grouseking
Well-known member
Well, I think I'm comin down with a sinus infection. Despite this I had to get out a nd check out some small things that are easy to access.
Sat morn I thought I was feeling better (headache cleared and sore throat went away) so we were off and rolling thru the Franc Notch and then to Crawford Notch. Views were terrible until suddenly the fog broke on the northern side of Franconia Notch. It was a whole other world and I welcomed the sunshine. Soon we arrived at the Ethan Pond trailhead to check out Ripley Falls. Avalanche Brook was rollin so I was eager to get going. We made good time despite my huffing and puffing and made it to the falls in under a half an hour. The hardest part was the leftover snow-ice combo that was still on the trail near the falls. It was quite slick...but nothing too terrible. I gazed up at the falls and was in awe of the shear power of water. They were pretty much at full capacity and actually were still melting out. We took pics, hung around for awhile, had something to eat and were off. While we were there, the sun came out and warmed us up. On the way back, the clouds increased and the wind picked up. Then the rain started just as we made it back to the car...perfect timing.
Off we went up Rt 302...in a small downpour till we decided to stop and take pics of silver cascades when the rain stopped right on time. I was impressed with these falls because the water cut a neat gorge into the rocks. After a few pics, we were off to the Crawford Path. I wanted to check out Gibbs Falls. They were more cascades than falls, but the heavy flow of Gibbs Brook and the walk thru the green spruce and fir forest made up for a lack of drop.
We decided to take Mt Clinton Rd to Marshfield Station since I had never taken that road before. It was a nice road...a little bumpy but not bad. We saw a hawk and it flew along the road near eye level for awhile...an awesome sight. Up at Marshfield Station the snow was melting fast and there were a few people up there hangin out. Back down Base Rd we went toward Rt 302. I took a few pics of a nice swamp with turkey and moose tracks galore. Then we were off and headed for I 93. As we approached Franconia Notch, I decided to to the Artists Bluff/Bald Mtn loop on a whim. I was feeling allright, and I wanted a view.
That trail up Artists Bluff is steep...or maybe I just shouldn't have been hiking..one of the two....but I was rewarded with fairly nice views of the notch from the rocks. I wasn't too impressed though thanks to the highway. Hoping for better vistas on Bald Mtn, I trudged on toward Bald Mtn. I must say this loop trip has everything, steep terrain, flat terrain, a col, big spruce, mud, views etc etc. There was even a scramble up to the summit of Bald which was pretty cool. A metal pole was placed at the top of the scramble to help people up. VFTT were better....maybe I was too tired to fully enjoy them, but I snapped some photos and prepared to sit down, take a breather and let it all sink in. Well, come to find out, I forgot my jacket back in the car. Thw wind picked up and I was cold immediately. So I headed down out of the wind and figured I might as well head down. I can always come back. The trip down was a piece of cake compared to the hike over from Artists Bluff and the road walk from Bald Mtn to the car was actually longer than the hike down. It was a great day despite my nasty cold. I didn't overdo it too much, but if my ear stays plugged and doesnt stop hurting soon, I'm goin to the docs! I took pics...lots of pics...I guess that happens when you are sick and and standin around all the time.
pics
grouseking
Sat morn I thought I was feeling better (headache cleared and sore throat went away) so we were off and rolling thru the Franc Notch and then to Crawford Notch. Views were terrible until suddenly the fog broke on the northern side of Franconia Notch. It was a whole other world and I welcomed the sunshine. Soon we arrived at the Ethan Pond trailhead to check out Ripley Falls. Avalanche Brook was rollin so I was eager to get going. We made good time despite my huffing and puffing and made it to the falls in under a half an hour. The hardest part was the leftover snow-ice combo that was still on the trail near the falls. It was quite slick...but nothing too terrible. I gazed up at the falls and was in awe of the shear power of water. They were pretty much at full capacity and actually were still melting out. We took pics, hung around for awhile, had something to eat and were off. While we were there, the sun came out and warmed us up. On the way back, the clouds increased and the wind picked up. Then the rain started just as we made it back to the car...perfect timing.
Off we went up Rt 302...in a small downpour till we decided to stop and take pics of silver cascades when the rain stopped right on time. I was impressed with these falls because the water cut a neat gorge into the rocks. After a few pics, we were off to the Crawford Path. I wanted to check out Gibbs Falls. They were more cascades than falls, but the heavy flow of Gibbs Brook and the walk thru the green spruce and fir forest made up for a lack of drop.
We decided to take Mt Clinton Rd to Marshfield Station since I had never taken that road before. It was a nice road...a little bumpy but not bad. We saw a hawk and it flew along the road near eye level for awhile...an awesome sight. Up at Marshfield Station the snow was melting fast and there were a few people up there hangin out. Back down Base Rd we went toward Rt 302. I took a few pics of a nice swamp with turkey and moose tracks galore. Then we were off and headed for I 93. As we approached Franconia Notch, I decided to to the Artists Bluff/Bald Mtn loop on a whim. I was feeling allright, and I wanted a view.
That trail up Artists Bluff is steep...or maybe I just shouldn't have been hiking..one of the two....but I was rewarded with fairly nice views of the notch from the rocks. I wasn't too impressed though thanks to the highway. Hoping for better vistas on Bald Mtn, I trudged on toward Bald Mtn. I must say this loop trip has everything, steep terrain, flat terrain, a col, big spruce, mud, views etc etc. There was even a scramble up to the summit of Bald which was pretty cool. A metal pole was placed at the top of the scramble to help people up. VFTT were better....maybe I was too tired to fully enjoy them, but I snapped some photos and prepared to sit down, take a breather and let it all sink in. Well, come to find out, I forgot my jacket back in the car. Thw wind picked up and I was cold immediately. So I headed down out of the wind and figured I might as well head down. I can always come back. The trip down was a piece of cake compared to the hike over from Artists Bluff and the road walk from Bald Mtn to the car was actually longer than the hike down. It was a great day despite my nasty cold. I didn't overdo it too much, but if my ear stays plugged and doesnt stop hurting soon, I'm goin to the docs! I took pics...lots of pics...I guess that happens when you are sick and and standin around all the time.
pics
grouseking
