Cohos Trail

[B the Hiker]

I'm sure I'm going to have more questions before I start the trip, but since there are folks who have actually done it, I see in almost every blog post reports that the trail is under-blazed in multiple sections. Why is that? Is it because the trail goes through fields that are hard to mark, or is it simply that the trial maintainers just didn't bring out enough paint?

In other words, I keep seeing people talking about the challenges of finding the trail. What is the source of the challenge?

 

[Snowflea]

B, The CT is not marked as such very often south of the Kilkenny. I think there are some CT markers in Pondicherry, but going north I cannot remember where exactly the first CT marker appeared. Instead, the CT route follows the established WMNF trails as listed in my blog post, linked above, beginning with Davis Path.

My experience was that north of the Kilkenny it was usually marked adequately but sometimes not. Of course, it takes only a missing marker or two to easily confuse your day! There were sections that looked more like "blazed bushwhacks" in that they were well marked, but there was little discernible footbed and/or the "trail" was very overgrown. A couple of other instances markers were missing, so which way to go was an educated guess! A few times the CT intersects with confusing moose paths; it is imperative to follow the CT markers!

That is why carrying the guidebook, maps, GPS, and compass are essential in my opinion. There was no data book in 2015 (I was lamenting that there was not!). Now that there IS a data book, I would definitely bring that, too.

I consider the Cohos Trail a "post-graduate long-distance trail" for those who are looking for a much more solitary, different kind of adventure than the AT, LT, etc. As I alluded to in my blog, an open mind, flexibility, and the ability to laugh at oneself are as essential as backcountry knowledge and experience.

 

[GBKDalton]

I've hiked the entire thing. My hiking partner and I meant to do the whole thing as a thru the first year, but I destroyed my feet (combination of trying new, disastrous inserts and road walking in the north) and was off in four days. We did a week the next summer and finished it the third year. I really enjoyed the hike, especially the second trip where we did Dixville Notch south to Jefferson Village. It takes slightly more care to follow then the Whites, but not too difficult, as long as you are paying attention at junctions and reviewing the trail for the day before hiking. We did meet some hikers who hiked pretty far out of their way south of Lake Francis after missing a turn. We spent a bunch of time on Mt. Gloriette (south of Dixville) looking for the trail, that was the worst place for us (Do not descend, hike straight across the bare rocks next to the old ski hut and you will see blazes).

It is really beautiful country up there. Highlights-the CT lakes, hiking south of the Tree Farm on day three and seeing the view near this remote dairy farm on top of a mountain, Coleman State Park, Dixville Notch, swimming in the Devil's Bathtub and taking the side trail up to Sugarloaf (in the Nash Forest). Make sure you bring a water bottle if you drop your packs! (We were like "it looks like a mile! we'll just run up! It was pretty steep and we were pretty damn thirsty at the top. Outstanding view though). Climbing the Percys, swimming at South Pond Rec area (You can leave food with the caretakers at south pond, but you can't mail it-sounds like you wouldn't be able to drop it off with a car shuttle unfortunately), camping at Unknown Pond, a wretched day going around blowdowns south of Willard Gap that I am now nostalgic for, hiking Owl's Head and the Cherry Mountain Pond, and being on Isolation at 8am.

It was a great series of hikes, I'm jealous you are getting so much time off! The snowmobile trails in the north are quite wet, as others have said. I don't know if water will be a problem-we've had plenty of rain here in Vermont so far this summer, but you can never tell in August.

 

[B the Hiker]

Thank you very much for these long, thoughtful, and very helpful postings! I can conceived of an AT thru-hiker scratching her head and wondering what the big deal is, but the truth is, it's my vacation, and I want to spend it looking out at the Connecticut Lakes, and gawking at Table Top, and enjoying the peace and quiet, and not have to spend a quarter of my day stressed out because I can't figure where the dang trail goes! Plus I have Spring, which is perfectly fine down here in CT and is literally a dollar a day cheaper, but up there it means I'll be a cellphone deadzone for virtually all of the time, making me quite literally on my own for this.

It is interesting how the 48 pull us back to the same tiny areas of New Hampshire, which is so huge. A while back I section hiked the Long Trail with my friend Neil (I think he goes by hikeswithKat), and while the trail was often not much to speak of, it was really just going somewhere else! Finding the parking lot, hiking up some stretch of trail neither one of us had been on before. That's what I'm looking forward to the most: just seeing some sights I've never seen before.

Brian

 

[jniehof]

Meanwhile, I trekked up to NH yesterday and poked around Gunstock. Had intended to do it and Belknap from the upper lot, but missed the fact that the road closes at 6, and got there shortly before that.

