Hawthorne Falls - the perennial questions -? How/where - have they disappeared????

[JustJoe]

Webster gullies -- in the summer?

Not anytime of year. And there's hundreds of other spots.

 

[NHClimber]

Ha Ha Ha

 

[Becca M]

wow - terrific pics!!! Some of those blowdowns look familiar :0

 

[Jazzbo]

Becca

I hiked solo into the ravine in 2011 looking for the falls. I reached the area described by you and Joe. Besides the blowdowns, you forgot to mention the heavily cravassed and mossy terrain obscuring many deep holes to fall into. It was difficult to tell which way is up in my photos with all the blowdowns pointing in all directions. I think I got pretty close to the falls, but hiking solo I got spooked by the terrain and decided to head for the exit which was not that easy to do. I hadn't left much info with my wife about where I was going and I didn't carry Spot in those days. I'd like to go back and try it again, but not couple it with hike to Garfield which is what I did back in 2011. It's not that big of an excursion if you de-couple it from hiking Garfield.

I can see why the trail was abandoned. Very nasty terrain in there and difficult to maintain.

 

[JustJoe]

I hiked solo into the ravine in 2011 looking for the falls. I reached the area described by you and Joe. Besides the blowdowns, you forgot to mention the heavily cravassed and mossy terrain obscuring many deep holes to fall into. It was difficult to tell which way is up in my photos with all the blowdowns pointing in all directions. I think I got pretty close to the falls, but hiking solo I got spooked by the terrain and decided to head for the exit which was not that easy to do. I hadn't left much info with my wife about where I was going and I didn't carry Spot in those days. I'd like to go back and try it again, but not couple it with hike to Garfield which is what I did back in 2011. It's not that big of an excursion if you de-couple it from hiking Garfield.

I can see why the trail was abandoned. Very nasty terrain in there and difficult to maintain.

I did it with a re-visit to East Garfield Ridge (Mt. Pam). First time it was socked, which is a must see view IMO.

My philosophy or opinion on bushwhacking is it's easier to bushwhack descending vs ascending. Especially in ugly woods. I'll take the extra mileage and elevation gain on trail 99% of the time to whack downhill.

 

[TEO]

I thought this was generally known, but apparently not: in the last fiscal crisis in Congress, funding was eliminated for Hawthorne Falls. So yes, Becca, Hawthorne Falls has disappeared. It is an unfortunate loss.

 

[Becca M]

Becca

I hiked solo into the ravine in 2011 looking for the falls. I reached the area described by you and Joe. Besides the blowdowns, you forgot to mention the heavily cravassed and mossy terrain obscuring many deep holes to fall into. It was difficult to tell which way is up in my photos with all the blowdowns pointing in all directions. I think I got pretty close to the falls, but hiking solo I got spooked by the terrain and decided to head for the exit which was not that easy to do. I hadn't left much info with my wife about where I was going and I didn't carry Spot in those days. I'd like to go back and try it again, but not couple it with hike to Garfield which is what I did back in 2011. It's not that big of an excursion if you de-couple it from hiking Garfield.

I can see why the trail was abandoned. Very nasty terrain in there and difficult to maintain.

I totally get what you're saying - that area is a REALLY filled with not just blowdowns but also HUGE rocks and mossy holes. I "postholed" into the moss multiple times and did a plethora of face-plants. Although I no longer have a SPOT locator device, I was kind of wishing I had one. BUT, I did carry a decent amount of safety equipment, enough to spend the night if necessary :0 :0

Another source told me to just follow the stream downhill and I will come upon the falls - NOT SO SIMPLE!!!!! as the blowdowns/etc force you away from the stream.

 

[TCD]

I haven't been there, but I was thinking you could go downstream with rappel gear, and stay right in the stream all the way. You can get through and over (and under) a lot of rough terrain, blowdown, etc. on rappel...

 

[TEO]

I haven't been there, but I was thinking you could go downstream with rappel gear, and stay right in the stream all the way. You can get through and over (and under) a lot of rough terrain, blowdown, etc. on rappel...

Alas it is not steep enough, unless you meant rappel down from a helicopter. ;-)

When I was there several years ago, we hiked up from below, & then from the falls up to the ridge to bag some nearby peaks. Perhaps because I had heard old reports about it being an easy 'whack up to the ridge, I found the section above the falls to be rather difficult. It was thick with a lot of blowdown. If your only objective is the falls, I'd recommend approaching it from below & then returning via the same way.

