East Pond Area Redlining 5-30-22

Distance: 12.8 mi.
Elevation: 1,289 ft. (Overall) 2,889 ft. (Total)
Time: 1:05 (Little East Pond) 1:50 (East Pond) 2:51 (Height of Land) 3:24 (Kanc) 5:08 (HOL) 5:27 (East Pond) 5:56 (Total)
Trails: East Pond Trail, Little East Pond Trail, East Pond Loop, East Pond Trail

It has been months since I have been out hiking, so I was overdue to get out into the woods. With good weather for Memorial Day weekend I knew many other people would be out as well. So I decided to focus on some redlining instead of trying to bad any peaks. I have wanted to do a loop of the trails around East Pond for a while, so I figured this was the time.

I parked on the Tripoli Road side of the trails, mainly because it is a shorter drive from my house. When I got to the parking lot I was happy with my decision since there weren't any other vehicles there. I started up the trail and did the loop out to Little East Pond first. From what I have seen of other peoples trip reports this was the less attractive of the two ponds so I wanted to start there.

Little East Pond Trail

The trail is pretty easy going up to the junction. The start of the Little East Pond Trail is pretty flat with one small brook crossing. Eventually it gains some elevation, but is never steep. Just before the pond the trail starts to follow the brook that is the exit of the pond. Just after this the trail appears to level out and on your left is the short path over to the pond. I'm not sure what I was expecting of this pond, but I ended up feeling a bit disappointed with it. It's still a cool place, but I guess it being so shallow and brown appearing on the bottom took away from it some. Still worth the hike though I feel.

Little East Pond

After leaving the pond I almost stepped on a toad in the trail and finally came across some of the flowers in bloom. The trail is relatively flat after leaving the pond with some small ups and downs. It pretty much stays on a sidehill slope and has a bit more of an undeveloped feel with the thicker sections of trees providing more shade and dead branches on the ground.

Almost stepped on this little guy

Painted Trillium

The Little East Pond Trail comes out right at the path leading over to East Pond. I quickly checked it out, but planned to spend more time there on the way back down. The trail follows near the shore of the pond for a while and gives you some good views of how beautiful the water is. After a little bit though, the trail finally has some climbing as you need to work your way up to the height of land. Right at the high point of the trail is a cool little spot with lots of small green plants (ferns and stuff) and today there was also a woodpecker adding to the forest sound track.

Lots of green at the height of land

Knowing I needed to come back up to the height of land I set a bit of a faster pace heading down to the Kanc. This was a bit harder to do though because the trail is certainly rougher on this side with more rocks and roots to navigate through. There was also some mud, but nothing bad and no real water crossings until Pine Brook about a half mile before the Kanc. The guide book says this crossing can be tricky in high waters, but today it wasn't too bad. It did still require picking a good spot to keep my feet dry though.

Crossing of Pine Brook near the Kanc

From the brook crossing to the Kanc and back is pretty close to being flat so I quickly hiked to the parking lot at the end of the trail, took a short 2 minute break, then hiked back to the river crossing. It was more enjoyable to take a break here than on the side of a busy road. I filtered some cold water (my plan all along) and got ready for the steady climb back up to the height of land.

Lady Slippers getting ready to bloom

The hike back up to the height of land was a bit tiring (aren't all hikes after a big descent), but it went quicker than I expected. The trail didn't seem quite as rough going up as it did going down. Once back to the height of land I changed into a dry shirt and socks now that all the hard work was done. The woodpecker was still making noise here which was a plesant surprise.

Coming back up to the height of land

The hike from here to East Pond was pretty quick and seeing the pond through the trees again was nice. Once to the path over to the shore I headed over and set my pack down for a nice long break. The pond is beautiful and has such clear water with a great teal tint to it. You could see all sorts of features under the water you wouldn't normally expect to. It would be awesome to bring a swim tube up here on a sunny day and just float around I think. It was also cool to see all of the little fish near the pond's outlet. Lots of little fish that were maybe an inch and a half long.

