Once in a while, you just have to hike. Okay, for most of us that's every weekend. There comes a time, though, when you really have to get out. This was one of those days for me. The weather looked ominous to the far north, but in the more southern stretches of the Whites the forecast was promising. Since I was aiming for her home area, I gave Periwinkle a call to see if she wanted to join me. She was game since it wasn't Vose Spur again, and even had an idea for where to hike.
Sunday morning I managed a rarity - I got up to New Hampshire on time; a bit early, even. Apparently no sleep is the key to not being late, and not speeding is the key to having the person in front of you get pulled over. Periwinkle wasn't ready yet, as a power failure the night before kept her and Basecamp's alarm from going off, so it wasn't until 10am that we arrived in Bess, the wood-paneled Jeep, at the Three Ponds Trail. From here, we were going to climb around 2240 ft. over 3.4 mi. to the 3453' summit of Carr Mountain.
Actually, let me step back here a moment. Let's talk for a moment about the drive there. Ellsworth Hill Road is a fine, paved, winding road. Then it passes the "Not maintained for winter travel" sign, the pavement ends, its name changes to Stinson Lake Road, and the fun begins. Yes, there's nothing quite like a dirt road covered with a layer of ice, especially after the "13% grade" sign. Do not try to drive this route after the next snowstorm; it's a snowmobile route in winter, anyway.
The first half mile on the Three Ponds Trail was very mellow. The ice in the parking lot did not follow the trail, and except for the occasional mud puddle, we had good footing all the way up past the Mt. Kineo Trail to the well-marked turn for the Carr Mountain Trail. Again, this was an easy trail to follow, especially seeing as it was heading downhill to the crossing of Sucker Brook. This proved not to be a problem, with plenty of stepping stones available, and then we almost immediately crossed the old woods road that is called the "local route" in many texts.
From there the trail began a long but very moderate ascent through open woods on the eastern shoulder of the mountain. There were no surprises here, and no problems following the footpath. A few blowdowns could use clearing, though. There's also a remarkable one where the top of a tree brook off and stuck directly into the ground, upside-down, looking like a giant spider. There were stretches of good footing as well as patches of deep mud and many puddles. There was a snow line around, I think, 2200', where we picked up patchy, rotten snow. Just enough to mess with our footing and conceal the deepest puddles.
The Carr Mountain Trail has a wide variety of styles to it. It ranges from an old road to a narrow, rocky, root-covered path; from open forest to dark spruce. We saw all sorts of various flora, moose tracks, giant boulders, and Tramper Al. There was also the unending amusement of Chappy running back and forth and back and forth and back and...
We had a brief moment of confusion at the junction with an old road, the former trail route, around 2330'. There was just enough snow to cover over the brushing that was blocking this direction, and the old blazes are still knocked into the trees beyond. It was only by luck that we noticed an arrow carved in the trunk of a birch tree pointing us in the other direction. You don't want to miss this turn; however, once you walk up about 10' the correct trail becomes obvious.
The higher we got, the more snow and ice and water and mud. It was frustrating at times, and Periwinkle would use Stabilicers to great effect all throughout this region on our descent. I just held on tightly and hoped for the best. We crested the ridgeline and turned south, and after a little rambling found ourselves at the summit spur trail, a short 70 yards to an open ledge surrounded by growing conifers reclaiming the view, and the massive foundations of an old fire tower last used in 1948 and long since torn down. Top of the mountain, end of the line.
Despite the cold wind and grey skies, we took some time to explore the summit area, as some huge rock knobs, as well as an old concrete staircase, provided many photo opportunities to be enjoyed between the sips of hot cocoa that were my lunch. According to Steve Smith over 30 4000-footers can be seen from this summit, but we could not see much beyond Mt. Kineo as the clouds absorbed the more distant mountaintops. It didn't take long before the cold wind cost the summit our interest, and we started down.
The way down was no different than the way up, except of course for the traction issues found when descending. Stabilicers worked well for Periwinkle here. I was okay with barebooting, though, and we saw in the snow the tracks of YakTrax as well. Crampons would have been useless, as would snowshoes. We just plodded along, taking our time. Between the tough footing, Periwinkle's knees, and stopping for pictures, we returned to the car in 6 hours exactly. From there I drove home, neatly avoiding another pair of speed traps, and being reminded on several occasions that decaf does not keep me awake.
This was a decent mountain. To get any views does require standing on the old foundations or scaling one of the rocky knobs on the summit. This would also make a good snowshoe or expert ski in winter, as long as you use a different road to get to the trailhead. Feel free to check out my photo album from this trip.
Actually, let me step back here a moment. Let's talk for a moment about the drive there. Ellsworth Hill Road is a fine, paved, winding road. Then it passes the "Not maintained for winter travel" sign, the pavement ends, its name changes to Stinson Lake Road, and the fun begins. Yes, there's nothing quite like a dirt road covered with a layer of ice, especially after the "13% grade" sign. Do not try to drive this route after the next snowstorm; it's a snowmobile route in winter, anyway.
We had a brief moment of confusion at the junction with an old road, the former trail route, around 2330'. There was just enough snow to cover over the brushing that was blocking this direction, and the old blazes are still knocked into the trees beyond. It was only by luck that we noticed an arrow carved in the trunk of a birch tree pointing us in the other direction. You don't want to miss this turn; however, once you walk up about 10' the correct trail becomes obvious.
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