Speckled Mountain Loop 7-19-25

Distance: 17.0 mi.
Elevation: 1,444 ft (overall) 3,926 ft (total)
Time: 2:10 (Speckled Mtn) 6:34 (Clearing at low end of Miles Notch) 9:19 (Rte 113)
Trails: Spruce Hill Trail, Bickford Brook Trail, Red Rock Trail, Miles Notch Trail, Haystack Notch Trail

With the Caribou-Speckled Mountain Wilderness being a 3+ hour drive from my house, I haven't actually knocked off any miles on the tab of the redlining spreadsheet. In order to make a nice dent in this region that is farther away from my house, I worked up today's route in order to make a nice big loop and really get some miles done. Being by myself like normal, today's loop would require a bit of road walking at the end, but hopefully that wouldn't be too bad at the end of the day.

I parked at the small lot on route 113 that is the access for the East Royce Trail (heading west) and Spruce Hill Trail (heading east). The Spruce Hill Trail is easy to follow, and starts off pretty mellow with some sidehilling as you start to climb. This made for a nice little warmup to get the day going. It didn't seem to take too long before the trail enters into the wilderness, trail markers and signs get smaller or just plaing go away, but things were still easy to follow and there were no real obstacles most of the day. As I steadily gained elevation without climbing anything steep, the sun started to come through the trees (I hade gotten an early start after all). The trail goes past the unmarked summit of Spruce Hill, which is just to the left of the trail if you follow the small herd path. While I didn't need to go over to the high spot, I figured I would do it while in the area in case for some reason later on I wish I had. And being as I was redlining, I felt like tagging as much stuff as I easily could while going by today.

Steady climbing through a beautiful forest

After Spruce Hill, the trail drops just a bit in elevation before coming to the Bickford Brook Trail where I took a left to keep climbing towards Speckled Mountain. As the trail goes around the northern side of Ames Mountain, it crosses an interesting section that is a steep sidehill section of trail, but with a nice area for the trail to go across. This makes for an interesting looking section, but without any drop offs that would make you nervous while hiking past them. After this section, you pass the upper end of the Blueberry Ridge Trail where you keep left and have a short half mile to the summit of Speckled Mountain following a gradual incline up the ridgeline. There will a small open area on the trail shortly before the actual summit.

An interesting steep sidehill with a nice trail cutout

The summit of Speckled Mountain

View from Speckled Mountain

While the summit of Speckled Mountain was great and very much worth the trip, I couldn't spend all day up there with how many more miles I still had to hike. The summit here was the only place I saw other hikers all day during my entire loop. I was glad these other two hikers were there though, because they didn't help show me which direction the trail left the summit from. It was completely obvious which way I needed to go with the mix of open rocks and scattered trees around. Once on the start of it though, it was again easy to follow. The climb down from the summit, was probably the steepest section of the day. It did have solid footing though, so it wasn't difficult to go down.

Once down this climb into the saddle between Speckled Mountain and Durgin Mountain, the remainder of the ridge is mostly gentley ups and downs over/around all of the smaller peaks. Durgin Mountain was a mix of some open rock heading through the trees which meant some warm sunny spots, and lots of blueberries along the trail today. They made for some nice snacks while I was hiking along.

The trail followed near the top of the ridge all morning

At least there was blueberries to eat today

The scattered open areas of trail made for some nice periodic views along the hike, but with how sunny it was today and with very little wind, it made for some warm hiking. At least in the trees, there was shade to help keep cool. If there had just been a nice breeze today, this section would have been more enjoyable. Near the summit of Butters Mountain, I found a nice spot along the trail that was a bit like a bench to sit on for a short break. I was getting warm, so I took my shirt off for a bit to help dry it and myself while fueling up with a little bit of food.

Bewteen Butters Mountain and Red Rock Mountain, there was a small interesting notch that they trail passes through. It almost had the feel of an old woods road passing over the ridge, but there wasn't good enough terrain on the northern side for this to be the case. There was an interesting old US Forest Service marker attached to a tree here. Along the climb up out of this small notch were some small views back to the west and the direction I had come from. It was interesting looking back and seeing Speckled Mountain and realizing just how far I had come along the ridge. While the ridge was the harder terrain of the day, it still meant I wasn't even quite half way through now.