East Pond

Lots of little fish near the outlet of East Pond

The water at East Pond is very clear and beautiful

With no summit today, Miles poses at the pond

Eventually I had to leave the pond and finish the hike back to my truck. I still had a mile of trail to hit for my redlining if nothing else. Below the pond I ran into my first other hikers of the day. One pair presumably headed up to East Pond. For a great day on a holiday weekend, I will take it running into only 2 others all day long. Once back to the truck it was 8.3 miles of new trails completed for the day and a very enjoyable and needed hike through the woods.

Google Earth representation of the hike

For all the pictures from the hike, just go HERE

Mt. Webster (3,910 ft), Mt. Jackson (4,052 ft) 10-9-21

Distance: 8.4 mi.
Elevation: 2,139 ft. (Overall) 2,859 ft. (Total)
Time: (With a 7 yr old setting the pace) 3:08 (Webster) 4:57 (Jackson) 8:31 (Total)
Trails: Webster Jackson Trail, Webster Branch, Webster Cliff Trail, Jackson Branch, Webster Jackson Trail

Even though she has only done a handful of peaks on her 52 With A View list so far, my oldest daughter has been wanting to try and hike a 4000 footer. So today's hike of Mt. Webster and Mt. Jackson seemed like a good fit. We could get her another 52WAV peak and if she made it that far it wouldn't be too hard of a hike to get her up Mt. Jackson as well.

Leaving Crawford Notch the trail starts off pretty gentle and then works into a couple steep and rocky sections. Liliana did great with this and enjoyed picking her own route through the rocks. The early fiew from Bugle Cliff was nice spot for a short break and snacks. It also showed her how far we had already come. I challenged her to find my truck in the now filled area along route 302... it is foliage season after all.

Liliana climbing a steep rocky section

View from Bugle Cliff

We made great progress up to the split of the Webster Jackson Trail and had played leap frog with a few other families doing similar hikes to us today. Going up Mt. Webster first we went right at the split and carefully worked our way down the steep section of trail that leads to the brook crossing and waterfall. This was another great spot to take a break for some pictures and a well earned snack. The trail is steep to start going back up for the crossing so a small rest would help get a 7 year old up the next bit of trail. She enjoyed trying to sneak some of my trail mix while I took pictures anyways.

Waterfall just after the split of the Webster/Jackson branches

The trail keeps climbing steadily up to the ridge before Mt. Webster. Liliana did great going over the mixture of rocks and smooth trail and we made good time given her shorter legs. Once we got up to the ridge she was getting excited to hit our first peak of the day and to see our view into and across Crawford Notch. Picking your way over the rocks to get to the actual summit was a bit tricky because there are a few extra paths and some large rocks to climb over. There could be a couple extra painted blazes up there to help out.

Getting closer to Mt. Webster

While on the summit we enjoyed a big rest and a surprise snack that I didn't tell Liliana about... big chocolate chips cookies. Liliana enjoyed the great views and me pointing out other peaks and points of interest to her. There were a few Gray Jays around as well begging for food and eventually we were able to get a couple of them to come eat of Liliana's hand. She was a bit nervous when they first landed, but she thought it was really cool even though their feet feel a bit funny on your hand.

Crawford Notch from Mt. Webster

Presidential Range from Mt. Webster

Gray Jay begging for food

Liliana was feeling good still so we decided to continue on with our plan of heading over to Mt. Jackson for her first 4000 footer. The trail between the peaks is pretty easy and only gets steep towards the end going up the last bit to Mt. Jackson. Liliana enjoyed seeing the different types of plants and mushrooms as well as another pair of Gray Jays. The few bog bridges and short steep drops or climbs added some nice variety too and she was also excited when we got to those.

