Our 52WAV quest continued last weekend with a two'fer, West Royce and Hayes.
Some things worth mentioning... on West Royce, we got lucky and stumbled upon the remains of the old fire tower. I did not realize there was one. The White Mountain Guide makes no mention of it at or near the summit in its description of the Basin Rim Trail.
On Hayes, we took the Mahoosuc section up rather than the more common Centennial Trail. The trail is a fine one, and well maintained. Hogan Road however that leads to the trailhead is nearly unpassable with anything but high clearance. I have a Forrester and we barely made it. Two culvert washouts are deep and filled with rotting tree branches. I can't imagine them making it to spring. So be forewarned.
Also we saw the biggest wolf spider (Pretty sure it's a wolf spider) I had ever encountered in the Whites. Pic below. Two great hikes. Here are the vignettes and pics.
West Royce Vignette
West Royce pics
Hayes Vignette
Hayes pics
Don't mess with our little friend!
Some things worth mentioning... on West Royce, we got lucky and stumbled upon the remains of the old fire tower. I did not realize there was one. The White Mountain Guide makes no mention of it at or near the summit in its description of the Basin Rim Trail.
On Hayes, we took the Mahoosuc section up rather than the more common Centennial Trail. The trail is a fine one, and well maintained. Hogan Road however that leads to the trailhead is nearly unpassable with anything but high clearance. I have a Forrester and we barely made it. Two culvert washouts are deep and filled with rotting tree branches. I can't imagine them making it to spring. So be forewarned.
Also we saw the biggest wolf spider (Pretty sure it's a wolf spider) I had ever encountered in the Whites. Pic below. Two great hikes. Here are the vignettes and pics.
West Royce Vignette
West Royce pics
Hayes Vignette
Hayes pics
Don't mess with our little friend!
