WCastle - Muise - Kelsey

[Motabobo]

Hello. Any relevant info that you guys would like to share with me on the following summits ?

West Castle
The way I see it is to use **the road next Gore Brook then use the camp number 5 trail, then bushwhack to the summit. The trail seems to stop at Camp number 5. What's its condition, any logging road after that, or that connects at some point on the trail, etc ? Is it better to continue at the end of trail or just go straight to the summit from the trail ? Any other route up there ?

Kelsey
I would think the way would be from the **road that follows the West Branch Clear Stream, then bushwhack straight to the summit. Did you use the trail east of the summit or did you bushwhack straight from the road. Did you find a logging road, etc. ?

Muise
Not sure for this one. I see 3 different approaches. One from the north with a trail that follow Simms Stream. One **from the east with a road that follows Pike Brook then an unnamed stream. Then the one from **Kingston Dam (area near Phillips Pond) I particularly love this one because I think we could easily tag both Muise and Kelsey in a single day from this approach. Has anyone tried this before ? Any logging roads in the area that would help, etc. ?

For all those peaks, I've linked the place where I would actually start hiking (marked with **). If anyone could comment on this as if the road is gated before or after, unpassable for a standard car or advise of any fallen bridges or road closures, etc.

Thanks

 

[Pig Pen]

All good questions. Let us know what you find up there!

 

[arghman]

Kelsey -- that brings back memories.
I went with a friend on a whim from the Phillips Brook side when the yurts were still there & it was owned by International Paper. I am not sure the current owner (GMO) lets people in on their roads. High-clearance vehicle needed, in any case. Very easy to get within 1/2 mile of the summit on old overgrown logging roads but it was thick spruce hell from there.

No idea about approaches from the Millsfield/Dixville side.

 

[RoySwkr]

I drove up the Phillips Brook road to Ervings Location as my last unincorporated place in NH, it was rougher after the lodge and the muffler fell off my truck

I climbed Muise from the N twice in winter, Kelsey from Clear Stream as you suggest parking just off Rte.26 due to a washout, and W Castle from the summit of Sugarloaf and back

 

[Eric Savage]

The Cohos Trail now runs up through that area so you may want to check out what options that will add (for Muise and Kelsey). I did Muise - called it North Whitcomb back then - from the Cohos Trail (coming from the south). There's a wide open area before you get to Gadwah Notch where you can take a bearing on the peak - technically you may be looking at a shoulder but the bearing is good. I recommend moving out of the swampy area and onto the wooded ridge parallel to it.
When you get to the top, be aware that the canister may not be at the highpoint. If you don't go over it on the way up, you'll need to look around for a signifcant knob a stone's throw to the west of the canister.
If you still haven't made the trip to Kelsey, let me know - I still need it for my NH 100.

 

[spongebob]

I explored Muise is the way Eric explained it. The Coho's maps helped out.

I think the register is on the right bump now. I found it on the ground on the one bump I thought was lower. Everyone said in the register "the real summit is over there."....So I moved the jar over to the "over there" area, and fixed the problem. I think I read a trip report that it is now tied up now too.

Have fun with Kelsey Eric. The mountain is not very welcoming to visitors at the summit area. (very poor etiquette)

 

[dms]

spongebob, there used to be a N. Witcomb sign on the tree with the register, was it still there?

 

[spongebob]

DMS, I didn't see a sign. But for all I know there could be another register with a sign. (or I could be blind, which has been known to happen.) I did give the area a good look around though.

 

[bill bowden]

Whitcomb one had two registers

But they were very close, the more obscure one was on a tiny knob in spruce while the other had the sign. Came in from Nash Stream road (pre-Cohos Trail) but on the whole a pleasant day mostly on old logging roads with occasional views. approach from the West seemed to work well, a descent via the S facing ridge (Eric's route) was more difficult but far from impossible
Kelsey was a really nasty trip for me. Drove up road to a berm (probably same road Roy used, throroughly unpleasant trip with a nasty combinatio of scrubby spruce and some rock faces.

Castle I did , like Roy from Sugarloaf to get West as well and also on a loop over Gore and Sugarloaf. There was a register on Castle even though the col rule keeps it off the NHHH and 3K lists. In retrospect the most interesting things about Castle was what we called the "Castle Mountain Expressway", a very wide and debris free moose path that ran for several hundred yards along the ridge. We would have been concerned about human impact except that the register showed roughly two visitors every 3 years.

 

[arghman]

btw, is there any place (summit or otherwise) rewarding in Dixs Grant?

I've been there by car (drove my Corolla up Corser Brook Rd as far as I dared until the road started heading downhill & I took a GPS point to verify) but found that to be rather unsatisfying.

Not that I'll admit to having anything further to do with bushwhacking...

 

[dms]

btw, is there any place (summit or otherwise) rewarding in Dixs Grant?

I've been there by car (drove my Corolla up Corser Brook Rd as far as I dared until the road started heading downhill & I took a GPS point to verify) but found that to be rather unsatisfying.

Not that I'll admit to having anything further to do with bushwhacking...

If you had gotten out of your Corolla at the high point of Corser Brook Road and headed due west you could have bagged Rice Mountain! But that's in Dixville, not Dixs Grant.