A view back towards Speckled Mountain from along the trail

Open trail going over some bare rock near Red Rock Mountain

The drop down off of Red Rock Mountain into Miles Notch was a nice break with mostly downhill. There was unfortunately, a small climb up at the very end of the Red Rock Trail just before hitting the Miles Notch Trail. I was getting warm and a bit tired, so this short uphill was slower going for me than it should have been. Coming down the Miles Notch Trail, conditions progressively got better and easier which meant I was able to pick the pace back up again. By the end of the trail, you are basically following a woods road which was nice and wide and smooth. The only tracks I was seeing through here that were fresh, were a set of moose tracks.

Red Rock Trail dropping down to Miles Notch

Wide easy trail nearing the low end of the hike

The worst part of this section of the hike was the lower end of the Miles Notch Trail. The old woods road that you are following comes out into an area that was logged, so I was back to being in the hot sun with no breeze. Being so open as well, the vegetation has grown a lot through here, and at times it was between waist and chest high. This makes the trail/road harder to follow since there isn't much traffic through here. If you pay attention though, you can stay on the road, which eventually bears a little to the right and through more of the middle of the opening. I was feeling a bit cautious through here knowing the berries were rippening and a bear could easily be just out of site in all of the tall bushes.

The sun through here was really getting to me and I just wanted to be back in the shade. When I got to the junction with the Haystack Notch Trail, I really debated if I wanted to continue down to the parking area near here. I wasn't quite sure what the real distance was since my two maps were contradicting each other a bit. With one map showing still 0.3 miles (0.6 total), I decided to save the effort and come back later to get that section. In the end I should have just done it because it was actually closer to 0.1 miles. I just wanted to be back in the shade, so I started up the Haystack Notch Trail which follows along the side of the logged off area. The trail was pretty straight forward through here though, and it was easy to follow and get back into the woods and out of the sun.

Through the open, the "trail" was chest deep bushes following the logging path

A couple signs indicating Miles Notch and Haystack Notch Trails

The trail follows the edge of the logged area

Once back into the woods, I felt a little better being in the shade. Knowing this trail follows near the river and also crosses it, I started looking for a good spot to rest next to the water and filter some water as well for the rest of the hike. So at an easy crossing, I setup for lunch on the other side and took a nice long break here. I cooled off with splashing water on myself and just had a nice rest. The trail would be pretty gentle from here on out back to route 113, but it is still about 5 more miles to go.

This brook made for a great rest area in the shade near cool water

After leaving my rest spot on the rivebank, I kept heading west on the Haystack Notch Trail. Luckily the trail isn't steep, but even the small incline of it was more than I wanted to deal with right now. The trail stays pretty gentle until after it enters into the Caribou-Speckled Mountain Wilderness, where it gradually gets a little steeper as it heads up to the height of land in Haystack Notch. Being in a wildnerness area, the trail also becomes less used and less well marked. I was still able to follow it at all times, but it was a bit tricky at times to make sure I was staying on it and not missing and turns or curves in the trail.

Entering back into the wilderness zone heading into Haystack Notch

The wilderness section of Haystack Notch is lightly traveled in sections

As I was climbing up to the height of land in the notch, the heat of the day and the lack of wind were really getting to me. I was slowing right down, and finally decided I needed a nice break. I found a rock that was comfortable to sit and lean against, hoping it might somehow have a little bit cooler temperature than the air around it. I also made use of a small squirt bottle that I brought with me today and had filled with water. I kept spraying my head, face, arms, and legs so that they could slowly cool down and make me feel better. I did this for probably a good 20 minutes before I was finally feeling better.

My rest spot wasn't far from the height of land, so pretty soon after starting back up, I was headed downhill all the way back to the road. I was able to pick up the pace again through here. The trail was easier to follow on this side of the notch, and after coming back out of the wilderness area, it got even easier. I took advantage of every time the trail was near or crossed any sort of brook and splashed water all over my face and head each time. It was still warm, but this was helping me feel better.

The trail going next to a brook as I get closer to the road

As I neared the road, I really wasn't looking forward to the gradual uphill walk back to my truck. I had thought about stashing a bike here, but I knew that I wouldn't really want to pedal uphill either, and might end up just walking with a bike as well. As I got within sight of the road, I saw there was a pickup pulled over on the side of the road and I started thinking maybe I could get a ride. So I walked fast enough that I could get there before they drove off, only to find that there was no one in the truck. So I just started walking up the road hoping maybe I could hitch a ride. The first vehicle I head was a motorcycle, so that wasn't even worth trying. Next a car went by, but didn't stop, and I thought to myself "darn it" and kept walking. A couple minutes later though, as my legs were cramping up, the car came back from the other direction. They had been in their own little world when driving by, then thought to themselves that "only someone redlining would be walking through here", so as a fellow redliner, they turned around to see if they could help. I couldn't be happier to have a ride back to my truck as this point, and thanked them very much for helping me at the end of my hike. I had probably only walked about .25 of the roughly 1.6 miles back to my truck when I was able to get into their car.