Nice easy hiking between the peaks

We made good time between the peaks for how big of a hike this was for Liliana. She got even more excited as we neared the summit of Mt. Jackson as she had been looking forward to getting her first 4K. When we got to the stop she was super happy even though the clouds had come in more on our way over. We had more of our cookies and met some nice people including one very friendly dog and his owner. Liliana was able to get the dog to do a couple tricks for snacks. She was also able to see someone finish their NH 48 4Ks on the same peak she was starting hers on.

Liliana enjoying a snack and the summit of Mt. Jackson

Liliana celebrates her first 4K

The clouds coming in and getting lower

After enjoying the summit for quite a while, we had to figure out what route we were going to use to descend back to the truck. We could go back down the steep and rocky Jackson branch of the Webster Jackson Trail or we could try to hike over to the Mizpah Hut and use the Mizpah Cutoff Trail and descend the smoother but longer Crawford Path. At this point I knew that either way we went we would likely need a headlamp by the end of the hike. Liliana really liked the idea of hiking to the hut as she wanted to see it and I liked that idea as well (I know how slow she goes down steep and rocky trails). But as I went through my pack making sure of what I had for headlamps I found that I had forgot my second headlamp that I thought was in my bag and only had one. If I had both I was planning to go to the hut and then down, but with only the one lamp for both of us, I decided that taking the shorter route would be better in hopes that we could get back closer to the truck before we needed to share it.

A rocky descent

The descent from Mt. Jackson went as I was expecting and was at times almost painfully slow. Liliana did great at being careful coming down the steep rocks off of the summit and then over the very rocky terrain after that. Her shorter legs come down those bigger rocks slower than I am use to, but I was still happy since Liliana didn't rush and do anything that would have caused her to trip or get hurt. This was why I was liking the idea of going down by going to the hut so we could have avoided this section of trail. I guess I need to do a better job checking my pack before hiking with someone else. At least I carry the one headlamp as an extra at all times. After the trail joins back up with itself we made better time. I reminded Liliana we should try to make good time before we needed the headlamp as we would slow down after that. She did good at keeping moving when needed, but her feet and legs were getting a bit tired. In the dark we found a method that worked well for lighting the trail for both of us and we made the last push out to the truck. It was time to take our boots off and get some supper on the way home after a big high five celebrating Liliana's first 4K and her biggest hike yet.

Google Earth representation of the hike

For all the pictures from the hike, just go HERE

Cannon Mtn (4,100 ft) 9-11-21

Distance: 4.75 mi.
Elevation: 2,147 ft (overall) 2,421 ft (total)
Time: 1:41 (View Above Old Man Site) 2:13 (Summit) 3:50 (Total)
Trails: Kinsman Ridge Trail

Just like we did two years ago, today we hike Cannon Mountain for Flags on the 48. Being the 20th anniversary, our group leader Jim wanted to bring out his big flag, so we needed a peak that had somewhere to use it. Drapping it over the side of the building on Cannon Mtn has worked before, so that was the peak we picked for this year. We also had our normal size flag again, and a couple others to honor paramedics and firefighters as well as a soldier that was killed overseas in the war that followed 9-11.

We had quite a few people in our group this year and luckily we had enough people taking the tram up that we could send most of the poles, flags, and hardware needed up with them so the hike up would be easier. Some of the slower hikers in the group decided to get and earlier headstart so that we could catch up to them later on in the hike.

Two years ago someone that is working on a documentary about the american flag and what it means to people got some footage of us during the event. With the wind and clouds that day, some of the audio wasn't as good as he liked and there were no views to incorporate, so this year he had another photographer/videographer hike with us to get some more footage. It was interesting having someone document the hike as he didn't know much about the event before tagging along. He also got some great footage of the flags and the hike that should be good to use in the documentary and for their own personal uses.

