chomp
New member
Evans Notch to Route 2 Backpack.
The Hikers: Giggy, Darlene, Mookie and myself.
The Idea: Looking for something a little different and off the beaten path, yet with plenty of views since the weekend weather was looking pretty good.
The Hike: Approximately 30 miles starting from the Baldface Circle Trail and eventually ending on the Shelburne Trail on Route 2.
On Friday, we dropped Mookie’s car at the well known Old Man of the Valley parking area, which is also the end of the Shelburne Trail. We then drove down 113 to the Baldface Circle Trail where we began our hike. First, I want to give a big thanks to the private landowners that allow the beginning of this trail over their land. Without this access, reaching the beautiful Baldface Mountains would be much more difficult, so we really appreciate their openness to the public.
We didn’t start hiking until 8 PM, but the sky was clear enough that we made it most of the way to the shelter before having to turn on our headlamps. It was an uneventful hike up (other than me burping up my dinner), and we were happy to reach an unoccupied shelter around 9:30. We made a nice small fire to battle the bugs and settled in for the night.
The next morning, we headed up to the Baldface Ridge, which is almost completely exposed for several miles. There are also a lot of fun rock scrambles and open slabs on this trail, and since we were only going 13 miles and it was a beautiful day, we took our time over this area. We hiked slowly, took frequent breaks, and chatted the morning away before dropping down into the trees and heading over the Mt Meader. While there were not the sweeping views from earlier, the trail passed by several ledges and view points all the way to Rim Junction.
This is where the second part of the hike began. We chose to take the Black Angel Trail down to the Wild River. This was mostly an uneventful hike down what appeared to be an old logging road, but it was pleasant. The day was just warm enough that we all enjoyed a long boots-off break soaking in the Wild River and enjoying the sun. After an extended break, we meandered along the Wind River Trail on what appeared to be an old railroad bed. This hike had a very Pemi-Wilderness sort of feel – without all the people.
We hiked almost all the way to the Wild River Campground before crossing the Wild on a suspension bridge. We headed back up along the Wild a short distance before turning right and climbing on the Moriah Brook Trail. This trail was, unexpectedly, the crown jewel of this hike.
We hiked a short distance along this trail before finding an acceptable place to camp in the vicinity of Moriah Gorge. The WMG says that the Moriah Gorge “merits exploration”, and I’ll just say that we all agreed with that statement. We again kindled a small fire to battle the bugs, ate a hearty dinner and turned in before dark to the sound of the Moriah Brook in the background.
On Saturday morning, we headed up the rest of the Moriah Brook Trail towards the AT. This entire trail was very scenic, and the Moriah Brook was full of surprises almost the entire way. Small cascades, water slides, and open slabs could be found almost everywhere on the river. The climb was gradual through open woods before getting steep towards the very end when it climbed to the left of the cliffs on Mt. Moriah. Once we reached the AT, it was a gradual climb up to the Mt. Moriah summit for an early lunch in the sun.
From there, we finished our backpack by traversing over to Shelburne-Moriah, then down the backside to the Shelburne Trail. The section from the summit to the trail junction was new to all of us, and very rugged. However, the Shelburne Trail was gradual and pleasant, if a little boring. The last 2 miles of forest road were especially long, and we were really happy to see mookie’s car.
At the end of the hike, we all agreed it was one of the best weekend trips that any of use had done in the Whites. All told, we saw 5 different groups for a total of 18 people all weekend. It was a great weekend of exploring new places (to us anyway) with a great group of people.
Photos to come soon…
The Hikers: Giggy, Darlene, Mookie and myself.
The Idea: Looking for something a little different and off the beaten path, yet with plenty of views since the weekend weather was looking pretty good.
The Hike: Approximately 30 miles starting from the Baldface Circle Trail and eventually ending on the Shelburne Trail on Route 2.
On Friday, we dropped Mookie’s car at the well known Old Man of the Valley parking area, which is also the end of the Shelburne Trail. We then drove down 113 to the Baldface Circle Trail where we began our hike. First, I want to give a big thanks to the private landowners that allow the beginning of this trail over their land. Without this access, reaching the beautiful Baldface Mountains would be much more difficult, so we really appreciate their openness to the public.
We didn’t start hiking until 8 PM, but the sky was clear enough that we made it most of the way to the shelter before having to turn on our headlamps. It was an uneventful hike up (other than me burping up my dinner), and we were happy to reach an unoccupied shelter around 9:30. We made a nice small fire to battle the bugs and settled in for the night.
The next morning, we headed up to the Baldface Ridge, which is almost completely exposed for several miles. There are also a lot of fun rock scrambles and open slabs on this trail, and since we were only going 13 miles and it was a beautiful day, we took our time over this area. We hiked slowly, took frequent breaks, and chatted the morning away before dropping down into the trees and heading over the Mt Meader. While there were not the sweeping views from earlier, the trail passed by several ledges and view points all the way to Rim Junction.
This is where the second part of the hike began. We chose to take the Black Angel Trail down to the Wild River. This was mostly an uneventful hike down what appeared to be an old logging road, but it was pleasant. The day was just warm enough that we all enjoyed a long boots-off break soaking in the Wild River and enjoying the sun. After an extended break, we meandered along the Wind River Trail on what appeared to be an old railroad bed. This hike had a very Pemi-Wilderness sort of feel – without all the people.
We hiked almost all the way to the Wild River Campground before crossing the Wild on a suspension bridge. We headed back up along the Wild a short distance before turning right and climbing on the Moriah Brook Trail. This trail was, unexpectedly, the crown jewel of this hike.
We hiked a short distance along this trail before finding an acceptable place to camp in the vicinity of Moriah Gorge. The WMG says that the Moriah Gorge “merits exploration”, and I’ll just say that we all agreed with that statement. We again kindled a small fire to battle the bugs, ate a hearty dinner and turned in before dark to the sound of the Moriah Brook in the background.
On Saturday morning, we headed up the rest of the Moriah Brook Trail towards the AT. This entire trail was very scenic, and the Moriah Brook was full of surprises almost the entire way. Small cascades, water slides, and open slabs could be found almost everywhere on the river. The climb was gradual through open woods before getting steep towards the very end when it climbed to the left of the cliffs on Mt. Moriah. Once we reached the AT, it was a gradual climb up to the Mt. Moriah summit for an early lunch in the sun.
From there, we finished our backpack by traversing over to Shelburne-Moriah, then down the backside to the Shelburne Trail. The section from the summit to the trail junction was new to all of us, and very rugged. However, the Shelburne Trail was gradual and pleasant, if a little boring. The last 2 miles of forest road were especially long, and we were really happy to see mookie’s car.
At the end of the hike, we all agreed it was one of the best weekend trips that any of use had done in the Whites. All told, we saw 5 different groups for a total of 18 people all weekend. It was a great weekend of exploring new places (to us anyway) with a great group of people.
Photos to come soon…
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