Cohos trail featured in the Manchester Union Leader, July 20, 2008

[bikehikeskifish]

Also online here:

http://www.newhampshire.com/article.aspx?headline=Cohos+Trail:+A+trail+less+traveled&articleid=2179

Tim

 

[dentonfabrics]

I'm a fan of the Cohos Trail. I've hiked about half of it. You definately get a different sense of wildness hiking in Nash Stream St Forest than you do in WMNF. Not necesarily better, or wilder, but different somehow.

Also, Kim Nilsen's trail guide to the Cohos is a great book. I've read it cover to cover. It's more subjective than the AMC White Mountain book is and it reads more like a travelogue than a guidebook.

I'm glad to see the Cohos get some pub.


bob

 

[albee]

I hiked a short section of the CT over the weekend near Kelsey Notch and South Baldhead Mountain, and I came away with mixed feelings about the trail. In some places it was wonderful - a well-defined treadway, easy to follow blazes, natural beauty in abundance, etc.

In other places (probably more than half of the distance that I hiked) the trail was just a mess. Poor drainage, no stepping stones in place, muck, undefined treadways... it was on the verge of a bushwhack except for the bright yellow blazes. Speaking of blazes, I was surprised to see that some were carved into trees, more than a few trees had "CT" painted on them (as if you didn't know what trail you were following already), and I even saw that one person had painted "Hi" in yellow paint next to their yellow blaze. Some blazes were straight, others were squiggly lines, others were right angles to mark turns... there seemed to be no consistency to the trail markings. It just looked haphazard.

My mixed feelings were this: Part of me thought that the trail was a disaster and it is no wonder why it has been so hard to keep this project alive. It appeared to be poorly laid out and poorly maintained. There has been little interest in this trail for a reason - it just isn't that enjoyable in its current state.

Another part of me felt that this is a trail that could be something special. If enough people dedicated time and effort to develop and maintain the trail, it could really be a jewel of the north country. There are many spectacular peaks and lots of wildlife to be seen up there. The article was correct in that the CT offers far, FAR more solitude than the Whites.

In the end, I decided that at some point I will contact the organization and volunteer to do some trail work. Whether I actually do that or not is a function of my desire to see this trail succeed versus the real cost of driving 3.5 hours each way to work on a remote stretch of trail that only a tiny fraction of NH's hiking community will experience. I sincerely hope that everyone gives at least a section of the CT a try, whether they support the project or not, before they form an opinion of it. Not all trails are created equal.

 

[Peaks]

From what I understand, there isn't much of a volunteer base to maintain most of the trail. And in certain places, it follows snowmobile trails. Snowmoble trails are notorious for going through wet areas (frozen in winter), and typically don't see much maintenance until fall.

 

[NewHampshire]

Also, Kim Nilsen's trail guide to the Cohos is a great book. I've read it cover to cover. It's more subjective than the AMC White Mountain book is and it reads more like a travelogue than a guidebook.

I ordered one earlier this month myself! Due to a mix up it got sent to my old address and after a couple e-mails I found out it was returned to them and they are shipping it to my proper address now. It was a very pleasant experience for something that technically was my fault. I am looking forward to getting my hands on the book and reading up some, and then headin out to see the Cohos myself (particularly the far northern sections.)

Brian

 

[Andrew]

My guess on the haphazard blazing would be probably scouts looking for a project. For some reason scouts tend to go blaze-crazy. Many think blazing a trail is a simple project so it often gets doled out as such. The reality being that proper blazing is a tedious process that has to be done so careful, in order to strike the balance between too many and just enough and more effective, much walking back & forth and further along.

I'm throwing my hat in to get involved with club maintenance soon since I will need a new hobby area.