The Ossipee Range

[ChrisB]

I have their maps. Very good maps but there is a sizable section of the range that is not included in their maps.

I once swam with those giant fish in the pond after very dangerous hike in that range. I think they were radioactive or something. Never again.

The nearby stable also advertised the World's Biggest Horse. Not sure what happens at night up there but it can't be good.

 

[iAmKrzys]

I once swam with those giant fish in the pond after very dangerous hike in that range. I think they were radioactive or something.

Funny that you mention radioactive fish! In April I went backpacking in Grand Canyon with a group of friends. Our permit had a note that we shouldn't be drinking from Horn Creek (where we camped on second night) because arsenic content in water samples exceeded municipal standards. After a hot day with no water sources along the way, I really had to save my water in order not to drink from that creek, albeit I did fill up my Nalgene bottle just in case. My friends were making a point that the water couldn't be that bad if all the frogs along Horn Creek were doing just fine. When I got to Indian Gardens I ran into a ranger who said that the problem with that water was that it was radioactive as there was a closed uranium mine right above Horn Creek. So perhaps these frogs really were radioactive!

Here is a quote from an article in Nature ( https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-01621-8 ):

The Horn Creek drainage within Grand Canyon National Park contains spring sites with the highest observed uranium concentrations in groundwater in the region, as high as 293 µg/L. This area is of interest to scientists and resource managers owing to its high uranium concentrations in groundwater and its proximity to the abandoned Orphan Lode Mine uranium mine (a.k.a. Orphan Mine, Fig. 6).

 

[ChrisB]

Funny that you mention radioactive fish! .....the abandoned Orphan Lode Mine uranium mine (a.k.a. Orphan Mine, Fig. 6).
[/I]

Yikes, who knew?

I remember seeing the giant uranium tailings hill in Moab next to the Colorado river and wondering where all the haz waste trains were taking it!

And there is Flint Mich. and Jackson Miss. Filter or die!

 

[NHClimber]

Ionizing radiation tends to destroy cellular structure, not cause large growth. But interesting just the same.

 

[sierra]

I received my Trail Bandits Ossipee map today. It is a fantastic map, I got the rolled version and will use it just for reference, extremely well done map. Off to the frame shop.

 

[peakbagger]

Before the controversy, I got Bob to autograph a rolled version. It's a fine piece of map making.

 

[dug]

I love maps too and have amassed quite a bit over the years. Love the old USGS you can get and see the changes over time. I've seen the old TB maps and agree, very well done. He must've amassed quite a few notes and details to put that out.

 

[skiguy]

I'll look into that, I confess to having a map fetish. My house has maps hanging in every room, just love them.

Definitely a big part of the hobby IMO. Research including looking at Maps and reading trail descriptions is such a fun and interesting part of the journey. Digitization to handheld devices just does not hold the same mystique for me. I also enjoy being able to see the whole picture literally at the same time. Pinch and scroll just isn't the same. I'll never forget reading Bjorn Kellstrom's book "Map and Compass" for the first time and learning about the nuances of reading a Map that I was unaware of at the time.

 

[sierra]

Definitely a big part of the hobby IMO. Research including looking at Maps and reading trail descriptions is such a fun and interesting part of the journey. Digitization to handheld devices just does not hold the same mystique for me. I also enjoy being able to see the whole picture literally at the same time. Pinch and scroll just isn't the same. I'll never forget reading Bjorn Kellstrom's book "Map and Compass" for the first time and learning about the nuances of reading a Map that I was unaware of at the time.

Quick story, feel free to laugh at my expense. Hiking in the Ossipee's this week. I'm climbing Flagg which is not on the map I have, but I don't go into the woods without a map. So I try Alltrails, they have a admittedly poor map of my hike, but it's something. I have no trail description, so at one point I turn onto a blazed route, 15 minutes later at a logging road, I lose the trail. 20 minutes of searching and nothing. I take out my phone to look at my poor screen map and I see a blue dot, I continue searching for a trail and the damn dot is moving. I can now tell I am off course and I backtrack down the blazed trail back to the main trail. The blue dot is right on the trail, I go straight up on the original trail I started on and boom, the rest is smooth sailing. I am a wandering dinosaur in the modern era of technology.

 

[Ken MacGray]

Random bit of info: Camp Merrowvista was contacted about adding Mt. Flagg Trail to the 5th edition of the AMC Southern NH Trail Guide, but declined permission. They don't mind people using the trail, but didn't want to publicize it in a guidebook, which I completely understand.

 

[skiguy]

I am a wandering dinosaur in the modern era of technology.

Nah.....not really. Your just getting old and losing your sense of direction.

 

[sierra]

Random bit of info: Camp Merrowvista was contacted about adding Mt. Flagg Trail to the 5th edition of the AMC Southern NH Trail Guide, but declined permission. They don't mind people using the trail, but didn't want to publicize it in a guidebook, which I completely understand.

When I did go into Alltrails, the description section had a disclaimer from the camp stating the trail was closed during kids camp. I called the camp and talked to the director and she gave me permission to hike, but added, please don't advertise the trail for now. So maybe it's ok, but they definitely don't want crowds of strangers during camp sessions and quite frankly, I don't blame them. After my hike, me and Shay stopped by and thanked them, they were quite gracious.