I wasn't liking the idea of the long uphill road walk at this point

All things considered, this hike ended up going ok. I could have used some cooler temperatures or a little bit of wind, but I made it all work with some discomfort and tired legs. Had I known it was going to end up being as warm as it was though, I probably would have changed things up a little bit. I was camping up in the area for the whole weekend trying to get other trails done as well (which I didn't due to rain and being tired), so I would have turned this into a two day hike. I would have driven to the parking area near the junction of the Miles Notch Trail and Haystack Notch Trail, and stashed my tent, sleeping pad, and quilt there. I would have started in the same spot, then hiked to my stashed gear and setup camp for the evening in the opening of the logged off area (water was nearby). I could have hiked slower in the warm temps and taken more breaks. Then the next morning, I would have hiked out through Haystack Notch with all of my gear and done the walk back up the road to my truck. Carrying the extra gear through the second day wouldn't have been too bad with rested legs and would have saved me the time of needing to drive back to the parking area near where I would have spent the night.

Google Earth represetation of the hike (clockwise loop)

Google Earth represetation of the hike (clockwise loop... with elevation profile)

For all the pictures from the hike, just go HERE

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Mt. Cube (2,909 ft) 6-15-25

Distance: 7.94 mi.
Elevation: 1,603 ft (overall) 2,408 ft (total)
Time: (with a 5 and 11 year old setting the pace) 0:57 (Ledges) 3:39 (Summit) 5:24 (Shelter) 6:54 (Total)
Trails: Quinttown Road, Kodak Trail, Hexacuba Shelter Spur Path

This hike was a family hike with my wife and daughters so that we could all work on our 52 with a view list and I could add in some redlining as well. We parked at the gate on Quinttown Road, and then walked passed it up the road until the Appalachian Trail (AT) crosses it. At this intersection, the trail to the left up Mt. Cube is the Kodak Trail, and it leads all the way up to the summit. To the right, you would be able to go up the J Trail to Smarts Mountain.

Easy walking past the gate before the Kodak Trail (AT)

Start of the Kodak Trail from the road

Being part of the AT, the trail is very easy to follow, and starts off without much difficulty. There are a couple sections though as you climb to the Eastman Ledges where there are a number of rocks or roots to hike over than can make footing tricky. It took us a little under an hour to reach the ledges, which provide a nice view over to Smarts Mountain and out over the valley. If you wanted a short, but rewarding hike, this would be a good destination on its own.

View from Eastman Ledges

After passing the ledges, the trail continues uphill and works it way by some interesting rocky cliffs before coming to a height of land shortly after them. The trail then goes back downhill for a little bit without losing too much elevation. At the low point of this section, there is what was the biggest brook crossing of the route. But thanks to some well placed rocks, this small brook is easy to get over without getting your feet wet. The only other noteable brook of the day comes just after the Hexacuba Shelter Spur Path, which is even smaller, just not on as flat of a section of the mountain.

Biggest brook crossing of the day

Climbing up away from the brook, the trail stays at a good pace without any steep or overly difficult sections. After a little while, the trail starts to follow around the contour of the mountain more than going straight up it, making for a nice sidehill section. Through here you will start to see more random rocks in the trees next to the trail before the trail makes a right hand turn and heads up over a number of these rocks to avoid a steep section of the mountain on your left. After this climb, the trail is a mix of gentle sections with some short climbs in between. As you get closer to the summit, the trail opens up a little more and crosses over more exposed rock and not just dirt. The summit of the mountain has a nice open area with lots of places for people to spread out and rest. It is also right where the Cross Rivendell Trail meets up with the AT at a signed junction that will let you know you are there before you pass over it on the gentle section of trail.

The trail opening up before the summit

Nice open area at the summit

View to the south (including Smarts Mountain)

View to the west

My wife and daughters at the summit

For the descent back down the mountain, my youngest daughter took the lead with me while my oldest daughter hung back with my wife. After a nice rest and lunch, the good footing of the trail meant she was able to set a good pace and I actually had to slow her down a few times so we could all stay together.

