Some Different Viewing Perspectives on the Crawford Notch (02-Nov-2009)

The evening before this trek, I wasn't certain if I'd be hiking the following day since I was feeling too disorganized to get organized for a hike! Well, finally by very late morning I eventually got my act together. However, with the late start and the shorter daylight hours, I had a very compressed time frame for hiking.

So, with the time available, I guesstimated that I might be able to do two short bushwhacks in the Crawford Notch area that have been on my mind for awhile. As it turns out, I was able to complete both whacks, but with only an ounce of daylight to spare!

Here are two mini-reports for each of these bushwhacks.

Whack #1: Ledge Near Sawyer Rock Picnic Area

This was a somewhat steep whack. However, it was very short (about 1.0 mile round-trip) and it was through very open woods the entire distance. From this ledge (about 1,860 feet elevation), there are some unique perspectives.

The first snapshot is looking northward. Hart Ledge is prominent in the foreground, and the Crawford Notch area is in the background.

This next snapshot is looking northwesterly, and just to name a few, Mt. Carrigain is the high peak to the far left, and Mt. Willey is on the far right.

The next photo features an up-close view of the entire mass of Mt. Tremont.

The photo below is pretty much self-explanatory. This sign is at the spot where I parked, and it provides a brief history of Sawyer Rock.
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Whack #2: Rockslide on North End of Mt. Tremont

For this second bushwhack of the day, I pulled out of the Sawyer Rock Picnic area and drove a very short distance up Route 302 and parked at the Fourth Iron Tentsite.

This whack was not as steep as the first whack, but it was twice the distance, i.e. about 2 miles round-trip. And like the first bushwhack, this trek was also through very open woods for the entire distance.

The rockslide is massive. I was only on the lower portion of it at about 2,100 feet elevation. However, the top of the slide is at about 2,200 feet. I was totally bummed when I realized that I forgot to take a snapshot of the slide itself. Oh well! Since it's such an easy bushwhack, I suspect I'll return there at some point in time.

From this rockslide there is a somewhat unique viewing angle for the Crawford Notch area. The two snapshots below were taken from the rockslide looking northward. The first one is slightly zoomed, and the second shot is not zoomed.

Slightly Zoomed

Not Zoomed


1HappyHiker

John,
Such great views for little effort gives one a new perspective on hiking.
We found that out not too long ago.

Donna

Wow! More different views! Was wondering, do you have a wide angle lens? Sometime, I'm going to get a snazzy camera, with some fun lenses so I can do a little more.

Great shots!

John - did you see the poem in Hill Country Summer by Frances Ann Hancock that says the first load on Tim Nash's road "from mountain country to the sea" was a keg of rum?

Donna & Mike, thank you for taking time to post a reply . . . much appreciated.
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Phil, I sort of thought you might be one of those who would appreciate the different viewing perspectives from the ledge, and from the rockslide. But anyway, to answer your question, I don't use what I would consider to be a snazzy camera.
It's an inexpensive "point & shoot" with a built in wide-angle lens.
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Ellen, I think the basis for your question was probably the photo that I posted showing the inscription on a sign at the Sawyer Rock Picnic Area.

Anyway, to answer your question, I did indeed read Frances Ann Johnson's poem entitled "Crawford Road Horse Trade" (from her book entitled "Hill Country Autumn").

It seems somewhat befitting that "the first load of produce was a keg of rum"!
I also loved the stanza below which seems to indicate that the governor made the deal with no real thoughts that Tim would ever be able to make good on his end of the bargain.

"John Wentworth didn't know poor Tim.
In fact, he'd quite forgotten him,
And he could hardly recognize
This ragged man with burning eyes.
Both men and beast were sorry sights –
Dirt, scratches, cuts, mosquito bites,
Bedraggled, lame – but there they stood.
They'd done what no one thought they could."

More great unique perspectives John. I would have had to work to realize that these were Crawford Notch without the descriptions. The one looking over Hart Ledge is particularly interesting. As Donna said it's great to realize what can be had with very little effort. Sometimes you just need to know where to look. Keep taking us along on these great little journeys...

mtruman said:

More great unique perspectives John. I would have had to work to realize that these were Crawford Notch without the descriptions. The one looking over Hart Ledge is particularly interesting. As Donna said it's great to realize what can be had with very little effort. Sometimes you just need to know where to look. Keep taking us along on these great little journeys...

Click to expand...

Thanks Mark. By no means is this intended as self "back patting", but I particularly liked the view from the rockslide on the north end of Mt. Tremont. From that vantage point, evidence of current things (like roads, etc) are barely visible. So I sort of imagined myself seeing the Crawford Notch how it might have looked back in the 1700's when Timothy Nash was working to bring the first horse through the Notch to fulfill his bargain with Governor Wentworth.

Nice! I like your TRs; keep it up. Those are some nice fresh perspectives of familiar areas. Your images show how much there really is to see.

happy trails