Ice Gulch - July 30

[Bob Kittredge]

Ice Gulch - Jul 30

I arrived at the trailhead at Sky Meadow on Randolph Hill Road about 10:15. Park in the grass across the road where there's a nice view of Madison and Adams. It was warm and buggy, so I doped up with the new Cutter's Advanced with picaridin and hit the trail. The first two miles are a pleasant woods walk along a narrow trail somewhat overgrown with ferns and red raspberries (yum!). Lots of interesting plants along the way. Can anyone help me label them? Hercule's club (thanks, Audrey), white baneberry, big fungus, little fungus, and helleborine (thx, audrey) #2.

Arriving at the trail junction, I took a right and descended steeply for a view of Peboamauk Fall. The trail gets a little wet and harder to follow for a while, but there're more nice flora: smaller enchanter's nightshade (don't you love that name?), moss and more (spanghum?) moss.

This shortly gets you to the start of the gulch proper which is fairly open and sunny with some shady sections. Most of the mile long length of the gulch requires continuous rock hopping over rocks large and small. In several places you can feel the cold welling up from the ice still buried below the rocks.

I stopped for a snack and was overtaken by a younger couple (funny how most of the people I meet these days seem to be younger) and we played leapfrog the rest of the way up the gulch. The guy said he was local and hadn't been through there since he was a kid.

The upper section is shadier and more closed in. Moss and reindeer lichen abound. One large boulder even had a cap of alpine cranberry.. All in all this rocky trail is probably as much of a workout as Mahoosuc Notch, though it lacks the crawl-unders that Mahoosuc is famous for. There is one place which was a scary leap across the void the first time I made this trip. Someone has since cleverly positioned an upright log to give you a critical foot hold and lessen the anxiety factor.

Back in September of 2001, a group passed through the gulch and encountered a moose trapped in the upper section. Dave Metsky put out a great report complete with pictures of the moose. Unfortunately the moose did not make his way safely out. In one hollow one can still find vertebrae, ribs and leg bones. I waited for the couple to overtake me again so I could assure them they hadn't come upon the remains of large hiker.

At the top of the gulch you get to Cook Path which is rife with boot-swallowing muck holes, ripe red raspberries and piles of moose doots (sorry, no pictures). I think every moose in Coos county must come here to relieve himself; there were piles every two hundred yards or so.

The walk out takes you past some pearly everlasting (another nice name) and lupine gone to pod.. After a short road walk you're back to your car.

This is a great short (4 and a half hour) hike for hot day. The trail and the gulch are quite lovely, and the scramble through the gulch is a lot of fun.

 

[audrey]

Mystery flower #1 may be Hercules' club (Aralia spinosa). Stems are prickly, but I couldn't tell from the picture.

Mystery flower #2 is definitely helleborine (Epipactis helleborine), an orchid which comes in purple, pink, greenish, or yellowish shades. One of my favorites.

Nice report and pics!

 

[audrey]

So how did the Cutter's work?

 

[Bob Kittredge]

The Cutter's seemed to work well. I wore it the next day going through Castle Ravine and came away with a single mosquito bite for the entire weekend.

 

[askus3]

I did the loop in reverse and I just placed the album from my annual trip on Webshots. So here are my photos from my Ice Gulch pilgrimage. It took us alot longer because this hike came right after two from our party were spooked. About a month prior to this hike they were the first on the scene from a group they were with of a fatality locally to my area where a rock slide killed a hiker on Schunnemunk Mountain. The loose talus and cliffs really scared them and resembled the area where that accident took place. So they were extra cautious and meticulous about their travel through the Gulch. But we all made it fine but we took forever getting thru. And yes we saw the moose remains. I also to this day wonder which is a crazier trail this or Mahoosuc Notch. I have done them both and love that kind of scramble. The Ice Gulch not being on the AT is far less visited and that is OK as it is nice that a hike like that doesn't get all the visitors but is certainly a must hike for a White Mountain hiker. I am looking forward to the hike into Devils Hopyard en route to Rogers Ledge next year to see how that compares. All these kind of hikes are fun, challenging and adventurous.

 

[audrey]

Aaron,

the Devil's Hopyard is a walk in the park. It might get challenging if you continue beyond the path's end, but it doesn't look like it would be anywhere near like Ice Gulch or Mahoosuc Notch.

 

[arghman]

nice pix & report!

 

[adamiata]

So did you see any ice?

 

[Bob Kittredge]

Just felt the ice; didn't go looking for it.

 

[Artex]

You mentioned the plant Hercules Club. Doesn't that have a novocaine like ingrediant to it? I think I remember someone telling me that Native Americans used to chew on the bark of the plant to relieve tooth pain.