Mt Hale via Zealand Falls Hut

Saturday I was looking for some more color but also a hike away from the crowds so I headed up towards Zealand Falls hut after parking my car at the Hale Brook trail lot. There were a lot of people out including a group with a team of huskies that was heading up over Zealand mountain to camp. Wrong season if you ask me as the humans in the group could have had a free ride were there snow on the ground! The are several beaver ponds along the way that have interesting views along the valley formed by Zealand on one side and the Willey range on the other. I had been along here on a hut to hut hike several years ago. On that day it was a death march amidst a deluge and no interest in the passing scenery. I stopped in at the hut to check out the falls and the view from the hut as it is a couple hundred feet above the valley floor. On the way up I found a memory card that I handed in to the staff at the hut. It had more than 400 shots on it so I hope it gets back to its owner.

I had thought of hiking further down the trail to Thoreau Falls but it was so nice sitting in the warm sun on the deck outside the hut that I just lounged there and ate my lunch while chatting with some "locals". Instead of curling up for a nap I set off up the Lend a Hand trail for Hale mountain. This trail is reputed to wet but the extensive trailwork of bridges across swampy areas made it a joy to hike. I didn't see anyone until I got to the steep sections approaching the summit of Mt Hale. That summit is a small grassy meadow with a 6 foot cairn in the middle (no view). If you stand atop the pile you can just see the tops of various surrounding mountains. The Hale Brook trail is pretty steap, especially at the top. I ran into a lot of groups on their way up. I was a bit confused as Hale itself does not seem to me a good destination for a leap peeping hike. Nearer the bottom, I saw a windbreaker, and then a wicking shirt and lastly a nike hat on the side of the trail. Thankfully, there was no naked hiker further down!

This was my last visit to the WMNF until ski season but if the weather agrees I hope to get out to the Adirondacks before the snow flies!

More pics

Middle Sugarloaf

On Friday, I opted for a short hike that I hoped would have stellar views. I hit the jackpot by hiking to Middle Sugarloaf from the parking area a few miles down Zealand Road. A hike of a mile and a bit that rises 900 feet. The summit is about 2500 feet and has a nice closeup look at Hale, North Twin as well as Tom and Field and at a further distance is the Presidential range. While it would be best to hike this peak when the light conditions are best (I'm guessing early morning and late afternoon) there were no complaints from me or any of the other lucky folks up there. I lounged for about an hour or more and had some interesting chats: politics with some locals (lucky) and how awesomely beautiful this spot is with a couple visiting from Holland. The colors were sweet, especially on Mt Hale which was the closest peak and they filled the Zealand Valley.

If you have a few hours to spare I highly recommend this gem, I think I will give this a visit over the winter (note that the road is closed so add 2.5 miles each way).

More pics

Chocorua, was it summer or winter?

I hiked Mt Chocorua last Thursday via the Champney Falls Trail from the Kamcamagus Highway. The forecast was for clear sunny skies but temperatures in the 50s (yikes). Hardly Indian summer weather but on the plus side it was perfect to keep the leaf peeping hordes to a minimum. The trail was a beauty, never particularly steep until the end with a constant grade and a series of switchbacks to get you up to the ridgeline. I had to cover up against the wind with a windbreaker, toque and gloves although I saw several folks who were hiking in shorts. OK, I was too but I had thermal longjohns under them!

It was really windy above the tree line and on the summit cone but a great place to duck down behind cover to take photos. On a warmer day this would be a good mountain to hike as there are extended trails that are above the trees and have fine views of surrounding mountains as well as Chocorua's pointy summit.

On my way back down I spotted a bit of trash on the trail (click on photo below). Can you see it?



Then later at a Kamcamagus scenic spot I saw the following bolts in a rock face across the road. Any idea what they are?



More pics