Mt. Jackson (4,052 ft) 9-13-25

Distance: 8.05 mi.
Elevation: 2,136 ft (overall) 2,592 ft (total)
Time: (with an 11 year old setting the pace) 2:36 (Mizpah Hut) 3:56 (Summit) 6:28 (Total)
Trails: Crawford Path, Mizpah Cut-Off, Webster Cliff Trail, Webster-Jackson Trail

This year for Flags on the 48 our group picked Mt. Jackson, largely so that a couple of the people that planned on hiking with us could have a shorter hike to participate with. In the end, their plans changed last minute, but we still went along as planned and had an enjoyable day. My youngest daughter and wife were going to join my oldest daughter and I this year as well, but my youngest changed her mind a couple days before the event (as a 7 year old will do). Because my oldest daughter has already done Mt. Jackson on her 4000 footer list (it was her first), this would be her first repeat hike of a 4K. Today we would be doing a different loop than the first time, so that was good to make the hike a little different.

Most of our group parked in the lot on Mt. Clinton Road, with a few team members parking along route 302 so they could come up the shorter way and meet us at the summit. Most of our group was going up the Crawford Path, then using the Mizpah Cut-Off so that we could make a quite side treck to the Mizpah Hut. From there we would take the Webster Cliff Trail to the summit. this allowed for a less steep route and better footing. On the way down, we all went the shortest way and headed down the Webster-Jackson Trail down to route 302. We then either walked back to our cars or got rides from other members in our group.

My daughter Liliana and I got on the trail a little bit ahead of the rest of our group. At 11 years old, she is still a bit of a slower hiker, and we wanted to make sure she could help setup the pole and raise the flag at the summit. I took the flagpole early on and hiked with it on my shoulder for a good distance up the mountain. After a while though, another hiker offered to carry the pole for us for a while. This hiker was actually part of the team going up Mt. Pierce, and his effort was greatly appreciated. We caught back up with him and his team at the junction with the Mixpah Cut-Off, where we asked him to leave the pole anyways if he still had it at that point. By the time Liliana and I had gotten to the junction, some of our group had caught up to us, and we all took a break and talked with the other groups at the junction as well.

Taking a break after carrying the pole for a while

More of our group and another group at the junction

On our way up the Mizpah Cut-Off to the Webster Cliff Trail, more of our group caught up to us and we had a good number of people by the time we got to the hut for a short break and a little rest. When we left the hut, Liliana wanted to try taking the flag pole for a little while. She picked it up and put it on her shoulder, but decided it was a little heavy and a lot awkward for her. The pole does take some getting use to and you need to get it in the right position for it to be comfortable. So with Liliana saying it wasn't for her, our group leader Jim took the pole and was able to carry it the rest of the way to the summit. Liliana and I did well to stay right behind Jim until just before the summit, where Liliana started to slow down a bit.

Mizpah Hut for a short break

Liliana testing out if she can carry the pole

On the bog bridges shortly before the summit

We were all at the summit with plenty of time to spare before we needed to setup. And once the rest of the group came up from the Webster-Jackson Trail, we started putting everything up. We enlisted the help of any of the younger hikers to hold the flag or help raise it up the pole. The only problem we had today was getting the rocks we put around the base of the pole to stay where we put them and keep the pole from tipping over.

A young group member holding the flag

Liliana helping to raise the flag

After the flag was up, we did our normal moment of silence, pledge of allegiance, and other short speeches about the day and thanking everyone for coming/helping. Unfortunately there wasn't a lot of wind today, so the flag wasn't blowing around that much. The weather was nice though and there were lots of friendly hikers on the mountain today. My daughter was also thrilled with how many dogs were out as well.

