Hanover Romp 8-17

[grouseking]

And the no job days continue...though that will be coming to an end very soon...next Monday to be exact. So I'm trying to get in as much trail time as possible. I had yet to play on the Hanover trails since my move back, so I decided to take my favorite trip, down by Mink Brook, from the CT river, up to Rt 120, then down to the AT to Velvet Rocks. The original plan was to cut down on a poorly marked trail to Trescott Rd and then head up Balch Hill, but I was pretty tired and was on a time schedule, so I decided to hang out at Velvet Rocks shelter for a good hour.

Down by CT River and where Mink Brook joins....I soon found out that there were some skinnydippers just out of reach on this pic. It made for a very short awkward time, thats for sure!

What a beautiful day

No major views on the hike, so I'm looking at other things now.
Mystery flower?

Mystery Flower 2...I'm sure people know what these are, I;m just clueless with flowers.

Fall?? This tree is prob just stressed, but it is on its way.

One of my fav parts of the lazy section of Mink Brook

Brand new bridge that crosses Mink Brook, and connects the trails on either side!

I didnt take many more pics, as I tried to push my way up to Velvet Rocks to make up some time. But by the time I got there, I decided to cut the hike short...I figured, why go further when relaxing was so much more fun.

I won't post a pic of the shelter cause I think I've posted at least a few times in the past, but I will post the privy. It was prob one of the stinkiest one I've been around.

Actually, its kind of a shame with how dirty the privy is, and how NASTY the "water source" is...There was crap floating in it today. I wanted to take a pic, but was kind of disgusted. There really wasn't water left in the first place. Come to think of it, I can't remember a time where there was a reliable water source there, and I've visited at least 8 times now. It sucks to be thru hikers!

rest of pics
http://grouseking.smugmug.com/gallery/13385841_zG9Ku#973634725_nSzx5

grouseking

enjoy!

 

[grouseking]

Nice trip report!

It looks like Mystery Flower No. 2 is that good ol' invasive, Purple Loosetrife.

I was wondering about that. Bummer. I thought that stuff was only a northern New England problem, but I guess it has spread far and wide.

Thanks for the positive comments. With a little luck I'm going to find a way to get up to the whites tomorrow, and my little hiking streak will come to an end with a new job. But yay for money!

 

[audrey]

The yellow one looks like a member of the sunflower (Helianthus) genus, but these are hard to tell apart.
Congrats on the job...a necessary evil!

 

[TDawg]

Check out this page from the Vermont Department of Environmental Control.

It's a short animation of the spread of purple loosestrife in Vermont over the last couple of decades.

I see the stuff everywhere in New Hampshire and Vermont.

I see far less Loosestrife in N. New Hampshire than I do around where I grew up in Central Mass. I'd say it's a bigger problem in Southern New England than Northern. Around here (Thornton, NH) it's more along I-93 and I've never seen widespread invasions otherwise. In my immediate area anyways, Ashland to Twin Mountain.

Whereas, in MA parts of the Charles River waterways (between Medway and Natick) I've seen are completely taken over, no space for the native cat-tails. It spreads quickly by producing millions of seeds, distributed by water, mostly.

 

[Jason Berard]

I think that bridge is pretty cool! I took a walk down there from work a couple weeks ago. Mink Brook Trail runs right behind my office.

If I were to guess on the yellow flower, I'd say Jerusalem Artichoke.

 

[1HappyHiker]

And the no job days continue...though that will be coming to an end very soon...next Monday to be exact. So I'm trying to get in as much trail time as possible.

Phil . . . it's great news that your "no job days" will soon be coming to an end. Although the pay wasn't so hot, you've done some terrific "work" for the VFTT community during the interim by filing some very interesting and entertaining Trip Reports.

 

[Jimmy Legs and Little D]

Phil,
Nice report and photos of your new stomping grounds.
The sunflower looks to be a "woodland" sunflower. We planted several tubers a few years ago in our backyard that multiplied (into hundreds) and took over the areas planted. It is an evasive type of flower. Nonetheless, beautiful.

Donna