VaMoose
New member
I was blessed to have a week of great weather in late August in your beautiful White Mountains. Over the past several decades I have done almost all of the 4,000 footers and other peaks. Little did I know that little Cooley Hill would do me in [Insert loud "FAIL" buzzer sound here]. Wishing to start on an easier hike, Cooley Hill seemed to fit the bill for an easy to moderate ascent over 3.2 miles. Following the directions in the White Mountain Guide (WMG) I found the parking area, although there is no sign at the road entrance. If you see a gate in the road about 100 feet in you've found the place. A recent sign near the gate showed the start of the trail. Immediately you walk on the forest service road, which was overgrown but easily followed.
After a quarter of a mile, the trail goes straight while the newer forest road veers to the right. The trail becomes more overgrown at this point. A mile from the parking area, you come to a huge clearing. There is no indication of where the trail goes, so I walked directly across the clearing and came across a narrow trail just to the right.
Entering the woods, the trail eventually began to narrow.
About a quarter mile from the clearing, you will cross a narrow stream. 100 yards later I found what I think is the "old cellar hole" mentioned in the WMG, mostly by sheer luck. It can't be seen from the trail, nor is there a trail or other indicator to it. From the stream, walk 80 paces and look to the right for a couple of rocks sticking up. Walk up the bank for 20-30 feet and you should see the cellar hole.
Continuing on, the plot, not to mention the trail, thickens.
The yellow blazes mentioned in the WMG were very few and faded. In fact I only saw a handful, and following the trail was getting more difficult. I think I approached the "two vast logged clearings" mentioned in the WMG, but no views were to be had as the growth was very high. It was then that the realization hit that I probably picked the worst time of the year to do this hike given the amount of overgrowth. After decades of hiking I am still learning. Duh... Finally, the first view of Cooley Hill appeared, at least I think that is what it is.
The trail, if it can still be called a trail at this point, closed in. Obviously, this trail has not been maintained in years. The ground could not be seen, which doesn't bolster one's confidence. The growth seemed to get even thicker as I continued. I poked around to try to pick it up again without success. There was one faded blaze so I knew I was in the right area, but that was little consolation. It seemed ridiculous to continue. Finally, the "trail" came to a dead end.
Reluctantly I turned around and headed back, figuring it was the safe thing to do, especially since I was alone and my car was the only one at the trailhead. Despite the disappointment of not reaching the top and the lack of views, it was still a great hike in the woods. It was very peaceful and if I recall, this was the first hike I have been on in the Whites where I didn't see at least one other hiker. If you'd like to do this hike, I recommend going in spring before the growth starts. This is a good hike for those who want a nice woods walk, want to sharpen their trail finding and directional skills, enjoy bushwhacking, or simply are gluttons for punishment. If you do get to the top of Cooley Hill, please post a pic so I can see what I missed.
Parting shot of Cooley Hill.
After a quarter of a mile, the trail goes straight while the newer forest road veers to the right. The trail becomes more overgrown at this point. A mile from the parking area, you come to a huge clearing. There is no indication of where the trail goes, so I walked directly across the clearing and came across a narrow trail just to the right.
Entering the woods, the trail eventually began to narrow.
About a quarter mile from the clearing, you will cross a narrow stream. 100 yards later I found what I think is the "old cellar hole" mentioned in the WMG, mostly by sheer luck. It can't be seen from the trail, nor is there a trail or other indicator to it. From the stream, walk 80 paces and look to the right for a couple of rocks sticking up. Walk up the bank for 20-30 feet and you should see the cellar hole.
Continuing on, the plot, not to mention the trail, thickens.
The yellow blazes mentioned in the WMG were very few and faded. In fact I only saw a handful, and following the trail was getting more difficult. I think I approached the "two vast logged clearings" mentioned in the WMG, but no views were to be had as the growth was very high. It was then that the realization hit that I probably picked the worst time of the year to do this hike given the amount of overgrowth. After decades of hiking I am still learning. Duh... Finally, the first view of Cooley Hill appeared, at least I think that is what it is.
The trail, if it can still be called a trail at this point, closed in. Obviously, this trail has not been maintained in years. The ground could not be seen, which doesn't bolster one's confidence. The growth seemed to get even thicker as I continued. I poked around to try to pick it up again without success. There was one faded blaze so I knew I was in the right area, but that was little consolation. It seemed ridiculous to continue. Finally, the "trail" came to a dead end.
Reluctantly I turned around and headed back, figuring it was the safe thing to do, especially since I was alone and my car was the only one at the trailhead. Despite the disappointment of not reaching the top and the lack of views, it was still a great hike in the woods. It was very peaceful and if I recall, this was the first hike I have been on in the Whites where I didn't see at least one other hiker. If you'd like to do this hike, I recommend going in spring before the growth starts. This is a good hike for those who want a nice woods walk, want to sharpen their trail finding and directional skills, enjoy bushwhacking, or simply are gluttons for punishment. If you do get to the top of Cooley Hill, please post a pic so I can see what I missed.
Parting shot of Cooley Hill.