Kevin leading us in the Pledge of Allegiance

Partial group photo

Larger group photo, with most of our core group members

The view north from the summit

The view south from the summit

Liliana next to the flag

After our normal 2 hours of flying the flag, we took down the setup and returned the rocks back to where we found them. For the descent, all of our group headed down the Webster-Jackson Trail down to route 302. It is steep and slow going at the start, especially while carrying the flag pole, we everyone was able to get through the hard parts without and real issues. With everyone hiking their own pace, most of us got a little spread out along the trail, periodically running into each other depending out who was taking a break. The hike down went smoothly for everyone, and after a ride back to our truck from Brian, Liliana and I joined some of our team for dinner at the Woodstock Inn before we headed home. This was my daughter's 3rd year participaing in Flags on the 48, and she is already looking forward to next year's event. Hopefully we can find a way to get my other daughter to want to come so that her and my wife can participate as well.

Folding the flag up

Descending the steep upper sections of the trail

Google Earth representation of the hike

For all the pictures from the hike, just go HERE

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Random Redlining 8-24-25

SECTION 1

Distance: 3.98 mi.
Elevation: 393 ft (overall) 551 ft (total)
Time: 0:47 (Peaked Hill Pond) 1:24 (Total)
Trails: Peaked Hill Pond Trail

Today I had to meet my parents in the white mountains area to get one of our daughters back from an extended visit with them. So since I had to head to the mountains anyways, I got an early start and did some redlining hikes that were short out and back, or loop hikes, that didn't really link with anything else. I had a number of them planned out, so that I could keep hiking until the time of day I was meeting my family. That way I could fit in as many short sections as possible.

The first hike that I did was the Peaked Hill Pond Trail that leads up to Peaked Hill Pond. This out and back is on the southern end of the whites in Thorton, so it made for a good start of the day being the closest to home. The parking for this hike is on the side of a dirt road, shortly before the actual end of it, and can be accessed from route 3. While this is a hiking trail, it is mostly following an old woods access road that is also used as a snowmobile trail in winter. For the most part, it is very wide, smooth, and easy to follow. It only gets narrow when you take the trail off to the side of the road that actually leads down to the pond.

The trail starts at the end of the road, shortly after the wider parking area, where there is a gate across the road. The trail heads left and uphill after the gate, where it follows the right side of a washed out section of the road. Just before halfway up the trail, there is a split where a sign shows the trail going right on a path that is narrower than the road has been. This is the actual trail, but if you were to go left, you would still end up in the same place as it is just the road going out into an opening in the trees before linking back with the trail shortly after. I used the trail on the way up, and the road on the way down, and it doesn't make any real difference in distance or time. The tall grass on the road section would be more likely to have ticks in the summer though, so it might be smarter to stick with the trail.

The trail conitnues to follow the road as it goes slightly uphill as it gets closer to the pond. The guide book mentions that the trail goes through two openings before it splits off to the side and goes down to the shoreline. The first of those openings is only about the size of a normal house footprint, while the second one is about the size of the yard that would be around the house. I was expecting the first one to be bigger, and pretty much went through it without realizing that was what the description was talking about. After these openings, the trail takes a right hand turn where there is a sign indicating so. It gets narrower like a normal trail would in the whites, and quickly leads down to the shoreline of the pond after it bears to the right some. This pond was a very pleasant spot, and would warrent another visit in the future. It could be very relaxing here and would make for a nice destination when you don't have a full day available to hike. For the hike back out, I just followed the same route in reverse back to my truck.

The trail starting left up the hill

The trail goes right here, but the left will work too

Coming into the second opening

The trail heading right, down to the pond

Peaked Hill Pond

Easy walking back down to my truck

Google Earth representation of section 1

SECTION 2

Distance: 1.85 mi.
Elevation: 0 ft (overall) 266 ft (total)
Time: 0:18 (Ammonoosuc Lake View) 0:35 (Red Bench) 0:56 (Total)
Trails: Stewardship Trail, Around-the-Lake Trail, Red Bench Trail

My second section of trails today would be starting from the Highland Center at the top of Crawford Notch. After parking on the side of 302 with all the other hikers of the day, I worked my way over the Higland Center parking lot and started working around the right to get to the start of the Stweardship Trail. This short little trail starts just down to the side of the entry road near the entrance for the front desk of the building, where there is a large sign. It drops down into the trees quickly, but then turns left and stays mostly flat until it connects back up with the Around-the-Lake Trail. It really is just a short quick section of trail that would be good for young kids staying at the Highland Center.

