RoySwkr
New member
- Joined
- Sep 4, 2003
- Messages
- 4,467
- Reaction score
- 285
Man-made canals can create new islands and hence new island peaks. The whole of Cape Cod in MA is one example, but until last weekend I hadn't realized there was one in NH.
The PeakMaster and I were looking for a short hike to wrap up the day, and after our first few choices didn't pan out we set out for Holt Hill in Dummer NH. A local couple we met walking in on the old road were surprised that we were heading for a peak since they said there was none this side of the river - and they were right, sort of. A few minutes later we came out on the bank of a wide deep channel, and even had we wanted to swim it there was a sign forbidding such along with boating and fishing.
It was the power canal for the Pontook hydropower project. Instead of building a power plant on the Androscoggin itself, the developer had cut a channel through the col E of Holt Hill. I had vaguely heard of this but the PeakMaster professed total ignorance. Presumably the island could be reached by boat across the Androscoggin or Pontook Reservoir, but as his canoe was back in MA we decided to walk upstream and have a look.
Not surprisingly there was an intake dam where the canal left the Androscoggin, but surprisingly there was an ungated walkway across the top of it. We crossed the dam and followed a gravel road up to the spine of the island, then bushwhacked up the ridge to the summit. The trees were small but there was little brush so the walking was fairly good. From the summit we dropped straight off to the canal and followed the high road along it back to the intake dam.
The PeakMaster remarked that there must be a power plant somewhere, so on the drive back he turned at a sign for "Hydro Plant Road" soon reaching a gate. A sign there said that while driving their roads was forbidden, foot traffic was allowed so we walked in to the dam at the power plant and watched a couple of floating logs sucked into the vortex and then spit back out a few times. The peak could also be climbed from here.
In these days of terrorists and hysteria, I'm not sure how long these facilities will remain open so I suggest anyone bagging the NH 1000-footers should head up there right away. A look at the green overprint on the USGS map will show the canal and road even if it didn't get onto the blue and black layers.
http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=44.62482&lon=-71.2396&size=l&u=4&datum=nad27&layer=DRG
The PeakMaster and I were looking for a short hike to wrap up the day, and after our first few choices didn't pan out we set out for Holt Hill in Dummer NH. A local couple we met walking in on the old road were surprised that we were heading for a peak since they said there was none this side of the river - and they were right, sort of. A few minutes later we came out on the bank of a wide deep channel, and even had we wanted to swim it there was a sign forbidding such along with boating and fishing.
It was the power canal for the Pontook hydropower project. Instead of building a power plant on the Androscoggin itself, the developer had cut a channel through the col E of Holt Hill. I had vaguely heard of this but the PeakMaster professed total ignorance. Presumably the island could be reached by boat across the Androscoggin or Pontook Reservoir, but as his canoe was back in MA we decided to walk upstream and have a look.
Not surprisingly there was an intake dam where the canal left the Androscoggin, but surprisingly there was an ungated walkway across the top of it. We crossed the dam and followed a gravel road up to the spine of the island, then bushwhacked up the ridge to the summit. The trees were small but there was little brush so the walking was fairly good. From the summit we dropped straight off to the canal and followed the high road along it back to the intake dam.
The PeakMaster remarked that there must be a power plant somewhere, so on the drive back he turned at a sign for "Hydro Plant Road" soon reaching a gate. A sign there said that while driving their roads was forbidden, foot traffic was allowed so we walked in to the dam at the power plant and watched a couple of floating logs sucked into the vortex and then spit back out a few times. The peak could also be climbed from here.
In these days of terrorists and hysteria, I'm not sure how long these facilities will remain open so I suggest anyone bagging the NH 1000-footers should head up there right away. A look at the green overprint on the USGS map will show the canal and road even if it didn't get onto the blue and black layers.
http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=44.62482&lon=-71.2396&size=l&u=4&datum=nad27&layer=DRG