My youngest leading the way on the descent

Muddy section of trail

Coming down a rocky section

On our way down we planned to stop and make our way up the spur path to the Hexacuba Shelter so that the kids could see what a shelter along the AT looks like, and also see one that is a six sided shape instead of just the traditional square/rectangle. This spur path would also count towards my redlining, so I didn't want to miss the chance to knock if off while in the area. The girls were moving a little slow climbing up the trail to the shelter after coming downhill for a while, but we made it pretty quickly and they enjoyed being able to check out the shelter and talk to the one thru hiker that was already there for the evening.

Hexacuba Shelter

The rest of the hike back down went very smoothly. After making our way back to Quinttown Road, we took our time hiking the rest of the way back to the vehicle so that we could check out all of the lupine that were growing on the side of the road. The girls loved trying to find the prettiest flowers and see all of the different colors and patterns that were on them. This made for a nice wind down from the hike as we got back to the vehicle and changed into more comfortable footwear/clothes for the drive back home.

Lupine back along Quintown Road

Google Earth representation of the hike

For all the pictures from the hike, just go HERE

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Moose Mountain Redlining 5-25-25

Distance: 9.96 mi.
Elevation: 1,354 ft (overall) 2,587 ft (total)
Time: 2:03 (Three Mile Rd) 3:19 (South Peak) 3:42 (Shelter) 4:18 (South Peak) 5:05 (Total)
Trails: Hanover Center Trail, Moose Mountain Trail, Fred Harris Trail, Nat Thompson Trail, Moose Mountain Shelter Loop

Another day of redlining in the Hanover area, starting where I left off with my last hike. To eliminate needing to rehike almost all of the route to get back to my truck, I made use of my bike to peddle my way from one parking area to another to start the hike. I parked in the small pull-off on Three Mile Road where the Hanover Center Trail and Moose Mountain Trail meet. From there, I rode my bike down Three Mile Rd to Ruddsboro Road. I then went right until Etna Road, where I quickly hit Partridge Road to save some distance and elevation over to Trescott Road. From there it is a short ride to the trailhead, where I locked my bike up off in the trees.

The early sections of today's hike were very gentle with no big ups or downs along the way. The trail passed through varied different sections of forest that were all lush and green with the newly opened leaves on the trees and plants. This part of the hike was very enjoyable and almost seemed like it was over too quick, as I was soon coming to the road crossing of Etna Road.

Hanover Center Trail following a stone wall

A sea of green

Bridge crossing just before Etna Road

After crossing Etna Road, the trail suddenly enters into a section of softwoods which seemed to have a thick enough canopy that it blocked some of the light and made the trail darker. After a little while, it ended just as quick as it started with a sudden transition back to hardwoods. After entering back into the hardwoods, the trail soon comes to an old field that appears to be growing back in with trees and plants. The trail through here started quite muddy, and there wasn't much way around it without getting wet from the grass next to the trail. I did my best and was glad things dried out some, but not completely, as the trail got higher into the field. After this, the trail was a bit more of a mix of softwoods and hardwoods, with it being more in the hardwoods with lots of green leaves all around. Soon enough, I was at my truck where I adjusted my footwear before crossing the road the head up Moose Mountain.

Going through a darker section of forest

This field was muddy, but also nice

I started up the Moose Mountain Trail, which has a little bit of ups and downs through here before it drops to a bridged stream crossing. Not far up the trail from here, the Fred Harris Trail crosses the AT. For redlining, you need to take a left here and take it to the Nat Thompson Trail, where you turn right and go past the Dartmouth Class of 66 Lodge. The lodge was a good place for a short break and some pictures. It seemed like it might start raining here, but it didn't really materialize.

Bridged stream crossing

Dartmouth College's Class of 66 Lodge

The Nat Thompson Trail goes past the left side of the lodge and starts climbing up what appears to be an old woods road. The steepest section of this trail is early on, and soon enough it levels out some (but not completely) while still following the woods road through a few small muddy sections. Eventually, the trail becomes just a path in the woods and brings you up to the Moose Mountain Trail (AT), just before actually reaching the south peak.

Before going to the south peak, I wanted to head out to the Moose Mountain Shelter, and Loop Trail. It was just starting to rain lightly, and I figured the view would be better after the rain stopped and the clouds could go away some. The trail drops in elevation to the crossing of an old section of Wolfeboro Road. It then gains elevation slowly before reaching the southern junction of the Moose Mountain Shelter Loop. I hung out at the shelter for a little while enjoying the small view and having some lunch.

