Waumbek
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This summer, I'm introducing a 4-year old shelter-rescued dog to the joys of backpacking. (Last summer he learned how to hike after having been tied up for two--2--years. He was clumsy and unfit at first but gradually gained stamina and finesse.) I found a well-fitting, well-padded pack for him last week, and then I looked for a quiet, short, flat, easy hike with lots of water that I could stretch into an overnight mini-camping trip to have him get used to the pack and to sleeping out. That's a difficult combination in the Whites in July. Steve Smith's ponds & waterfalls book came to my rescue with its first entry--the Three Ponds Loop. Smith is the best trail-describer I know, and his account of the Three Ponds Loop in the Stinson Lake NH area appealed to me. The loop trail consists of the Three Ponds Trail, Donkey Hill Cutoff, and the Mt. Kineo Trail. In all the loop is under 6 miles.
The loop lies in the basin col between Carr Mtn. and Mt. Kineo. A "crude path" into the three ponds, then known as the Glen ponds, existed at least as early as the 1850s according to the early guide book writers, and there were numerous fishing shacks and camps near these popular ponds in the later 19th c. Then loggers moved into the area at the turn of the 20th century. In 1940, the AMC upgraded one of these rough paths or old logging roads into the Three Ponds Trail. (The pond area is still criss-crossed with numerous unofficial trails probably to former camps.) AMC built the shelter at Middle Pond c. 1966-69 (the earliest graffitti I saw on the ceiling was dated 1970). There has been very recent trail work, within the last several months I'd guess, to provide signage and puncheons over the boggy areas. On the southern part of the loop, the trail intertwines with snowmobile trails and uses their bridges for at least half the way in. On the northern part (Mt. Kineo Tr) of the loop, there are no snowmobile trails.
We set off Sunday afternoon and reached the Lower Pond first, which has almost filled in. Beaver are constantly rearranging the landscape here. Middle Pond was next in another mile or so, and it is the prettiest of all three ponds, a little gem of water tucked away in here. The shelter sits up over the Middle Pond, and that's where we spent the night. Beyond the Middle Pond, over a beaver dam, is the Upper Pond, less accessible by trail than Middle Pond. The pooch did beautifully with the new packs and the outdoor sleepover. We left early this morning to complete the loop on the Mt. Kineo Trail, which follows the Brown Brook, passing the picturesque Brown Cascade, to find the trailhead parking lot again in about 3 miles total. Got out just as the sprinkles started. Mission accomplished--and lots of fun too.
On the drive home, I thought what a nice short hike this was to an idyllic pond and wondered why I had never hiked it before (other than the beginning section of Three Ponds Trail that I'd covered to hike Mt. Carr). When I checked my hiking journal, I found that in fact I'd hiked the Three Ponds loop 20 years ago almost to the day of this trip! The mid-80s were the big push to finish the 48s and 67s, and I guess short hikes like The Three Ponds didn't have a big impact on me. Too bad. I'm glad they can now.
The loop lies in the basin col between Carr Mtn. and Mt. Kineo. A "crude path" into the three ponds, then known as the Glen ponds, existed at least as early as the 1850s according to the early guide book writers, and there were numerous fishing shacks and camps near these popular ponds in the later 19th c. Then loggers moved into the area at the turn of the 20th century. In 1940, the AMC upgraded one of these rough paths or old logging roads into the Three Ponds Trail. (The pond area is still criss-crossed with numerous unofficial trails probably to former camps.) AMC built the shelter at Middle Pond c. 1966-69 (the earliest graffitti I saw on the ceiling was dated 1970). There has been very recent trail work, within the last several months I'd guess, to provide signage and puncheons over the boggy areas. On the southern part of the loop, the trail intertwines with snowmobile trails and uses their bridges for at least half the way in. On the northern part (Mt. Kineo Tr) of the loop, there are no snowmobile trails.
We set off Sunday afternoon and reached the Lower Pond first, which has almost filled in. Beaver are constantly rearranging the landscape here. Middle Pond was next in another mile or so, and it is the prettiest of all three ponds, a little gem of water tucked away in here. The shelter sits up over the Middle Pond, and that's where we spent the night. Beyond the Middle Pond, over a beaver dam, is the Upper Pond, less accessible by trail than Middle Pond. The pooch did beautifully with the new packs and the outdoor sleepover. We left early this morning to complete the loop on the Mt. Kineo Trail, which follows the Brown Brook, passing the picturesque Brown Cascade, to find the trailhead parking lot again in about 3 miles total. Got out just as the sprinkles started. Mission accomplished--and lots of fun too.
On the drive home, I thought what a nice short hike this was to an idyllic pond and wondered why I had never hiked it before (other than the beginning section of Three Ponds Trail that I'd covered to hike Mt. Carr). When I checked my hiking journal, I found that in fact I'd hiked the Three Ponds loop 20 years ago almost to the day of this trip! The mid-80s were the big push to finish the 48s and 67s, and I guess short hikes like The Three Ponds didn't have a big impact on me. Too bad. I'm glad they can now.
