Monadnock, May 10

[Bob Kittredge]

Aaaaaah! Thaaat's more like it!

The last three crappy weekends have taken their toll on me. I've been going stir-crazy and I needed to get in shape for a couple of 10-mile hikes in two weeks, so I checked the weather forecast and put in for a vacation day.

I hit the trail at 8:30 in shorts, VFTT shirt and warm sunlight. Up the White Dot and the Cascade Link (where a love-lorn chickadee sounded his mating call) and onto the Pumpelly. By the Sarcophagus I could hear old Sam Peabody singing his plaintive tune. My mission included bagging a couple of sections of various trails for my red-line map, so I ducked down the Red Spot and finally got the last section of the Smith Connecting. Then up to the summit on the White Dot again where I ate my PB&J and fed the various and assorted flies. Not too buggy, really, but bug dope will be in order from here on. I lolled about, soaking up sun and chatting with the half-dozen or so other folks enjoying the light breezes and the somewhat hazy views.

Then down the Smith Summit, Amphitheater and Smith Connecting again to Bald Rock where I got a nice picture of the "Kiastiaticus Peak" inscribed rock. Another three people came up the Cliff Walk while I snacked some more. Then I bagged the Noble and Thoreau trails and headed down Lost Farm. So far I'd seen no wildflowers at all and had given up hope when I stumbled on some hobblebush starting to bloom (must be that southern exposure) and a solitary painted trillium.

Back to the car by 2 and home by 4. An excellent day.

 

[Jonatha]

Nice!

Bob,

I went up Pumpelly yesterday down White Dot to Smith Connector to Red Dot and back down Pumpelly - saw your trail report and wondered how you did that, I too need to venture to the other side! Andrew the Ranger told me there are 36 miles of trails - enough to keep you busy for the day!

Hey, do you know anything about an old cave or hiding spot on Pumpelly? My brother was trying to recall something about it today and it didn't ring a bell.

 

[Bob Kittredge]

No, don't know about the caves. I have spent time looking for a couple of caves on Cardigan without any luck, though.

 

[Jonatha]

Sarcophagus?

What is that and who was Sam Peabody?

 

[Bob Kittredge]

The Sarcophagus is a big, rectangular boulder along the north side of the Pumpelly a little ways west of the junction with the Spellman. It has a horizontal split in it a couple of feet down from the top, so that it resembles the ancient Egyptian stone sarcophagi which held the coffins of the mummies.

The white throated sparrow has a song whose cadence is similar to someone saying "Sam Peabody Peabody Peabody".

So I decided to make my summit picture into my new avatar. The hi-res picture is pretty unflattering, but this shrunk-down version will do.

 

[NH_Mtn_Hiker]

No, don't know about the caves. I have spent time looking for a couple of caves on Cardigan without any luck, though.

I couldn't find them either. I wonder if they're really there. I did recently find caves on Windsor Mtn.(it's about 15 miles North of Monadnock)

 

[DougPaul]

There is a boulder cave on the south side--Wolf's Den. Don't remember its exact location, but I think it is on the west side of Cliff Walk just north of its junction with Lost Farm Tr. Just a large boulder than you can climb under--at least 2 entrances. It used to have a sign. (Might still?)

Don't recall any others off hand.

Doug

 

[MarkJ]

grotto cave

I have been to grotto cave on Cardigan,it was fun to find ,since the trail seemed to show little use...not much of a cave ,but a nice spot anyways.....MJ

 

[Bob Kittredge]

Yes, there is still a sign for the Wolf's Den. It was on the Cliff Walk between the junction with the Noble Trail and Bald Rock. I didn't stop to investigate though.

 

[DougPaul]

Yes, there is still a sign for the Wolf's Den. It was on the Cliff Walk between the junction with the Noble Trail and Bald Rock. I didn't stop to investigate though.

Surprised the sign hasn't rotted away by now...

Haven't been in the cave for 30 yrs or so.

You squeeze under the rock. IIRC, not enough headroom to sit up. It was muddy when I investigated. If you hike by with some young kids, send them in. Not that exciting. I suppose it might be a drafty refuge in a storm.

Doug

 

[brianW]

Off the Pumpelly trail close to the Cascade Link there used to (might still be there) be a "man made" cave. What I recall was it had a steel roof covered with stones. The front had a door and maybe a window, inside there was a bunk (or maybe a hamock) fireplace and I think some sort of water basin.

I have heard someone refer to it as Pumbelly's Cave. I also heard a spy lived there during WW1 but since read that may not be the case.

I have not been to it since the early 80's when I was a scout.

 

[smitty77]

Off the Pumpelly trail close to the Cascade Link there used to (might still be there) be a "man made" cave. What I recall was it had a steel roof covered with stones. The front had a door and maybe a window, inside there was a bunk (or maybe a hamock) fireplace and I think some sort of water basin.

Max and I scrambled up the ledges and found it about 12 years ago. The door and bunks are gone, but the roof was still there. It is man made and not much to see really. I don't recall exactly where we ventured off the Cascade link, but I do remember some nice scrambles over the ledges to get there. After the visit we continued upward until we hit the Pumpelly.

From the Pumpelly the walk is shorter and easier, but you really have to know where you're going as the area above the "cave" is filled with spruce and such, IIRC. It seems like it would be very easy to miss by a hundred feet or so and not even realize it.

Smitty