grouseking
Well-known member
I always have Fridays off now, and it is usually a day that I like to get out and do a little hiking. Last Friday was no exception. Since I am rapidly exhausting my trail possibilities in Lebanon, I figured it was time to hop across the river and check out Norwich, VT. If you are familiar with the area, I started at Dan and Whits store, hiked up Elm St (up!) to the AT, up to Happy Hill Shelter, ate lunch, then continued south till the cross roads with the Burton Woods Rd (more of a trail then a road). Then I took that down to Bragg Hill Rd, and followed a couple of nice back roads to the Bill Ballard Trail, followed that till it ended, and then took Beaver Meadow Rd back to Dan and Whits. It was a long 14.5 mile day, but it was very rewarding.
Throughout the day, I saw a Great Horned Owl, a pileated woodpecker, a downy woodpecker, a ruffled grouse, and some sort of hawk. It was definitely a day for the birds!! Time for some pictures...
Starting...
This section of the AT is quite similar to some trails I have hiked in Virginia, with long switchbacks that avoided going all the way down to the bottom of a stream valley, just to rise up again. Usually, when the trail crossed the intermittent stream and ascended easily back up, I came across some new spring flowers. Here are some spring beauties.
Slightly off the trail, I came across across a great view into NH, from Moose Mtn, all the way up to Moosilauke, up to part of Mt Lafayette.
Close up on Moosilauke and Lafayette, and Cube
Lunch at a great shelter
On the Burton Woods rd....I guess I have no choice but to go left
Nice view along Bragg Hill Rd
Next, one of the stranger trail signs I have seen...not in miles, but in hours!
On my way to the grand canyon!!!
Not necessarily a grand canyon....more of a modest canyon.
A nice place to sit among the sticks
This nasty mudslide made me bushwhack to the top of the hill to bypass it. There was a good 30 foot drop to the left of the pic. I wasn't slipping down that!!
A nice bridge
I hope you enjoyed my trip as much as I did!
http://grouseking.smugmug.com/Vermo...rails/22455776_k9LXjL#!i=1795386234&k=XCGdLL7
Throughout the day, I saw a Great Horned Owl, a pileated woodpecker, a downy woodpecker, a ruffled grouse, and some sort of hawk. It was definitely a day for the birds!! Time for some pictures...
Starting...
This section of the AT is quite similar to some trails I have hiked in Virginia, with long switchbacks that avoided going all the way down to the bottom of a stream valley, just to rise up again. Usually, when the trail crossed the intermittent stream and ascended easily back up, I came across some new spring flowers. Here are some spring beauties.
Slightly off the trail, I came across across a great view into NH, from Moose Mtn, all the way up to Moosilauke, up to part of Mt Lafayette.
Close up on Moosilauke and Lafayette, and Cube
Lunch at a great shelter
On the Burton Woods rd....I guess I have no choice but to go left
Nice view along Bragg Hill Rd
Next, one of the stranger trail signs I have seen...not in miles, but in hours!
On my way to the grand canyon!!!
Not necessarily a grand canyon....more of a modest canyon.
A nice place to sit among the sticks
This nasty mudslide made me bushwhack to the top of the hill to bypass it. There was a good 30 foot drop to the left of the pic. I wasn't slipping down that!!
A nice bridge
I hope you enjoyed my trip as much as I did!
http://grouseking.smugmug.com/Vermo...rails/22455776_k9LXjL#!i=1795386234&k=XCGdLL7
