According to the 1936 Guidebook...

[Fisher Cat]

I happened to snag a copy of a 1936 AMC Guidebook(always wanted one prior the 1938 hurricane)and found some neat tips it included.
Since winter is soon upon us (hopefully in all its fury!)the guidebook provided the following recommended snow depths before skiing any of these hiking trails:
Carter Dome Trail-8 in., for intermediates & experts
19 Mile Trail-6 in., all classes of skiiers
Mt. Willard Trail-8 in. , for intermediates, 800ft. vertical
Cascade Brook Trail-(notes trail is 6-10ft. wide)10 in.,intermediates
Mt. Kinsman Trail-from Bald Knob to highway-10in, lower 5/8mi., for novices
Mt Hale Trail-(notes trail is 6-10ft.wide)10-12in., for intermediates, 2000ft. vertical
Downes Brook Trail-from Swift River-Sleeper Trail, 12 in.
MT W Carraige Road-4 in. It notes though the Halfway House is closed, you may build a fire there but expect no provisions

This was interesting, on p.499 under "Suggestions for Walking Trips" in order to traverse from Zealand Notch to Zealand Falls Hut, you may leave your car or camp at the Willey House Station, but you will(get this)park at your own risk. Apparently break-ins were happening then too!

It also recommended a 5 day hike in the Mahoosuc Range but noted the following "by evening train to Portland,morning train(C.N.R.R.)to Bethel, where supplies may be purchased., take mail stage or hire car to Grafton Notch(20m)and ascend to Speck Pond Shelter in afternoon. Starting early on the "fourth day", catch afternoon train(C.N.R.R.) from Shelburne to Portland, returning to Boston next morning. This shortens the trip by 1.5 working days."
How easy we have it now!

Also included for next spring and summer p.530 provides the recipe for "Pinkham Notch Fly Dope" as follows:
3 oz. pine tar
2oz. citronella
1 oz. olive oil
1 oz. oil of pennyroyal
1 oz. creosote
1 oz. powdered camphor
1 large tube carbolated vaseline
It notes " not recommended for delicate complexions or sensitive nostrils."

Pretty neat stuff and just thought I would pass it along, maybe others would find it interesting!

 

[Jay H]

Also included for next spring and summer p.530 provides the recipe for "Pinkham Notch Fly Dope" as follows:
3 oz. pine tar
2oz. citronella
1 oz. olive oil
1 oz. oil of pennyroyal
1 oz. creosote
1 oz. powdered camphor
1 large tube carbolated vaseline
It notes " not recommended for delicate complexions or sensitive nostrils."

Pretty neat stuff and just thought I would pass it along, maybe others would find it interesting!

You got that right..... sensitive nostrils, I think I would almost rather be bothered by flys.... I think they forgot one item, lead paint!

Jay

 

[Tom Rankin]

Cascade Brook Trail-(notes trail is 6-10ft. wide)10 in.,intermediates
Mt. Kinsman Trail-from Bald Knob to highway-10in, lower 5/8mi., for novices
Mt Hale Trail-(notes trail is 6-10ft.wide)10-12in., for intermediates, 2000ft. vertical

Were these old roads, or fire tower peaks that the care taker needed to get up to?

 

[Fisher Cat]

Were these old roads, or fire tower peaks that the care taker needed to get up to?

The book describes the Cascade Brook Trail as providing a link for the AT. It starts on the W side of Rt 3, opposite Whitehouse Trail, crosses Cascade Brook after 1 mi. and climbs the NE bank, crosses Kinsman Pond Tr., then follows an old logging road to junction with Fishin' Jimmy, then continues E of lake and then on N side meets Lonesome Lake Trail, few steps E of Hut.

For Mt. Kinsman it sounds like an established trail and the skiing part is described as one is descending from North Kinsman back down to the highway. It describes the entrance to the trail as "leaving the road from Franconia to Bungay Corner (NH112)4 mi. S of Franconia Village and 7 mi. N of Bungay Corner at a barway near an old sawmill on the E side of the highway." Then it describes the trail as consisting of everything from a trail to a cart track, to an old-wood trail and back to a trail repeatedly. The measurement of "rods"is used frequently.

For Mt Hale Trail it says "the path, built in 1928 as a tractor road, diverges L from the main logging road." Access to path was gained by taking the road S of Daniel Webster Highway .5 mi. W of the B&M RR Station at Twin Mountain and leads up the Little River Valley. It too mentions"large part of ridge has been burned over but the young growth of birch and cherry shades the path."

