NH100 Whackfest (Pilot Range, Longs, Hitchcocks)

[Motabobo]

Hi everyone,

We are planning a 3-day whackfest (like some say) this week-end. I'm trying to get any relevant info that would help us out. We know where the summits are but would like some input as of which is the preferred way/order, what to expect, general advices, is there a private section, gated roads, etc…?

Sooooo here are the summits we are planning to do:
-Both Long Mtns
-Hutchins, Middle Pilot & Mary
-Middle & South Hitchcock

Thanks

 

[peakbagger]

Long Mtn from the North via the old logging road that takes off at the first trio pond was flagged up to the pond a few years back. The east summit is real flat, you basically have to zig zag the ridge to find the cannister. The west summit is not bad if you follow the ridge from the pond but its real easy to drop down the south side of the mountain if you try to cut off the curved ridge by taking a compass bearing to the pond.

Hutchins, Pilot and Mary all can be accessed via Bruce Sloats path which is actually a very well built old logging road that goes right up to the spruce line. From the end of the road there was a fairly good trail up to Mt Mary. The walk north along the ridge is quite thick in places and thins out occasionally but the majority is thick. Be carefull dropping off the ridge to quickly as it easy to pick the wrong valley and end up a few miles up Lost Nations road.

 

[bigmoose]

Long Mts.: Overgrown, abandoned tote road/path from the north, heading southerly up the ridge is not flagged. But a snippet of flagging is tied to a bush that conceals the entrance just before you come to a camp, the only camp on the pond's south shore. The old path is easily followed, although muddy, until it disappears maybe 2/3 of the way up. The woods on the ridge are mostly open and easily navigated.

And Bruce Sloat's path, mowed at the beginning, shoots you right up Mt. Mary.
Ring his doorbell, though, so he can tell you which fork to take. Otherwise you'll end up dead ending at his water supply dam. Bushwhack from that path up to the other Pilot is quick, easy.

I did Hutchins as a separate trip, a lumber road further north, so don't know about conditions of the ridge between Hutchins and Pilots.

 

[Motabobo]

Thanks all for your reply. I still have a couple of questions though :

About the Hitchcocks, it it better to bushwhack straight from Big Rock Campground or use the Hancock Notch/Loop Trail while we can ?

About the Pilot Range, could someone pinpoint me the car spot and path to take on topozone ? I'm the visual kind of person and I see many paths in the Lost Nation area. I just want to make sure. I take it that we are going on private land ? Bigmoose, that logging road you took for Hutchins, was it overgrowned and what is its approx location (on topozone if possible because I see a road on the map there as well), because we have plenty of cars so it should be no problem spotting two cars.

Long. Is it driveable with a regular car all the way up to the Little Bog Pond ? I think this road is gated but probably not at this time of the year ?

Finally, do they all have a canister ?

Many thanks

 

[bill bowden]

buswhack routes

The road to Little bog Pond is not gates this time of year and the old logging road up onto the Longs is easily followed into a clearcut. In my experience proceeding from the old clearcut to the East Peak is an easy and delightful trip, keeping towards the height of land puts you right at the register. Descending to the Pond and swamp above it puts you on an obvious waypoint toward the West peak, which is obvious and open enough to have restricted views to the South. Returning from the pond to the old clearcut is the only problematic portion of that trip.

WRT the Hitchcocks, I found a lest horrendous approach from the service road at Lincoln Woods by ascending the slope to W. peak, picking up an ol dlogging road and following it to the summit of W peak followed by a comparatively open ridgewalk to the main peak and an apparently not too bad (by Hitchcock standards) ridge over to S. peak.

Big Moose, please tell us more about your Hutchins route, I can vouch for the nastiness of the ridge route.

 

[Motabobo]

I found a lest horrendous approach from the service road at Lincoln Woods by ascending the slope to W. peak

That's interesting, can you tell me more about it ? I've already hike the service road but don't recall seeing any logging road...Where is it approx ?

 

[onestep]

Pilot Range & Hutchins

MJ and I did this ‘whack last spring. There are 4 peaks with jars on them, but only 3 are on the 3K list. We did them all. We started at Lost Nation and followed a trail all the way to the summit of Mary. Most of the bushwhack across the range was not difficult. The only tough section that I recall was from the col leading up to Hutchins… thick with blowdowns.

