dr_wu002
Well-known member
Eric and I wanted to do Flume. So we just looked at the map and decided that we should park in Waterville Valley to do it. Whoops. This was the wrong Flume, right? Not the 4000'er, this isn't even a 3000'er and we're not even sure if it's on the NH200 or not.
We started out on Livermore Road or whatever it was, commented on the 23 ton truck we could take hiking, before turning left on the Kettles Trail. This was a nice trail through the hardwoods that took you to look at some ancient (dried up) Kettle Ponds. There were three of them, from what I could tell. Then Eric and I decided to go up the Scaur. It was 0.2 of steep trail to this little peak (which I think you can see from the parking lot). There were some pretty good views from the open ledge.
Next, Eric and I 'whacked down to the Flume Trail. This is an old logging road that runs along the Flume Brook. We followed this, passed through a really neat gorge and kept going passed the cascades until the logging road became obliterated by nasty blowdown. We crossed the brook and started climbing steep stuff up Flume Peak (2980' not the Flume on Franconia Ridge -- that was some distance away still).
The steep stuff was steep and covered with blowdown so weren't we happy when we found a nice logging road. It was a big grown up but the grade was in fantastic condition, so we took that until we found a better area to start climbing again. Heading to Flume Peak wasn't so bad as thick spruce eventually gave way to logging roads now maintained by moose traffic. We didn’t not obverse much human intervention: none of the usual fire rings, cuts on trees, flagging etc. No, the moose sign indicated that moose were keeping these trails open.
So, we made our way to the summit which was wide open, almost meadowish -- you expected to see 2-300 moose huddled up in this open area but we found none. We didn't even find a canister although we searched pretty good in the trees and on the grounds of this double-humped summit. So, instead we just hung out in the sun, dried off our clothes and ate lunch. Although the views were through the trees, we had a great perspective of the entire Sandwich Range. Kancamagus was to the North, Osceola the Northwest, Tecumseh was Southwest, Sandwich Dome was South; Passaconaway was to our East and Tripyramid to the Northeast. I bet that we could've found even better views for photographing if we 'whacked around a little more. But, we were satisfied with what we had and left it at that.
After an hour or so we headed out. Eric saw a ski trail on his map that was in the area so, since it was completely snow-free and we wouldn't be disrupting any ski traffic we started heading for this. Again, we took the nice moose paths -- this was the easiest whackin' I've ever done! In fact, at a normal walking pace we easily found the ski trail, which was an old logging road in great shape (probably part of the same logging road we were initially on when we started climbing up Flume Peak. This trail though was gorgeous. The logging road (and when I say road, I mean like road you can almost drive on) was in great shape. There was a lot of trivial blowdown but I was amazed at the condition of the grade. There didn't even seem to be that much maintenance going on -- not many cuts or repairs. They don't make 'em like the used to, right?
This ski-path takes you down an attractive little valley of Mt. Kancamagus flanked by Flume Peak on your right (Flume Peak is just a shoulder off Kancamagus) and tall trees on your left. Then you hook up with Mad River Valley and your back on the Greely Ponds Trail. Eric and I decided that we had enough -- I had wanted to walk to Greely Ponds but we figured an early day was ok too.
After the hike, had I not fallen asleep in the car, I was going to accompany Eric to the local Walmart or something where he could go on a psychotic rampage in order to vent his frustrations at A) not finding a canister and B) Flume Peak not being on a list. Thank goodness I fell asleep. Umm, Pictures: I have a few and maybe I'll get around to posting them. Eric has a few too.
-Dr. Wu
We started out on Livermore Road or whatever it was, commented on the 23 ton truck we could take hiking, before turning left on the Kettles Trail. This was a nice trail through the hardwoods that took you to look at some ancient (dried up) Kettle Ponds. There were three of them, from what I could tell. Then Eric and I decided to go up the Scaur. It was 0.2 of steep trail to this little peak (which I think you can see from the parking lot). There were some pretty good views from the open ledge.
Next, Eric and I 'whacked down to the Flume Trail. This is an old logging road that runs along the Flume Brook. We followed this, passed through a really neat gorge and kept going passed the cascades until the logging road became obliterated by nasty blowdown. We crossed the brook and started climbing steep stuff up Flume Peak (2980' not the Flume on Franconia Ridge -- that was some distance away still).
The steep stuff was steep and covered with blowdown so weren't we happy when we found a nice logging road. It was a big grown up but the grade was in fantastic condition, so we took that until we found a better area to start climbing again. Heading to Flume Peak wasn't so bad as thick spruce eventually gave way to logging roads now maintained by moose traffic. We didn’t not obverse much human intervention: none of the usual fire rings, cuts on trees, flagging etc. No, the moose sign indicated that moose were keeping these trails open.
So, we made our way to the summit which was wide open, almost meadowish -- you expected to see 2-300 moose huddled up in this open area but we found none. We didn't even find a canister although we searched pretty good in the trees and on the grounds of this double-humped summit. So, instead we just hung out in the sun, dried off our clothes and ate lunch. Although the views were through the trees, we had a great perspective of the entire Sandwich Range. Kancamagus was to the North, Osceola the Northwest, Tecumseh was Southwest, Sandwich Dome was South; Passaconaway was to our East and Tripyramid to the Northeast. I bet that we could've found even better views for photographing if we 'whacked around a little more. But, we were satisfied with what we had and left it at that.
After an hour or so we headed out. Eric saw a ski trail on his map that was in the area so, since it was completely snow-free and we wouldn't be disrupting any ski traffic we started heading for this. Again, we took the nice moose paths -- this was the easiest whackin' I've ever done! In fact, at a normal walking pace we easily found the ski trail, which was an old logging road in great shape (probably part of the same logging road we were initially on when we started climbing up Flume Peak. This trail though was gorgeous. The logging road (and when I say road, I mean like road you can almost drive on) was in great shape. There was a lot of trivial blowdown but I was amazed at the condition of the grade. There didn't even seem to be that much maintenance going on -- not many cuts or repairs. They don't make 'em like the used to, right?
This ski-path takes you down an attractive little valley of Mt. Kancamagus flanked by Flume Peak on your right (Flume Peak is just a shoulder off Kancamagus) and tall trees on your left. Then you hook up with Mad River Valley and your back on the Greely Ponds Trail. Eric and I decided that we had enough -- I had wanted to walk to Greely Ponds but we figured an early day was ok too.
After the hike, had I not fallen asleep in the car, I was going to accompany Eric to the local Walmart or something where he could go on a psychotic rampage in order to vent his frustrations at A) not finding a canister and B) Flume Peak not being on a list. Thank goodness I fell asleep. Umm, Pictures: I have a few and maybe I'll get around to posting them. Eric has a few too.
-Dr. Wu