The AT heading away from the south peak summit area

Moose Mountain Shelter

View from the shelter

When leaving the shelter, I continued up to the northern end of the loop before heading back towards the south peak using the Moose Mountain Trail (AT). I did this so that I would know for sure where I needed to stop when I come in from the other direction to redline the rest of the Moose Mountain Trail. From here, I kept things at a casual pace to get back up to the south summit. I had plenty of time and didn't feel like rushing though a nice section of forest. Once I reached the south peak, I took another long break to enjoy the view and take some pictures. I wanted to try and find some of the plane wreckage from a crash that happened here years ago. I wasn't able to find enough info before this hike to narrow down how close to the actual summit the crash happened, but there are a few small pieces of the plane that can be found scattered around.

Moose Mountain South Peak summit view

The descent back down the mountain was pretty straight forward with the trail having just a bit a mud in places high up, and some rocks along the way, which should be expected being the AT and how much traffic that sees. The trail gets a little steeper as it gets lower down, and it also kind of follows along in a sidehill manor for a bit. But, soon enough, I was back at the Fred Harris Trail, where I then retraced my steps back to my truck. Before putting on dry clothes and shoes, I drove over to the parking lot and picked up my bike from where I stashed it in the woods. Then I changed into dry clothes and went looking for some lunch on the drive back home.

Heading back down the Moose Mountain Trail (AT)

Google Earth representation of the hike

Today's hike was a very nice walk in the woods through some beautiful areas of trail. Nothing was overly hard, and while there wasn't much for views, even at the summit, it was an enjoyable day and I was glad to check off some more miles and trails for redlining.

For all the pictures from the hike, just go HERE

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Hanover, NH Redlining 4-19-25

SECTION 1

Distance: 1.74 mi.
Elevation: 518 ft (overall) 595 ft (total)
Time: 0:21 (AT) 0:37 (Trescott Spur) 1:04 (Total)
Trails: Oli's Eagle Trail, Velvet Rocks Trail

For today's hike, my plan was to redline all of the trails needed in the area surrounded by Route 120, East Wheelock Street, Trescott Road, Etna Road, and Greensboro Road. I am sure I could have done this from just one parking spot, but for something different and to break up the multiple out and backs, I decided to park in 3 different areas to do this, thus turning it into three sections of hiking. It probably didn't significantly change the mileage or elevation, but I went with the idea anyways. I picked this area to hike today because I hadn't been out at all in a while and I wanted something closer to home, and low enough in elevation to have no snow or much mud. Also, I spent a while going over maps and making notes last fall of where each trail from this area until the whites was on maps, and I wanted to take advantage of that effort.

The first section of hiking was the Oli's Eagle Trail that can be found off of Velvet Rocks Drive, with a small parking area and trail kiosk. This was a short trail that went through some varied terrain, but never got difficult. In order to eliminate some elevation gain later in the day, I also hiked south on the Velvet Rocks Trail to the height of land and junction with Trescott Spur. After reaching that, I headed back down retracing my steps. This simple out and back was a good way to get warmed up for the day and check off a full trail early.

Early section of Oli's Eagle Trail

Velvet Rocks Trail (AT)

Trescott Spur, where I turned around

Google Earth representation of section 1

SECTION 2

Distance: 5.18 mi.
Elevation: 396 ft (overall) 1,472 ft (total)
Time: 0:20 (AT) 1:00 (Shelter) 1:38 (Hanover) 2:53 (Trescott Spur) 3:08 (Trescott Rd)
Trails: Ledyard Link Trail, Velvet Rocks Shelter Loop Trail, East Wheelock St. Spur, Ledyard Spring Spur, Velvet Rocks Trail, Trescott Spur

This section was the longest and most wandering section of today's hiking. I parked in the small dirt lot at the intersection of East Wheelock Street, Trescott Road, and Grasse Road. Across the road from the parking area is the start of the Ledyard Link Trail, which is where I started for this chunk of hiking. I followed this gentle climb up to the spring (water for AT hikers) and then up to the Velvet Rocks Trail, where the northern end of the Velvet Rocks Shelter Loop meets it.

Ledyard Spring

Rocky cliff next to the trail

From the junction, I headed up the steep section of the Velvet Rocks Shelter Loop, trying to get the climbing done with earlier with fresher legs. After the steep climb up the small ridge, I then hung a right and headed back downhill along the East Wheelock Street Spur. While going down, I also did that out and back over to the spring I passed on the way up, just to make sure I got that trail as well. Once I hit East Wheelock Street, I turned right back around and headed back uphill to the shelter loop trail.