From Hutchins we slabbed NW crossing over a ridge and dropping down into the drainage. On the other side of the stream we picked up a logging road that led us to this clearing. From there we continued down the logging road and finally came out to our car which we spotted here.

A most enjoyable hike!

Onestep

 

[bill bowden]

From the service road

Actually almost from the parking lot, we ascended towards the summit of W. Hitchcock and encountered a logging road fairly high on the mountain, but (to the best of my recollection) still among broadleafed trees which seemed to run almost N_Swith the S direction slightly uphill.

We followed the road to the S and it turned E and uphill and led us directly to the register on W. Hitchcock.

 

[RoySwkr]

The W & main peaks of Hitchcock are in good woods if you start from the East Side road, getting over to S is thick and I would spot a car so as not to repeat the route. In winter we did W, main, N, and S in a short day as one guy had to get home early, this time of year you could get all 5 with an early start.

The canister on E Long has been difficult to open and I advise bringing a 1" wrench to remove the cap.

 

[Motabobo]

HITCHCOCKS:
bill: so if I understand you correctly, you don't know where the logging road up Hitchcock actually starts from the Lincoln Wood Service Road ?
RoySwkr: you seem to be speaking of the same road than Bill, do you know where it does start ?

PILOT:
onestep:If I follow you correctly, after summiting Hutchins you did something like : 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 ??

 

[dms]

If you look at Onestep's map showing the clearing, look to the north of the clearing and you can see the slide going up the ridge, this was the "original" route up to the peak, it's fun if you enjoy slides. You may even see some of the old painted blazes on the slide.

 

[onestep]

PILOT:
onestep:If I follow you correctly, after summiting Hutchins you did something like :

We did not follow the ridge. We slabbed over to the drainage and logging road like this:

1 - 2 - 3 and then followed the logging road down to the clearing and then out as you indicated.

Onestep

 

[bigmoose]

Longs:
Access by the dirt road leading from Nash Stream Road up to the first pond; approaching the pond the road splits, with the left fork dropping to cross the stream. Instead, park where the right fork extends beyond a locked gate. Walk this road a few minutes and look for the obscure beginning of the old logging road on the right just before the cabin.

Hutchins: Sounds like you're taking a counter-clockwise approach to nail them. You'll like the Pilots and the Sloats' private property on top.
I didn't whack the ridge between Pilot & Hutchins, as Bushwhack Bill alluded to the severity of the crap up there. And I take heed. He's almost as old as me!
Instead I took a separate trip, ascending by the logging road that starts maybe 3, 3 1/2 miles north of Lost Nation. Its beginning is blocked by a farm gate, and nearly parallels the road as it tracks back to the south, mostly on the level. Some distance after a sweeping left turn, a muddy ATV track branches off to the right and crosses the stream on a makeshift wooden bridge. If you miss this turn, you'll come to a circular dead end turnaround instead.
Following the ATV track, you come to another fork. The left fork takes you to the clearing below the cliff, the same cliff you can see from way south passing by Mt. Martha. (This old road eventually gets to the slide dms described.) The right fork takes you past a beat-up trailer used by the ATV'rs. Encountering them was like a Deliverance moment. Continuing on, I came to an extensive lumbered area ESE of Hutchins' peak. The climbing was quick here and reaching the woods above I bushwhacked to the top, finding mostly easy going. Returning, I descended to that clearing below the cliff, the one Onestep mentioned, but found the woods going down a little rougher than those on the way up.

 

[spongebob]

some gps tracks

If you look in that link, all those hikes are there if you look around. It doesn't mean I took the best way. All I can say is climb up and then down.



Fred Shirley has a site that gives you ballpark info.
link

 

[bill bowden]

Logging road on Hitchcocks

The logging road I referred to on W. Hitchcock is pretty overgrown and I have no idea whether it intersects with the service road. roy an dothers may be able to correct me but my impression was that logging on the Hitchcocks ended later than other parts of the Pemigewasset Wilderness ca. 1947, one reason those peaks are so nasty. I think the service road is somewhat more recent.

BTW there was a helipad near the summit of N. Hitchcock. Thanks for the informationon Hutchins, maybe I'll try it from the North some day.

 

[Motabobo]

Thank you all for your input. I'm leaving in a couple of hours.

 

[RoySwkr]

I don't remember following a logging road any significant distance on W Hitchcock, just climbed in open woods. If you spot cars, the other end is 1000' higher so you should probably come down this way.