Aside: Gunstock/Belknap from the lower lot doesn't really add that much (although for squeezing in an evening hike, it can certainly make a difference.) Note also Belknap Mountain Road is closed for a short section right now--you have to take Hoyt Road in (fairly typical for those coming from the west, not the usual shortest route from the east.)

 

[Cumulus]

As I noted in the Trip Reports forum, I through hiked the the Cohos Trail over the first couple weeks of July.

See http://www.trailjournals.com/journal/entry/542267 for my journal and http://www.cookhimes.us/dennis/traillog/ct/ct000.htm for a picture gallery on my own site.

Quick summary: South of Stark it's mostly (but not entirely) well worn WMNF trail. North of there there's a big variety, a lot of nice well maintained forest paths, a lot of snowmobile/ATV trails, which can range from hard packed dirt to grass covered mud, and a fair amount of road walking. In fact, from Coleman SP to Lake Francis Trail there's a day and a half of road walking.

I found the forest trails to be surprisingly well signed and blazed. Elsewhere with a combination of the map, the data book, and a few strategic signs and blazes I was able to figure out where to go. I only had serious problems three times. Twice between Panorama Shelter and Coleman SP when I hit recent logging areas. Presumably the logging had destroyed some blazes. The other time was when a turn off of a snowmobile trail into the woods wasn't obvious to me somewhere in the approach to Mt. Cowell.

I think it's a great trail, in spite of a few horrible sections (e.g. Col. Whipple Trail). It was definitely a different experience from through hiking the Long Trail, which I did a few years ago.

--

Cumulus

NE111 in my 50s: 115/115 (67/67, 46/46, 2/2)
NE111 in my 60s: 54/115 (42/67, 11/46, 1/2)
NEFF: 50/50; Cat35: 39/39; WNH4K: 40/48; NEHH 88/100
LT NB 2009; CT NB 2017

"I don't much care where [I get to] --" said Alice, "-- so long as I get somewhere," ...
"Oh, you're sure to do that," said the Cat, "if you only walk long enough."
- Lewis Carroll

 

[peakbagger]

Minor correction, Dixville Notch not Dixwell Notch

FYI the Cabot cabin and its surroundings are in bit of regulatory black hole. The FS is supposed to be cutting a helipad in the area near the cabin to service a new radio repeater tower at the Cabot Summit. They also are supposed to set up the cabin as a locked "reservation only" cabin similar to the Doublehead cabin. Since those have not been done its not a RUA so you can camp in the middle of the trail if you wish to (unless they have changed the policy recently). Given that the water source is half way to the actual summit on a steep side path, there are far better camping options near the summit. The FS attempted at one point to burn the cabin down but its a designated historic structure so they are stuck with it barring major paperwork.

 

[B the Hiker]

Cumulus, thank you so much for the feedback on where to keep an eye out for the trail! I very much enjoyed reading your blog postings as you traveled. I'm on Spring, and would love to keep an on-line journal but am skeptical I'm going to be able to obtain the necessary coverage signal strength.

Peakbagger, I have always wanted to spend a night at Unknown Pond. If the itinerary goes as scheduled, I should roll in there on a Sunday night. Don't have a sense of how crowded it will be--although I'm hoping it will be better than if I came in on a Friday or Saturday night.

I have never used the water source near Cabot Cabin. I don't know if it is always flowing or not.


Brian

 

[peakbagger]

Unknown Pond does get pretty constant use on weekends. Not sure during the week, it was popular with groups. Long ago before I was living in the area it was a reputed "zoo" with lots of bootleg sites on the pond and folks would go up to party. When we blazed the KRT, the FS had just put in place the new designated sites and kept an eye on it to discourage the use of the bootleg sites. I haven't looked closely but expect the intervening close to 30 years has allowed these boot leg sites to grow in. A few miles east is nice tent site just short of the base of Rogers Ledge, it gets almost no use. More than few folks over the years have dry camped in woods just north of Roger Ledge so they can go sit on the ledge and watch the stars.

The water source on the top of Cabot has been quite reliable over the years but can get real slow later in the year, in very dry weather it becomes a drip, given the recent north country weather I sure wouldn't worry about it. Its a long way down off the ridgeline. BTW there is a undocumented water source along the discontinued section of the Bunnel Notch Trail which runs west of the Bunnel Notch to connect with the unmaintained Mt Cabot Trail When the KRT went in they built a bypass around this section to follow a rough contour from Bunnel Notch along the flank of Cabot rather then dropping down in elevation on the west side of the notch to connect up with the Mt Cabot trail at a lower elevation.