Back up near the top of the hill, I kept straight along the Velvet Rocks Shelter Loop past the one limited view of the day. After this, the trail goes gradually downhill, eventually passing the Adirondack style shelter. After some pictures at the shelter, I kept heading down to the lower junction with the Velvet Rocks Trail. Now it was time for another out and back, this time all the way down to downtown Hanover, where the trail comes up next to one of Dartmouth College's fields, and the back of a gas station. There were a couple rocky spots, but nothing overly steep or difficult. I took a break at a picnic table behind the gas station to readjust my shoes and get the debris that had gotten into them back out.

View from the shelter loop

Velvet Rocks Shelter

Heading down towards downtown Hanover

After my break, I headed back along the edge of the sports field and back into the woods. There was a bit of mud where the trail enters back into the trees, but some pieces of wood have been put down to help you keep your feet dry. It was a straight forward hike back up to the lower junction with the shelter loop trail since I already had been through here. Once at the junction, I headed right to stay on the Velvet Rocks Trail, avoiding the little bit of extra climbing of the loop trail. It didn't take too long to get back to the upper junction with the loop trail, where I then had to do more climbing to get up to where I had stopped during my first section of the day. This section of trail was a bit more like what you would find in the whites with some actual elevation gain, but still nothing too steep. It also went through some nice areas of forest, and I heard an owl making noise during the middle of the day.

Trail heading into the woods after following the edge of the sports field

On the climb to the Trescott Spur

Once reaching the highpoint of the trail where I left off earlier, I turned left to go down the Trescott Spur. The White Mountain Guide book mentions the trail sign possibly missing here, but it has been replaced. The sign is easier to notice coming from the north though, based on where it is hung and which direction it is facing. The upper section of this trail has lots of thick moss on either side, which signs tell hikers to try and stay off of. At the bottom of it, it goes through a section of trees that look like they had lots of wind damage at one point and had to be cleaned up. From the bottom of this trail, it was a short road walk back to my truck, but I planned it so that it was all downhill, and I took the time to have a snack while walking.

Coming down the mossy Trescott Spur

Google Earth representation of section 2

SECTION 3

Distance: 3.54 mi.
Elevation: 182 ft (overall) 570 ft (total)
Time: 0:56 (Oli's Eagle Trail) 1:58 (Total)
Trails: Velvet Rocks Trail

The last section of the day was an out and back along the Velvet Rocks Trail (AT) from a parking lot on Trescott Road. I didn't take as many pictures as normal through here as it was off and on light rain, and I only had to go as far as where the Oli's Eagle Trail junction that I hiked through in my first section of the day. The trail starts with a slight uphill, before heading downhill through some muddy and wet sections of trail. I had to pay attention more through here to keep my feet dry. Eventually, the trail gets to the low spot near a bog/swamp that has a bridge leading over the edge of it. While the bridge isn't exactly straight or level, it did seem plenty sturdy for hikers to be using.

Nice walking through a small switchback between large rocky areas

From the bog/swamp, the trail heads gradually uphill through some areas with interesting large rocks on either side of the trail. I was surprised today by some of these features, and also the signs of people using them from rock climbing. In fact, in this area there were two climbers packing up when I first hiked through. The hiking up to the junction I was at earlier today went smoothly and without any steep or rocky areas. Being the AT, it was very easy to follow, and I got lucky by seeing 2 deer just before I reached where I needed to turn around.

One the way back out, the rain seemed to have stopped, although it never rained hard enough for me to want a rain coat on. I also rain into an old co-worker from when I use to work back in this area. The only "hard" part of the walk back to my truck was the wet/muddy spots on the trail again. But being near the end of my hiking for the day, I wouldn't have had to worry much about getting my feet wet since I always have a spare change of clothes and shoes in my truck.

The bridge on the way back out

Google Earth representation of section 3

OVERALL

Distance: 10.46 mi.
Elevation: 1,096 ft (overall) 2,637 ft (total)
Time: 6:10

It was nice to get this spaghetti bowl of trails done all in one day so that I wouldn't have to come back again for just a small section of them. Some of the sections of trail were a little lack luster, but all in all it was an enjoyable day spent in the woods. now I can keep working my way closer to the whites from here.

Google Earth representation of the hike

Orange: Section 1, Red: Section 2, Yellow: Section 3

For all the pictures from the hike, just go HERE

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