilot Range and the Pliney Range, wildflowers and beaver dams along the route crossing the Israel River. They have done some improvements to the trail with resurfacing the gravel. Although they put down some fairly large stones and the vibration was annoying. Hopefully it will get packed down a bit more.

The weather was perfect and I was surprised to see a few other cyclists on Jefferson Notch Road. Once I got to the sign, checked my heart rate, ate a snack and snapped a few choice photos, I figured why not go all the way down to Base Station Road just to check out that section. I am gathering intel for a bike tour I would like to put together. Well, it is definitely harder and steeper from the Presidential Rail Trail side and a steady climb up with a mixture of potholes, soft sand, tiny slice of tarmac and all categories of rock (large, small, crushed). So I guess that decides which direction we will go for the tour! It would be a difficult climb with luggage attached to my bike. LOL Once I got back to the rail trail I headed for the intersection in Randolph. That was my turning point. Coming back was a bit boring as I don't like out and back and I wanted some relief from all the vibration and new scenery. I took a detour onto Valley Road which had some really nice dirt to travel on as well as tarmac. Another detour onto 115B and 115A back to the trail. It was a spectacular ride! I suggest doing it during different times of the year as the foliage and plant life changes.

https://friendsofthepresidentialrailtrail.org/ by @dlh161

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a month ago

It has been awhile since I have posted anything. I have taken many photos of my journeys but I have been too busy to write and post once I get back, not to mention tired!

So where do I start? How about a couple of memorable moments where I decided to go off trail because I see a peak or knob somewhere on the map and it happens to be near a couple of 4000 footers I am seeking. Mind you, they might be considered "bushwhacks" but they are on some list and usually there is a canister that marks the summit with a log book or papers to record who has been there. I find these exciting except for the occasional scrape or stick in the face.

One notable as I was hiking on the Pine Bend Trail to North Tripyramid was Scaur Peak. It is a trailess sub peak on the 100 Highest list in NH. I always seem to walk by but this time I just went for it. I tried not to rely on GPS as you could see the height of land and it was evident that a few people had walked this way. There were a few blowdowns that had me check to correct my course but I found the jar!

Another notable was the West Osceola peak also known as Peggy's Peak named in honor of Peggy Graham, a co-founder of Trailwrights, a volunteer-led hiking-trail maintenance organization in New Hampshire that has a short list of its own, Trailwrights 72. Thank you Matt for that tidbit of knowledge. I did the Trailwrights maintenance class years ago but never pursued the list. Since I was hiking the Osceolas on a really beautiful day from Tripoli Road, I saw this subpeak on the map and thought, why not venture over to it. This definitely has a clear path to the summit. As I was signing the wad of paper, I noticed 2 people had been there just before I did! I also noticed the guys from SLASR (Sounds Like A Search and Rescue) were there a few weeks before. by @dlh161

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a month ago

Ever since April, I have been observing these swans at the cranberry bogs. I believe they are the Muted Swans. I am not sure how many eggs were laid as there are several predators around craving a lovely morsel; coyotes, snapping turtles, racoons and foxes. The approach to the nest is covered with poison ivy about half way, the other half mowed. I noticed that someone had also placed a game camera nearby. For about a month, Mother Swan or "pen" (from what I have read) never moved from the nest that I could notice. A couple times I did witness Father Swan or "cob" aggressively go after a few geese that approached too close. They didn't seem to mind the muskrats swimming about. About the middle of May, the cygnets have finally arrived!! This family of Muted Swans; cob, pen and 6 little cygnets were swimming and slurping the greens from around the nest. Everyone walking the bogs I passed by remarked, "Did you see the swans? The cygnets have arrived!". It's the talk of my little hamlet. A few weeks go by, and just as I suspected, I see that there are now 4. Another couple weeks have passed and even though cob and pen diligently keep them close, 2 cygnets remain. :( They are now half the size of their parents. Hopefully they will survive. by @dlh161

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3 months ago

Double Header.... NO….It was a Triple Header
Even though the forecast was dismal, I felt I could still check off some dates. Rain scheduled for Sat and Sunday did not dampen my desire. I stayed on the Franconia side of the White Mountains so I would not have to drive far and get an early start. Sat I penciled in the Hancocks. Early morning, it was myself and 3 young Navy lads who are stationed at the Portsmouth Naval Base. They are from Ohio and Wyoming and wanted to get as many 4Ks as possible during their time off the base. Since I completed my mission early, I decided to drive over to Hale and gain another checkbox. Later in the evening, a few of us from the ski house watched the thunderstorms that were predicted. Sunday I felt the Osceolas would be a good choice from Tripoli Road since it was open and along my route home. Again, getting an early start it was myself and a mother and daughter in the parking lot. As the day went on, it was like I was in a cloud. It was humid for sure but no rain to speak of, just drips from the trees. Reaching East Osceola, I met a few people and a gaggle of high school girls. I thought, how wonderful that they are out here in the mist and not at home on their phones. As I was ending my hike, I was pleasantly surprised to meet more people who braved the weather. Since I got done early, I decided to hike Tecumsah before the long drive. by @dlh161

