Visiting a Neighbor of Percy Peaks (31-Mar-2009)

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1HappyHiker

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Probably someone has a tabulation of the total number of mountains in NH that are named “Bald Mountain”, or have “Bald” incorporated into their name. Regardless of what the total count might be, my friend Steve and I visited a close neighbor of Percy Peaks, and the name of the mountain we visited was (you guessed it) Bald Mountain!:) The red arrow inserted on the map below shows the location of this mountain.
BaldMtn_Stark.JPG

This hike was a bushwhack which was launched from a nameless connector trail between the Old Summer Club Trail and the Bald Mountain Trail. Curiously enough, the Bald Mountain Trail does not actually go to Bald Mountain, but merely skirts the mountain. However, there is probably a bootleg trail that leads to the top of Bald Mountain. We found some evidence to suggest the existence of such a trail when we were exploring the summit area. Without the snow cover, perhaps a worn treadway might be evident and possibly easy to follow.

For the day of this hike, the weather forecast called for a mostly sunny sky. Whereas other areas of the State experienced a sunny day, we did NOT.:( But despite the gloomy sky and persistent clouds lingering over the mountaintops, we still managed to get some views. And the views we got were good enough to demonstrate that this little 2,378 ft mountain has the potential for some magnificent views on a clear day. This little guy has earned a repeat visit at some point in the future!;)

Off in the distance to the northeast, many of the high peaks in Maine (such as Saddleback and Mt. Abraham) could be seen on the horizon. And a little closer in, the Mahoosuc Range could be seen. Weather conditions were such that photos of those particular views are really not worth sharing. However, for some of the closer views, I managed to get a few photos of marginal quality that were taken from various outlooks on Bald Mountain.

Views to the south include: South Pond (center) & Rogers Ledge (on horizon, just right of center)
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Southwesterly View overlooking Christine Lake
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Northwesterly View looking up at South Percy & North Percy (partially obscured by low cloud)
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1HappyHiker
 
Once again, you've visited an obscure peak that I've looked at with curiosity! I remember seeing that peak from North Percy last spring/summer, wondering if there was a trail leading up to it. Perhaps I'll need to go look for evidence of a trail once the snow's gone!
 
The Percy peaks....a hike I need to do before I move south. Well there are lots of them I'd like to do, but this is one I know little about, and want to explore more. Thanks for these pics from the area!

grouseking
 
Wow - another cool spot you've found, John! I can't wait to see the next one you explore!

I saw that peak last autumn while taking photos of the Percy's from Christine Lake - great to see the view from there - I had forgotten to figure out what it was!

There's another cool set of ledges in that general area off the Nash Stream road over Whitcomb pond that I've been meaning to check out sometime as well. Ever gone up there?

The weatherman really blew it for forecasting Tuesday's "sunny" skies... we had a very interesting day on Lafayette! :eek:
 
Wow - another cool spot you've found, John! I can't wait to see the next one you explore!

I saw that peak last autumn while taking photos of the Percy's from Christine Lake - great to see the view from there -

There's another cool set of ledges in that general area off the Nash Stream road over Whitcomb pond that I've been meaning to check out sometime as well. Ever gone up there?

The weatherman really blew it for forecasting Tuesday's "sunny" skies... we had a very interesting day on Lafayette! :eek:
Chris, thanks for the kudos, but I cannot take even an ounce of credit for the idea of doing this particular whack. This one was entirely Steve’s idea, and a pretty darn good one at that!

In answer to your question, I haven’t been to the ledges over Whitcomb Pond, but possibly will do so once the snow melts. Whacking in the soft “rotten” snow that we now have is for the “die-hards”.

Will be interested to hear about your day on Lafayette!
 
I don't recall a trail to Bald Mtn but there's one to Victor Head and better views too. You might also like Potter Ledge.
 
I don't recall a trail to Bald Mtn but there's one to Victor Head and better views too. You might also like Potter Ledge.
Thanks Roy for the response & suggestion about Potter Ledge. . . much appreciated! By any chance to you have any digital photos of the views from Potter Ledge?

I was on Victor Head a little over a year ago, and I certainly agree with you that there are some good views from there, even though they are quickly becoming overgrown as shown in the 2 photos below.

The views we got from Bald Mountain are quite open; however it takes a bit of “hunt ‘n peck” to find those open views. There are a lot of ledges up there! Some of the better views are not from the higher ledges as one might expect.

Thanks again Roy!

SE View over Christine Lake from Victor Head
Percy Peaks from Victor Head
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P1010827.JPG
 
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