Really neat stuff.

 

[dRitter]

Creosote on the skin in any quantity is bad...managed to find that out first hand as a kid. Thought I would impress my dad with my single day feat of painting the fence, only to suffer nasty burns after the fact from chemical exposure. Since then the stuff has been found to be a carcinogen and quite toxic. Interesting snippet from a time when many subastances that were "cure alls" were later provedbad for you

 

[Dr. Dasypodidae]

For Mt Hale Trail it says "the path, built in 1928 as a tractor road, diverges L from the main logging road." Access to path was gained by taking the road S of Daniel Webster Highway .5 mi. W of the B&M RR Station at Twin Mountain and leads up the Little River Valley. It too mentions"large part of ridge has been burned over but the young growth of birch and cherry shades the path."

Really neat stuff.

Yes, the Mt. Hale Trail is now known as the Fire Warden's Trail (no longer maintained), still a popular hike and back-country "earn you truns" ski area. And, it is still fairly widely open, being a former jeep road most of the way up the mountain. Hale Brook Trail is also skiable, but not nearly as much fun as the Fire Warden's Trail.

I agree, really neat stuff in those old trail guides. I am looking for the 3rd edition (1917); anyone here have a copy for sale? Please send PM.

 

[Mattl]

I can't imagine people skiing some of those trails, would kill someone. I am sure things were much different back then regarding amounts of hikers and rules. I still need to ski the auto road...-Mattl

 

[DougPaul]

I can't imagine people skiing some of those trails, would kill someone. I am sure things were much different back then regarding amounts of hikers and rules. I still need to ski the auto road...-Mattl

Trails these days get packed out very rapidly--skiing down a 2-3 foot wide hard-packed trench is a lot harder than skiing an unbroken trail.

Back when I started winter hiking/skiing in the mid-'70s, we generally expected most trails to be unbroken. I'll bet there were even fewer people out in the '30s.

Doug

 

[JohnL]

Also included for next spring and summer p.530 provides the recipe for "Pinkham Notch Fly Dope" as follows:
3 oz. pine tar
2oz. citronella
1 oz. olive oil
1 oz. oil of pennyroyal
1 oz. creosote
1 oz. powdered camphor
1 large tube carbolated vaseline
It notes " not recommended for delicate complexions or sensitive nostrils."

This 'recipe' was obviously put together before they realized that bears are attracted to citronella.

JohnL

 

[dug]

Trails these days get packed out very rapidly--skiing down a 2-3 foot wide hard-packed trench is a lot harder than skiing an unbroken trail.

Back when I started winter hiking/skiing in the mid-'70s, we generally expected most trails to be unbroken. I'll bet there were even fewer people out in the '30s.

Doug

I will confirm that ten-fold. Skiing down popular trails is getting impossible lately. The snowshow "trough" has changed the game a bit.

 

[Fisher Cat]

Trails these days get packed out very rapidly--skiing down a 2-3 foot wide hard-packed trench is a lot harder than skiing an unbroken trail.

Back when I started winter hiking/skiing in the mid-'70s, we generally expected most trails to be unbroken. I'll bet there were even fewer people out in the '30s.

Doug

It does make one wonder what the skiing on those trails was like. First of course would be the cost of equipment. Back then in the Depression one would wonder when scaled back to those prices what it would be, and who could afford it. Yet, if the manual went thru the trouble of making the info available there must have been enough interest. Then again, with the popularity of groups like the Dartmouth Ski Club and many others, perhaps they went in groups to make an outing of it.

 

[dug]

It does make one wonder what the skiing on those trails was like. First of course would be the cost of equipment. Back then in the Depression one would wonder when scaled back to those prices what it would be, and who could afford it. Yet, if the manual went thru the trouble of making the info available there must have been enough interest. Then again, with the popularity of groups like the Dartmouth Ski Club and many others, perhaps they went in groups to make an outing of it.

IF the area had been previously logged in the past 20-30 years, as much of the Whites had been, lots of hardwoods and open areas, too...making the skiing that much more fun.

My grandfather-in-law did a lot of skiing in the Whites around that time. He has some great pictures from his partner, Winston Pote, and a lot of the area in the Presidentials was treeless.