We had all of our flags up by noon with 3 on poles and the big one draped down over the side of the building on the summit. Lots of people were out to enjoy the event and the views today. It made for a great atmosphere at the summit while we were up there. After packing up the gear after 2pm, the non hikers helped bring it all down in the trams again while we hiked down. Once they were down at the bottom of the mountain they started getting a big barbecue ready so as soon as we finished the hike down we could all have something good to eat. We offered food and drinks to everyone that was hiking down today with many other hikers taking us up on the deal. It made for a great end to the day.

The trail is steep from the start

One large wet slab to climb up

A rest at the view point

Getting one of our flags ready

Multiple flags are up

Zeppelin has the names of the rescue dogs involved on his vest

Other flags were visible with the nice weather

We brought the big flag out today

View down through the notch

The Kinsmans

Franconia Ridge

After hike barbecue

Google Earth representation of the hike

For all the pictures from the hike, just go to my gallery on SmugMug

Stinson Mtn. (2,900 ft) 8-15-14

Distance: 4.82 mi.
Elevation: 1,325 ft (overall) 1,410 ft (total)
Time: 2:39 (Summit) 4:36 (Total)
Trails: Stinson Mountain Trail, Stinson Lake Outlook Path, Snowmobile Trail, Stinson Mountain Trail

Today's hike would be another one with my daughter while working on her 52 With a View list. This would be the first time for either of us here so we could bother check this one off the list. It would be #4 for here and #17 for me. Plus it would get me a bit of redlining in as well.

The trail starts off nice and easy with a flat surface and almost no incline. This makes for a nice warm up as you start out the hike. It gradually starts to gain elevation, but stays easy for quite a while. There are some rocks in the trail that are easy to get around and today there were just a few spots that were a bit muddy.

The trail starts off nice and easy

Gradually the trail gets steeper and narrower, but stays pretty easy. Slowing my pace down to that of a 7 year old today, I was able to find lots of smaller things along the trail to point out to my daughter so that I could teach her more about the forest while we hiked today. After pointing out some different mushrooms along the trail, today's hike quickly turned into her pointing out all the mushrooms along the hike.

A little rougher as the trail climbs

After the section of trail that follows the snowmobile trail is where the trail finally gets steeper and rougher. Those sections come in short bursts where it will be real rocky for a bit, then smooth again, then rocky again. Liliana made good work of these sections and found some fun in climbing over the bigger rocks instead of going around them.

A large rock in the trail

A rocky section near the top

The summit has a nice opening in the trees that provides a great view to the south out over the town of Rumney. From the higher points on the rocks or the old footings for the long gone fire tower you can also see over the trees to the northeast further into the big mountains of the Whites. We spent quite a bit of time on the summit today since the weather was so nice and I wanted to give Liliana a nice break so she wasn't too tired for the hike down. She was also having a fun time climbing over the rocks at the summit and finding all the grasshoppers that were jumping around.

View from the summit

View from the summit

Liliana at the top

As we left the summit we took the short side path that led to an overlook of Stinson Lake. There isn't much room at the viewpoint, but it does provide a great view over the lake and towards Mt. Moosilauke as well. The wind was blowing straight in at us from this direction, so we didn't stay too long as Liliana started to get a bit cool while not being on the move.

Stinson Lake from the side path

For the descent we used the snowmobile trail instead of the regular trail at the top. I like doing loops instead of following the same trail back down all the way, plus I figured the snowmobile would be smoother and easier hiking for coming down. The trail is wide and grassy, but enough people use it that there is a beaten path going down it so you don't have to walk through the tall grass. Once back to the normal trail, we followed that all the way back to the truck though.

Upper section of snowmobile trail

Lower section of snowmobile trail

This ended up being a very enjoyable hike with my daughter today. I think this is a very family friendly hike that isn't super hard for someone that doesn't have a lot of experience. The views at the top are nice and the side path to the view over the lake provides another good view that helps make it more interesting. Definately a hike we will repeat once my youngest daughter gets old enough to hike as well.

Google Earth representation of the hike

For all the pictures from the hike, just go to my gallery on SmugMug