Tobit
Active member
Welp, it's been too long since I was last in the woods so, since the weather was so nice today, I made my way up to Lincoln Woods and had boots on the bridge at 9am. Other than a hunter loading up his gun and camouflage in his truck, there were no other cars in the Lincoln Woods parking lot. I smiled for two reasons: the hunter was leaving and I had the place to myself (for now). However, less than 10 minutes into my hike up the Lincoln Woods Trail, I ran into an older woman who was out walking her dog. She was surprised to see me hiking in a pair of shorts and asked me if I was cold. I assured her I was very comfortable and I was fine if I kept moving. She seemed to agree with this and we said our farewells.
Many seasoned hikers don't seem to care much for the doldrums of the Lincoln Woods Trail. However, it can take you to and from some really nice places and my out of shape body can make very good time on trails like this. Today, I had no set destination in mind and was treating this as more of a training exercise to see what I was capable of since I've been off trail for so long. My plan for today was to simply hike into the woods til Noon and then make my way back to the car. I wanted a good stretch to burn some calories and use some muscles I haven't used in a long time but also wanted to be back at the car before the sun went down.
Continuing on the trail, I quickly found myself at the junction of the Osseo Trail. I glanced down at my watch to check the time and was shocked to see it was only 9:35. 35 minutes to walk 1.5 miles is pretty good for this old goat. I looked at the Osseo Trailhead sign for a good 5 minutes. Thoughts like "take it and see how far you can make it" drowned out the tinnitus usually ringing in my head. I said to myself "self, it will still be there next time" and wisely continued on, deeper, into the Lincoln Woods. 35 minutes later and I was once again standing face to face with a trailhead sign. This was for the Black Pond Trail. I remember seeing pictures online of the Black Pond and decided this would be my destination today.
I really liked the one mile side trail from the Lincoln Woods Trail to the edge of Black Pond. The Black Pond Trail has many features I like to see when hiking in the woods; water crossings, rushing water, walking through clearings of waist high vegetation, narrow trails, and narrow trails that follow the sides of hills with none of these to any extreme to be a challenge to neophytes. Once standing on the shore of Black Pond, I was kicking myself for not bringing a camera. I had chose to leave it home so I could focus on hiking at a good pace rather than stopping frequently to take pics. However, I should have brought it. Black Pond was a treat for the eyes as I glanced over her bodacious body, North Eastward, to what I believe were the Bonds in front of me with not a single cloud in the sky. The edge of the pond was just starting to ice over with a very thin, no more than a 32nd of an inch, layer of ice that disappeared towards the center of the pond.
After a few minutes of rest and Gatorade consumption, I made my way back to the Lincoln Woods Trail. It was only 11:30 but I could tell my feet were getting tired so I decided to head back to the car. The closer I was getting to the car, the stiffer my feet were getting so I knew I made the right choice. On the return hike, I only passed one solo hiker and, later on, a pair of men who were carrying huge packs. I wanted to stop and ask them where they were headed with those heavy packs but they looked like they were on a mission so I let them be. I was back at the car at Noon:40 and quickly removed my boots and slipped on my comfy Crocs.
Total mileage today was 7 miles so I was pleased with the overall mileage but displeased with how stiff and achy my feet are after what should have been an easy 7 miles. I may have to look at retiring my leather Asolo's and try something else. My feet aren't painful, they definitely don't hurt, they are just very stiff and achy/tired feeling and it sure is funny watching me walk. I'm sure losing more weight and doing more hikes like this will help too it's just frustrating as the rest of my body wants to go do more.
Oh the way home, I stopped in and had a great Steak Bomb at GH Pizza and spotted a Toyota Tacoma parked next to me with a license plate in the cab window that said "HikeNH". He had some other related stickers and another license plate as well but I don't remember what they were. I'm not sure who this gentleman is.
All in all, a great day in the woods of NH.
Many seasoned hikers don't seem to care much for the doldrums of the Lincoln Woods Trail. However, it can take you to and from some really nice places and my out of shape body can make very good time on trails like this. Today, I had no set destination in mind and was treating this as more of a training exercise to see what I was capable of since I've been off trail for so long. My plan for today was to simply hike into the woods til Noon and then make my way back to the car. I wanted a good stretch to burn some calories and use some muscles I haven't used in a long time but also wanted to be back at the car before the sun went down.
Continuing on the trail, I quickly found myself at the junction of the Osseo Trail. I glanced down at my watch to check the time and was shocked to see it was only 9:35. 35 minutes to walk 1.5 miles is pretty good for this old goat. I looked at the Osseo Trailhead sign for a good 5 minutes. Thoughts like "take it and see how far you can make it" drowned out the tinnitus usually ringing in my head. I said to myself "self, it will still be there next time" and wisely continued on, deeper, into the Lincoln Woods. 35 minutes later and I was once again standing face to face with a trailhead sign. This was for the Black Pond Trail. I remember seeing pictures online of the Black Pond and decided this would be my destination today.
I really liked the one mile side trail from the Lincoln Woods Trail to the edge of Black Pond. The Black Pond Trail has many features I like to see when hiking in the woods; water crossings, rushing water, walking through clearings of waist high vegetation, narrow trails, and narrow trails that follow the sides of hills with none of these to any extreme to be a challenge to neophytes. Once standing on the shore of Black Pond, I was kicking myself for not bringing a camera. I had chose to leave it home so I could focus on hiking at a good pace rather than stopping frequently to take pics. However, I should have brought it. Black Pond was a treat for the eyes as I glanced over her bodacious body, North Eastward, to what I believe were the Bonds in front of me with not a single cloud in the sky. The edge of the pond was just starting to ice over with a very thin, no more than a 32nd of an inch, layer of ice that disappeared towards the center of the pond.
After a few minutes of rest and Gatorade consumption, I made my way back to the Lincoln Woods Trail. It was only 11:30 but I could tell my feet were getting tired so I decided to head back to the car. The closer I was getting to the car, the stiffer my feet were getting so I knew I made the right choice. On the return hike, I only passed one solo hiker and, later on, a pair of men who were carrying huge packs. I wanted to stop and ask them where they were headed with those heavy packs but they looked like they were on a mission so I let them be. I was back at the car at Noon:40 and quickly removed my boots and slipped on my comfy Crocs.
Total mileage today was 7 miles so I was pleased with the overall mileage but displeased with how stiff and achy my feet are after what should have been an easy 7 miles. I may have to look at retiring my leather Asolo's and try something else. My feet aren't painful, they definitely don't hurt, they are just very stiff and achy/tired feeling and it sure is funny watching me walk. I'm sure losing more weight and doing more hikes like this will help too it's just frustrating as the rest of my body wants to go do more.
Oh the way home, I stopped in and had a great Steak Bomb at GH Pizza and spotted a Toyota Tacoma parked next to me with a license plate in the cab window that said "HikeNH". He had some other related stickers and another license plate as well but I don't remember what they were. I'm not sure who this gentleman is.
All in all, a great day in the woods of NH.