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4 months ago

It has been a long time since I have posted but I have been a busy busy bee! There has been a great need to getting out there to keep the stress levels down. This past weekend, a Ski Club friend, Andrew also wanted some time in the woods. We decided on Cannon, the Cannon Balls, North Kinsman and South Kinsman. I did this trek last year and wanted to revisit since I needed to check some boxes. We started at High Cannon to the Cannon Summit, fun and steep with some great views. Heading for North Kinsman, it was steep going down the Kinsman Ridge Trail from the junction with a lot of ups and downs over the Cannon Balls. Finally crossing over North Kinsman to South Kinsman and back towards the Kinsman Pond campsite. Instead of going down Fishin Jimmy, we opted for the Kinsman Pond Trail to Cascade Brook to Lonesome Lake back to our cars. What a mistake! LOL A mistake in that it was longer and there was a good amount of snow in some places. It was a long long day in the woods. by @dlh161

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4 months ago

WOW! What a storm! The winds were howling and the whipping snow was like needles hitting the face. Still trying to dig out various areas of the yard. I am measuring 28 to 30 inches depending on the way the wind blew. Thankfully the snow was not too heavy.
The trees are all stressed. :( Hopefully people are close to getting their power back. by @dlh161

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7 months ago

A very cold day out with some awesome people. A Random event. by @dlh161

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9 months ago

It’s OYSTER Season! I hung out with the locals this weekend. As luck would have it, low tide was happening the same time the sun was rising on Sat. The weather was warm, 48 degrees when I set out! Such a beautiful morning. #capecod by @dlh161

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9 months ago

A visit to the Sandwich Wilderness as we decided to approach the Tripyramids from the Kancamagus via the Livermore Trail to the Scaur Ridge then Pine Bend with a fellow Ski Club member, Andrew. I wanted a more gradual climb. It was a long long day and we got out just as the sun set. This will be my 5th visit from almost every angle. One of these days I will tag Scaur when conditions are right. Today I am too tired for the North Tripyramid Slide.

It was a busy day on the Tripyramids Sat. I thought we might meet one or two people but as we approached both peaks, there was a flurry of activity. 2 men who were doing a loop of the slides, a couple of “Gridders” and a couple of men who just like hiking peaks without the constraint of a list. There was one creature I had wished I could meet from a far, a moose. There must be a big moose roaming this area as I found several tracks. They were about the same size as my size 8 boot!! by @dlh161

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10 months ago

The Wildcats!!! Barely any wind, icy conditions. I decided on a traverse today to capture both peaks before the end of the month. I started up 19 MB and took the ski trail down. I was thankful for the ride back to my car from a local guide. Met a few people doing something similar. Crossed paths with John from Maine. We had hiked the Kinsman’s about 8 years ago with the Random group!! Small hiker world. 🌎 by @dlh161

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10 months ago

Sunday I wasn’t feeling that great or enthusiastic so I decided on something quick before heading home. Willey seemed to fit the all the boxes. I already had Tom and Field for November. I approached it from the Avalon Trail rather than the Ethan Pond Trail as I was unsure of what the ladder situation was like. Thank you to Jo Ann Hall for her trip report. I had plenty of company today. There was an AMC group led by Peter doing the WTF loop. I met Gordon and Jess (friends of Jo Ann Hall). On the way down, I had a wonderful encounter with Georg who just turned 85!! He is doing his 48 over 80. He is part of this Wednesday group of hikers that I seem to meet frequently. It’s so nice to meet legends like him. His parting words to me were “Don’t Quit!”. by @dlh161

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10 months ago

It’s almost Winter. Yet, it feels like it has arrived. The weekend involved bagging a few more peaks towards my lofty goals!! The snowshoes went for a ride all weekend. Since I was on the Crawford side of the White Mountains I decided on Carrigain for Saturday. OHHhhhhhh, that road walk! It’s a killer. I was a mile down the road before I realized I had left the spikes in the car! So I ran back and then “beat feet” to the trailhead. Conditions are still a bit bony in places. Higher up there is a good amount of snow. It is definitely accumulating. I saw no one on the way up and several people on the way down heading to the summit. At least 3 were planning on staying the night. by @dlh161

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10 months ago