Munroe and Ike and a super fine gentleman from New Jersey

 

 

 

On Tuesday, I headed up the Ammonoosuc Ravine trail to Lakes of the Clouds hut. It starts with a flat walk along a brook that ends at a small pool called Gem Pool. From there it is abruptly up with no relief until you reach the hut. The hut was just under the cloud deck so I stopped again for a cup of tea to wait to see what the weather would do. The hike options were over Mt Washington and return via the Jewell trail or hike over Munroe and Eisenhower and down the Edmunds Path (and then road walk). I headed for clear skies and headed towards the Southern Presidents. This is above tree line all the way and is a spectacular view. I highly recommend the hut to hut trip if the weather is good. After a few hours of Crawford Path eye candy I headed down the Edmunds Path. With a road walk between parking lots, I thought my timing was good to arrive at the parking lot at the same time as a fellow hiker. Though I looked sad heading out along the road she did not oblige. I was about a third of the way there when an SUV pulled up like an angel from heaven offering a ride. A finer gentleman from New Jersey you will not find, well maybe the Boss himself but otherwise...

So if you learn anything from the last two blog posts, it is .... if you see a hiker walking along a road, offer them a ride!

The Wildcats: A cup of tea and a moose sighting

 

 

 

Started out my summer vacation with a trip to New Hampshire. First hike was to do the Wildcats (from A to D) going up via the 19 Mile Brook trail and descending the Polecat trails of the Wildcat ski area. The 19 Mile Brook trail is a nice walk along a pretty big and noisy brook. I stopped in at Carter Notch hut for an early morning cup of tea. From there I took the steep rocky Wildcat Ridge trail up to Wildcat A (some impressive trail work on this section of trail). I came upon a guy with a full pack after about 15 minutes who thought he was headed down to route 16 and pointed him in the right direction. There is a spot (marked Vista -->) near the summit of Wildcat A with a great view of the hut down below and the Carter Range. From there it is up and down and repeat through the woods until you reach the viewing deck on Wildcat D. The Presidentials were in the clouds and there was a mob of gondola riders so I stopped briefly for a sandwich and headed down the Polecats. Although they were a bit muddy, this is a welcome relief from the steeper and rocky descents of many hikes. I spotted a lady moose on a side trail and there were lots of flowers on the trail which on a clear day would have great views of Washington and the Northern Presidentials. Sadly I did not get a lift back to my car so had a few miles road walk to end the day.