1HappyHiker
Well-known member
Zman and I began our day according to the modus operandi that is normal for both of us. We usually leave at some loosely specified time in the morning, and often without a firm idea as to our destination. On this particular day we eventually settled on hiking to Mt. Roberts. We selected this particular destination for several reasons, one of which is that hiking in the Ossipees is always enjoyable! Also, we both are a bit weary of hiking in the spring-conditions above the notch.
We knew that the trek to Mt. Roberts wasn’t long enough to fill an entire day, but that was OK since we both had plans for later in the day, and so we didn’t have an entire day to hike anyway. You might say that our journey actually started in Moultonborough where we stopped by to see SilverFox at his place of business. We had a very nice visit with him, and then continued our journey on down the road a bit further to the trailhead for Mt. Roberts.
As we strolled our way up the perfectly groomed trail to Mt. Roberts, we saw signs of spring along the way. There were a few plants that were blooming, but not as many as we had anticipated that there might be. However, at this time of year, a day or two (or sometimes even an hour or two) can make a huge difference. And so, the next folks who hike this trail will most likely have an entirely different experience with the plants in bloom. Below are some examples of plants in bloom during our hike.
We also had the “pleasure” of experiencing our first insect bites of the season. Oh joy!
And speaking of insects, there were other things “blooming” other than plant-life.
Shortly after reaching the summit, we had another experience that added to the pleasure of our journey. And actually, it was one of those unbelievable coincidences that sometimes happen and just defy all the odds. Last weekend on his way back to Boston, Zman did a short hike to Dickey Mountain. He later e-mailed me about having met two very nice guys from Vermont during this hike.
Well, guess who just happened to show up on the summit of Mt. Roberts?! Yup, the same two gentlemen that Zman had met on Dickey. Of the hundreds of other hikes that are available in NH and VT, what are the chances that these same two guys would choose Mt. Roberts and would arrive at the summit at nearly the same time we did?! It was a delight for me to have the pleasure of meeting these two hikers. They graciously agreed to have a photo taken of them.
So, thus far on our journey, we’d had a fun visit with SilverFox, plus we’d seen a few spring flowering plants, plus we’d had the totally bizarre chance-meeting with the two hikers from VT. In addition to all this, we also had the pleasure of experiencing the fine views that are available from the trail to Mt. Roberts. However, this particular day was a bit overcast and so the views were slightly less dramatic than they can be. But nonetheless, they were still pretty good. Below are photos of a couple of vistas.
And just as we thought our pleasant journey might be coming to an end, we decided to stroll over to the small pond located near the trailhead. Here we were treated to view of a solitary duck posing for us on the pond. And, we could see fish swimming in the pond. We rewarded both the duck and the fish with a few left-over trail snacks. The duck quacked with delight, and the fish leaped and splashed for joy! Below are photos of our feathered, and our gilled (not grilled!) friends.
Oh! And watching over all the proceedings at the pond is a handsome and quite “statuesque” fox!
So, there you have it. A very enjoyable journey which was totally unplanned and simply unfolded as it happened. Many of the best hikes are like that!
1HappyHiker
We knew that the trek to Mt. Roberts wasn’t long enough to fill an entire day, but that was OK since we both had plans for later in the day, and so we didn’t have an entire day to hike anyway. You might say that our journey actually started in Moultonborough where we stopped by to see SilverFox at his place of business. We had a very nice visit with him, and then continued our journey on down the road a bit further to the trailhead for Mt. Roberts.
As we strolled our way up the perfectly groomed trail to Mt. Roberts, we saw signs of spring along the way. There were a few plants that were blooming, but not as many as we had anticipated that there might be. However, at this time of year, a day or two (or sometimes even an hour or two) can make a huge difference. And so, the next folks who hike this trail will most likely have an entirely different experience with the plants in bloom. Below are some examples of plants in bloom during our hike.
We also had the “pleasure” of experiencing our first insect bites of the season. Oh joy!
And speaking of insects, there were other things “blooming” other than plant-life.
Shortly after reaching the summit, we had another experience that added to the pleasure of our journey. And actually, it was one of those unbelievable coincidences that sometimes happen and just defy all the odds. Last weekend on his way back to Boston, Zman did a short hike to Dickey Mountain. He later e-mailed me about having met two very nice guys from Vermont during this hike.
Well, guess who just happened to show up on the summit of Mt. Roberts?! Yup, the same two gentlemen that Zman had met on Dickey. Of the hundreds of other hikes that are available in NH and VT, what are the chances that these same two guys would choose Mt. Roberts and would arrive at the summit at nearly the same time we did?! It was a delight for me to have the pleasure of meeting these two hikers. They graciously agreed to have a photo taken of them.
So, thus far on our journey, we’d had a fun visit with SilverFox, plus we’d seen a few spring flowering plants, plus we’d had the totally bizarre chance-meeting with the two hikers from VT. In addition to all this, we also had the pleasure of experiencing the fine views that are available from the trail to Mt. Roberts. However, this particular day was a bit overcast and so the views were slightly less dramatic than they can be. But nonetheless, they were still pretty good. Below are photos of a couple of vistas.
View Southward Over “The Big Lake”
View Toward the Mountains Up North
And just as we thought our pleasant journey might be coming to an end, we decided to stroll over to the small pond located near the trailhead. Here we were treated to view of a solitary duck posing for us on the pond. And, we could see fish swimming in the pond. We rewarded both the duck and the fish with a few left-over trail snacks. The duck quacked with delight, and the fish leaped and splashed for joy! Below are photos of our feathered, and our gilled (not grilled!) friends.
Oh! And watching over all the proceedings at the pond is a handsome and quite “statuesque” fox!
So, there you have it. A very enjoyable journey which was totally unplanned and simply unfolded as it happened. Many of the best hikes are like that!
1HappyHiker
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