buckyball1
New member
one last set of hikes until next year....Hibbard + Wonalancet, Israel, Cube, Wolf, Hedgehog
Late in the year for me, but seeing yet another weather window before the current storm, i scooted over to NH yesterday to check out a few new (to me) peaks
Friday Nov 2nd
I made it to Ferncroft just as day was breaking, clear, cool , light breeze all day--great hiking weather.
Hibbard-I went up the Wonalancet Ridge Trail and took the "short cut" over and came back over Wonalancet-delightful hike, nice, lightly used trail, a few views on the way up and very nice perspective on Whiteface and Passaconoway from the top. Unless you want to hike Wonalancet, I'd skip it and take the short-cut trail both ways. Except for one ledge, there are no decent views and the section of the trail leading up the south side is steep and in bad shape....skipped down 113 a bit and then
Israel-I went up the Wentworth Trail, very easy going. As with Hibbard, much of the woods was fairly open and deciduous, so you could "see" in many spots and the ledges/tops had great views. The actual top is toward the "back" of the small summit ridge(northeast), is open and has a large cairn. You get great views of Black, Sandwich Dome, Tripyramids, Sleepers, Whiteface...alll the way around to Chocoura....then off to NH/VT border and
Cube-I planned to do a "quick and dirty" up the South Cube Trail(old AT route) a mile in on the the Baker Rd off 25A. Imagine my surprise finding the trail is defunct and in it's place is the Cross-Riverdell trail, open in 2003 and very nice. It's a bit longer than the South Cube, but better laid out, almost like an escalator for much of its path and has a nice view or two on the way up. The top is wide open and excellent. You have a panorama of the Greens (almost like a long photo) Killington, Bread Loaf and Wilson, Ellen and Abraham, Camel's Hump and Mansfield peaking (actually peeking, but either works) out from behind a closer range--stunning views. Kudos for the trail and the view.
While I had no forenowledge of these hikes, this turned out to be a superb day--i commend all 3 hikes to you
Before retiring to the Elbow Pond Hilton, I went to Lincoln for my post hike grease at McDonald's. As i was rummaging around in my post hike zombie state trying to get the car set up for the night in the light of the parking lot, I ran into Una Dogger who had just climbed Jackson and Hale and was headed back to Mass--a good chat ensued-thanks
At Elbow Pond, I drifted off early under clear skies thinking about the coming storm and whether I should hike Saturday.
Saturday Nov 3rd
Wolf-Dawn broke gray,with a light wind and 28 degrees-probably not exercising the best judgment, I decided to try Wolf from Rt 112 by the Kinsman Ridge Trail. The trail ascends very sharply and then follows numerous sizable PUDS over the ridge to the double summit of Wolf. I was thankful for trail being almost entirely in the woods as the winds steadily increased. There are just enough small patches of ice on the rocks above 2700' to keep you focused. The hike was harder than i imagined as what is a nominal net ascent of 1800 feet plays out at around 3000 feet of ups because of travel over all the 100-300' humps. The summit is on the west knob of Wolf about 100-125 feet off the high pint of the trail. I found a teeny cairn (2 large pebbles) and a new jar with dRitter and Marc as the only signees. It appears someone has developed a fetish for Mayo jars with 3K signatures
(does this never end? an unobtrusive small glass jar in a place anybody not looking for it would never see it)-had a few nice views here and there -also near east knob.
Hedgehog (off the Kanc)--now really pushing my luck (and my weary legs), i went for one more "small" one- -nice top/views--the trail? NH Trail, west branch;well let's say a relo appears to be its only hope; if i say more, it'll just irk someone (i'm sure i already have )
Just as I reached the car, the first drops of rain touched down-dumb luck. By Conway, it was raining steadily and from Augusta to home it was a gale.
fun two days and now time to hibernate until May
jim
Late in the year for me, but seeing yet another weather window before the current storm, i scooted over to NH yesterday to check out a few new (to me) peaks
Friday Nov 2nd
I made it to Ferncroft just as day was breaking, clear, cool , light breeze all day--great hiking weather.
Hibbard-I went up the Wonalancet Ridge Trail and took the "short cut" over and came back over Wonalancet-delightful hike, nice, lightly used trail, a few views on the way up and very nice perspective on Whiteface and Passaconoway from the top. Unless you want to hike Wonalancet, I'd skip it and take the short-cut trail both ways. Except for one ledge, there are no decent views and the section of the trail leading up the south side is steep and in bad shape....skipped down 113 a bit and then
Israel-I went up the Wentworth Trail, very easy going. As with Hibbard, much of the woods was fairly open and deciduous, so you could "see" in many spots and the ledges/tops had great views. The actual top is toward the "back" of the small summit ridge(northeast), is open and has a large cairn. You get great views of Black, Sandwich Dome, Tripyramids, Sleepers, Whiteface...alll the way around to Chocoura....then off to NH/VT border and
Cube-I planned to do a "quick and dirty" up the South Cube Trail(old AT route) a mile in on the the Baker Rd off 25A. Imagine my surprise finding the trail is defunct and in it's place is the Cross-Riverdell trail, open in 2003 and very nice. It's a bit longer than the South Cube, but better laid out, almost like an escalator for much of its path and has a nice view or two on the way up. The top is wide open and excellent. You have a panorama of the Greens (almost like a long photo) Killington, Bread Loaf and Wilson, Ellen and Abraham, Camel's Hump and Mansfield peaking (actually peeking, but either works) out from behind a closer range--stunning views. Kudos for the trail and the view.
While I had no forenowledge of these hikes, this turned out to be a superb day--i commend all 3 hikes to you
Before retiring to the Elbow Pond Hilton, I went to Lincoln for my post hike grease at McDonald's. As i was rummaging around in my post hike zombie state trying to get the car set up for the night in the light of the parking lot, I ran into Una Dogger who had just climbed Jackson and Hale and was headed back to Mass--a good chat ensued-thanks
At Elbow Pond, I drifted off early under clear skies thinking about the coming storm and whether I should hike Saturday.
Saturday Nov 3rd
Wolf-Dawn broke gray,with a light wind and 28 degrees-probably not exercising the best judgment, I decided to try Wolf from Rt 112 by the Kinsman Ridge Trail. The trail ascends very sharply and then follows numerous sizable PUDS over the ridge to the double summit of Wolf. I was thankful for trail being almost entirely in the woods as the winds steadily increased. There are just enough small patches of ice on the rocks above 2700' to keep you focused. The hike was harder than i imagined as what is a nominal net ascent of 1800 feet plays out at around 3000 feet of ups because of travel over all the 100-300' humps. The summit is on the west knob of Wolf about 100-125 feet off the high pint of the trail. I found a teeny cairn (2 large pebbles) and a new jar with dRitter and Marc as the only signees. It appears someone has developed a fetish for Mayo jars with 3K signatures
(does this never end? an unobtrusive small glass jar in a place anybody not looking for it would never see it)-had a few nice views here and there -also near east knob.Hedgehog (off the Kanc)--now really pushing my luck (and my weary legs), i went for one more "small" one- -nice top/views--the trail? NH Trail, west branch;well let's say a relo appears to be its only hope; if i say more, it'll just irk someone (i'm sure i already have
)Just as I reached the car, the first drops of rain touched down-dumb luck. By Conway, it was raining steadily and from Augusta to home it was a gale.
fun two days and now time to hibernate until May
jim
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