forestgnome
New member
November is a special month, IMO. The time between the fall and the snow is a wonderfull time in the forest off-trail. Although I'm looking forward to ski season this year (I'm a snowboard instructor at Wildcat this year) I wouldn't mind if the snow holds off for a few weeks in the lower mountains. These days are few and short.
Champney Falls Trail still had a few beeches holding their leaves. I tried to capture the actual fall of the leaves. Nothing heralds November like the falling leaves in the air.
Around 2,800' I left trail and headed northish. Eventually you can find a ledge that is occasionally visited by bushwackers, but this view is only a little different from the view provided from a view ledge that is right on the trail near the trail junctions.
My general idea was to explore the area beneath this ledge, where you can see lots of birch, then proceed back up the spruce-fir-covered ridge to the right and then make my way westish towward the cliffs of the northern end of the Mt. Paugus massif, until bumping into the Bolles Trail.
Lots of moose trails to follow...
I'm pretty sure this is a Bicknell's Thrush. We were at around 2,600' and the color of olive was distinctive in the field. She'll soon be travelling south for winter.
more moose trails through the ferns. Even the ferns turn a nice rich gold, similar to tamaracks...
fresh scrapings from a bull moose removing the velvet from his antlers...
Back along the crest of the ridge, I found a wonderful little moose oasis with heavy hoof traffic...
The forest floor was still wet from the rain and I was travelling as quietly as possible, but the days are now short and I wanted to make the Bolles Trail before dark so I was moving along. I found a very fresh track and I wondered if I had pushed moose out of that little area. I slowed and went quietly as I could and caught up to a bull and a cow. The cow saw me first and stopped to observe me. Then I heard the crashing of the bull trotting away, but I did see antlers through the trees. The cow allowed one shot then trotted off in the same direction.
Descending west toward the Bolles Trail, I found little old slide with views of Mt. Paugus to the west and views to the north toward Mt. Carrigain and Crawford Notch. There are even some glacial potholes that formed during the last global warming period.
I like to sit and imagine the massive glacier that was parked there and what it looked like. Since this is high in the the pass between Chocorua and Paugus, I imagined that the glacier was in the valley to the north and the southern edge of it was directly over my head, with great waterfalls pouring off the top, pounding down and forming these holes in the granite.
The view to the cliffs of Mt. Paugus are nice and close...
View north toward Mt. Carragain and Crawford Notch
continued...
Champney Falls Trail still had a few beeches holding their leaves. I tried to capture the actual fall of the leaves. Nothing heralds November like the falling leaves in the air.
Around 2,800' I left trail and headed northish. Eventually you can find a ledge that is occasionally visited by bushwackers, but this view is only a little different from the view provided from a view ledge that is right on the trail near the trail junctions.
My general idea was to explore the area beneath this ledge, where you can see lots of birch, then proceed back up the spruce-fir-covered ridge to the right and then make my way westish towward the cliffs of the northern end of the Mt. Paugus massif, until bumping into the Bolles Trail.
Lots of moose trails to follow...
I'm pretty sure this is a Bicknell's Thrush. We were at around 2,600' and the color of olive was distinctive in the field. She'll soon be travelling south for winter.
more moose trails through the ferns. Even the ferns turn a nice rich gold, similar to tamaracks...
fresh scrapings from a bull moose removing the velvet from his antlers...
Back along the crest of the ridge, I found a wonderful little moose oasis with heavy hoof traffic...
The forest floor was still wet from the rain and I was travelling as quietly as possible, but the days are now short and I wanted to make the Bolles Trail before dark so I was moving along. I found a very fresh track and I wondered if I had pushed moose out of that little area. I slowed and went quietly as I could and caught up to a bull and a cow. The cow saw me first and stopped to observe me. Then I heard the crashing of the bull trotting away, but I did see antlers through the trees. The cow allowed one shot then trotted off in the same direction.
Descending west toward the Bolles Trail, I found little old slide with views of Mt. Paugus to the west and views to the north toward Mt. Carrigain and Crawford Notch. There are even some glacial potholes that formed during the last global warming period.
I like to sit and imagine the massive glacier that was parked there and what it looked like. Since this is high in the the pass between Chocorua and Paugus, I imagined that the glacier was in the valley to the north and the southern edge of it was directly over my head, with great waterfalls pouring off the top, pounding down and forming these holes in the granite.
The view to the cliffs of Mt. Paugus are nice and close...
View north toward Mt. Carragain and Crawford Notch
continued...
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