Mount Cabot (4170')

Mount Cabot (4170') via Unknown Pond Trail


26June2012

I hiked Mt Cabot today with Mike, and his dog, Madison. Weather was moderate off and on rain all day. The trail was actually a ton of fun, because of how unique is was to NH.

Unknown Pond Trail: Moderate grade, multiple river and stream crossings. Most of the Unknown Pond Trail is in and out of the woods, crossing through large, open, sloped riverbeds that are overgrown with low vegetation. Along the trail, we spotted 3 moose, one time within 100 feet of us. This is the 2nd hike that I have forgotten my camera, and I regret it. The trail crosses by the Unknown Pond, which, if the views weren't hindered by thick fog, would be an awesome place to relax on a hot summer day. The trail reaches a high point on The Bulge, where the ground is littered with Moose scat. The pitch increases as the trail goes on, descending a few times, and ascends up to the viewless summit of Cabot.
Kilkenny Ridge Trail: Descends the summit of Cabot, leading to Cabot cabin; a primitive cabin with a few shelves, 4 bed platforms, a table, and a view from the porch. The trail gradually descends from here, relatively easy, with some scrambled rocks and roots.
Bunnell Notch Trail: Breaks off the Kilkenny Ridge Trail, and drops gradually to old logging roads, overgrown with low vegetation. The trail crosses some streams and rivers. My feet and legs were soaked at this point, so I ran right through the stream crossings. The trail maintains a comfortable grade with easy walking. Overall, for a rainy day hike, this was a very enjoyable one.

Distance: About 11 miles.
Time: 5.25 hours.
Chance of re-hike: 7/10. Unique, open river banks and slopes, with moderate, comfortable grade for most of the hike. Not much for views, though.
Wildlife: 10/10: Birds, 3 moose, 1 black bear on York Pond Rd.
Solitude: 8/10: Saw 3 people on the way down, none on the way up.

Enjoyed a peppercorn bacon burger with a 20 oz stout at the Moat Brewery in N Conway afterwards. I highly recommend that place for post-hike chow.

Mount Moriah (4049')/ Middle Carter (4610')/ South Carter (4430)/ Carter Dome (4832)/ Wildcat (4422')/ Wildcat D (4050')

April 7th 2012: The Boatman and I started in Gorham, NH, off Bangor Road at the trailhead for the Carter-Moriah Trail. We started with a small energy boosting snack of McDoubles. The trail started off at a moderate grade, and it was overcast and mild out. The trail has some interesting views of the Gorham area as the elevation increases. 1 mile in, there is a large section of blown down trees. 

As we got higher, the trail opened up into some nice ridges with beautiful views of Washington and the presidentials, even though it was cloudy out. 

The Boatman hiking up to tag Moriah. 

On the summit of Moriah. 

As we got higher in elevation, the Boatman kept wanting snow. We both agreed that we'd rather carry snowshoes 1000 miles than post-hole for 1 mile. 

The hike from Moriah to the Carters was almost all ridge walks. It was cloudy and/or snowing most of the time, so we had limited views. This is definitely a hike I will do again this summer. 

Our home for the night; Imp Shelter. 7 miles in. We had the place to ourselves. We had a comfortable night, celebrating with some spirits. We blocked up the doorway with a tarp, and we were toasty all night. There was a small hole in the ice in the river, where we were able to filter about 2 liters of water before the lines froze. 

We spent the night smoking cigars, drinking Guinness and Old Chubb, and Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey. 

Along the trail, we ran into a Candian hiker doing a day hike. We exchanged some stories, and parted ways.

On the drive back home, after dropping the Boatman off at his car, who did I see hitchhiking? Our Canadian friend. I picked him up and gave him a ride 9 miles to his car. It's too bad that hikers have such a hard time getting rides these days. So I figured, a hiker can pick up a hiker in need of a ride. Hopefully someone will return the favor someday.

April 8 2012 ridge walks over the Carters. 

Hiking up to the summit of Mount Hight.

On the windy summit of Mount Hight.

The view of Carter Notch from Carter Dome. It was a discouraging sight to know that we had to hike all the way down, and all the way back up to the Wildcat Ridge Trail.

Carter Notch Hut: Where they boil their drinking water from the pond, but they don't filter it. I got halfway through chugging my 2nd liter of water before I noticed the dirt, pine needles, and moss in the bottom of my bottle.

On the way down Wildcat D to the car. The boatman crushed his 4000'ers, finishing on Wildcat D. I slid down part of the ski mountain on a tarp I had, but didn't have much success.

Six four thousand footers crushed. 7 miles on Saturday: from Gorham NH to Imp Shelter. 12 miles on Sunday: from Imp Shelter, over the Carters and Carter Notch, over the Wildcats and down Wildcat D to the car. We finished the mighty trek with an Easter meal of 2 McDoubles, fries, and some Newman's Own coffee.

Hancock (4420') and South Hancock (4319') 21Feb2012

Starting at Rt 112 (Kancamagus Hwy) by the hairpin turn, we hiked in on the Hancock Notch Trail, which crossed many branches of the Cedar Brook. After a few miles, we got on the Hancock Loop Trail, and hiked the loop counterclockwise, getting nice views on both peaks.

Mt. Pierce (4310') 29Jan2012

Starting in Crawford Notch, Laur and I hiked up to Pierce (Clinton) from Rt 302. The trail was a steady easy grade that was wide and smooth. We passed a few hikers on our way up, a few with sleds. The views up top were amazing. It was partly cloudy, but we had nice views of Eisenhower and Washington. Next time, we're bringing sleds.

Views of Eisenhower and Washington from Pierce. 

Hiking up to Pierce. 

WTF (Willey (4285'), Tom (4051'), Field (4340')) 09Jan2012

These guys followed me for most of the hike. 

A view from Mt Field. 

Starting at the AMC Highland Center in Crawford Notch, I hiked up the A-Z Trail to the Avalon Trail, where I was followed by Canadian Jays to the Summit of Mt Field and Willey. Backtracking to Field, I turned left to complete the loop and tag the summit of Tom.

Zealand (4260')/ West Bond (4540)/ Bond (4698')/ Bondcliff (4265')- Summer 2010

Hiking in on the Twinway up to Zealand Falls. The trail crosses over some ponds and rivers before reaching the falls.  

This is the extent of the views on the Zealand Summit. Not a great summit, but the views afterwords were rewarding. 

The view of Bondcliff from West Bond. 

Approaching Bondcliff from Mount Bond.

The trail from Bond to Bondcliff is fairly strenuous. It declines steeply, opening up just before Bondcliff. The trail down is mostly scrambling on large boulders, but improves once on Bondcliff. 

Sun setting over the Franconia Ridge. 

We caught the sunrise from Bondcliff. 

Classic White Mountains photo. 

After a long hike back, we found this small pool just before Zealand Falls. It was refreshing on such a humid day.