 

[peakbagger]

The discussion reminds me of a far more accessible but just as difficult to view set of water falls in Gorham at Alpine Cascades. The falls can be seen from a distance but the woods and terrain prevent anyone from getting up close without technical gear. About 110 years ago it was far easy to access as there were a set of boardwalks and stairs accessing it.

 

[JCarter]

Chris Whiton (NeoAkela) recently posted photos and a video to Facebook about Hawthorne Falls.

 

[J&J]

Chris (NeoAkela) was also the subject of a recent NHPR feature.

LINK: http://nhpr.org/post/new-hampshires-lost-waterfall-hunter

 

[Driver8]

HI - thanks all! I must have been a little east of the falls but I swear I was on the brook!!!! JustJoe - that's the exact junction I was at from your pic of the cascades- but what's so weird is that the stream seemed flat below the junction. It must not have been. I thought I checked all along the stream. I know my track doesn't look like I was on the stream, but, I was!!! I guess my next strategy is to search at exactly 3000'.

You probably already did this research, Becca, but a Google search of "Hawthorne Falls New Hampshire elevation" just now gave me several quotes in the 3030'-3070' range. Looks like it might be in that flattish part where you veered east from the brook due to the blowdowns. Those references also give GPS coordinates, in case you hadn't tracked them down.

 

[JustJoe]

Chris Whiton (NeoAkela) recently posted photos and a video to Facebook about Hawthorne Falls.

It was his photos on on Panoramio in Google Earth that inspired me to go there. This is my favorite of his, of the falls. I doubt you'll ever see that much of the sky again in there. Stunning!

 

[Will]

I doubt you'll ever see that much of the sky again in there. Stunning!

The trouble with pictures like this is that they're not real. Beautiful in their own way but so different than the actual.

Reality= (usually) cold, wet, dark, claustrophobic and hemmed in by brush & blowdowns; you can never stand in just the right spot for that perfect postcard effect; wondering how in hell you're ever going to get out of this hellhole alive and before sundown. But wonderful just the same, glorious, unimaginably better than the picture because it's a real and personal experience of something wild and beautiful. I'm never disappointed, but I've sensed from some people I've brought in that they expected the artistic photographic version that usually just isn't there.

The value of these pictures, for me, is mostly that they help me recall the original experience.

 

[dailey7779]

Hawthorne Falls was one of my favorite bushwhacks. I enjoyed dropping down to Garfield stream to check out all the mini cascades and pools of water along the way. I only knew I was closing in on the falls when I could hear it, much louder than anything else while whacking parallel along the stream. If anyone is interested, here's my report and pics, included is an old map and 1922 guide book write up.

-Chris

 

[Driver8]

Hawthorne Falls was one of my favorite bushwhacks. I enjoyed dropping down to Garfield stream to check out all the mini cascades and pools of water along the way. I only knew I was closing in on the falls when I could hear it, much louder than anything else while whacking parallel along the stream. If anyone is interested, here's my report and pics, included is an old map and 1922 guide book write up.

-Chris

Hi Chris, thanks for the link - think I remember reading that report back when you first posted it.

One thing: I've been having trouble viewing your site. I get an ad which pops up and says it will redirect to your site after 45 seconds, but it doesn't. Frustrating! Glad you've got sponsorship, but it's making it impossible to view your reports. I'm in Apple Safari, fwiw.

ON EDIT: Just tried it in Chrome and didn't have that problem, and again in Safari, where it did come up. Go figure.

 

[dailey7779]

Hi Chris, thanks for the link - think I remember reading that report back when you first posted it.

One thing: I've been having trouble viewing your site. I get an ad which pops up and says it will redirect to your site after 45 seconds, but it doesn't. Frustrating! Glad you've got sponsorship, but it's making it impossible to view your reports. I'm in Apple Safari, fwiw.

ON EDIT: Just tried it in Chrome and didn't have that problem, and again in Safari, where it did come up. Go figure.

I don't know what that is all about and I'm not sponsored by anybody! That's too bad about Apple Safari doing that, just have to stick with viewing it in Chrome I guess

 

[TJsName]

I don't know what that is all about and I'm not sponsored by anybody! That's too bad about Apple Safari doing that, just have to stick with viewing it in Chrome I guess

Chris, for what it's worth, I've used your site a lot with Firefox and never had issues.

Dirver, I take it you have a mac, but that behavior sounds like malware.

 

[TEO]

I have no issues viewing it with Safari.