I took a right at the intersection down the wide and smooth Around-the-Lake Trail. At the split in the trail where it goes both ways around the pond, I took a right. The dam at the outlet of the pond has seen better days and has collapsed some, which includes the footbridge over it. When I was here, the trail over the dam was closed and marked as such with a sign that let you know a loop could not be completed. Other hikers can make their own choices, but I decided to hike over the dam carefully myself, rather than loop around to the other side of the dam. It required some careful footing, so keep that in mind if you are there while it is still damaged and you are deciding to go over or not.

After the dam, the trail goes through a pleasant section of woods just up the embankment from the shore of the pond. Before reaching the other end of the pond, there is a short path that leads down to the shoreline where you can get up close to the water. There is a bit of a view here over towards Mt. Jackson and Mt. Webster. After getting back up to the main trail, I continued along until the start of the Red Bench Trail. This trail was the roughest of the 3 in this section, but still not hard. It does have a short climb up to the railroad tracks though. Make sure to be careful when crossing the tracks and always looking for anything coming. And if it is, make sure the stay back a safe distance. After crossing the tracks, it is a pretty short distance to the end of the trail where there is a red bench (who would have guessed from the trail name) that overlooks a small opening in the trees where you can see a short section of the railroad tracks. I'll be honest in that the bench isn't super comfortable, is a bit high (partially due to dirt being worn away under it), and doesn't really have a view. This trail gives the feeling of someone who likes trains wanted a place a bit out of the way to try and watch them go by. I wouldn't come back out here unless I was with someone who really wanted to.

After a couple quick pictures, I turned around and headed back to the pond and the rest of the Around-the-Lake Trail. The trail continues along the steep embankment that leads from the train tracks down to the shore of the pond. There is a small reforestation area near that pond that is signed to keep people out and from using the paths to the edge of the water (the trail will get you to the shore just fine without using these paths) so that the plants can have a chance to grow back. After getting back to the split in the trail, it was again easy walking on the wide path that leads back to an area of the Highland Center's driveway that appears to only see use from maintenance vehicles. While there are signs, this end of the trail might take a bit of looking to find if you aren't familiar with it.

Start of the Stewardship Trail

Hiking the Stewardship Trail

The wide flat Around-the-Lake Trail

Ammonoosuc Lake from the dam at the outlet

The broken dam at the outlet of Ammonoosuc Lake

A nice section of trail above the lake

View from the shore of Ammonoosuc Lake

The Red Bench

The view from the red bench

Angled bridge along the Red Bench Trail

Where the Around-the-Lake Trail comes out of the woods (or goes into depending on direction)

Google Earth representation of section 2

SECTION 3

Distance: 0.57 mi.
Elevation: 0 ft (overall) 14 ft (total)
Time: 0:07 (Pond) 0:18 (Total)
Trails: Wildlife Pond Path

The last section that I would have time for today was the Wildlife Pond Path that can be found off of Zealand Road, almost exactly across from the trail parking for the Sugarloafs. The hardest part of this hike, was actually figuring out where this path goes into the woods. It starts at a gate across from the parking area that has a small wooden sign next to it that says "Wildlife Pond".

To start this hike, you follow the road past the gate until you see a wooden sign that says "Wildlife Pond" where a path heads off to the right of the road. There were some tall ferns to walk through here with a noticeable, but thin path leading past them. The trail follows an obvious path after that, but the brush on the sides is a bit close at times, making it narrower. Closer to the pond where the ground gets more muddy and wet, there are bog bridges to follow. A couple of these were a bit loose, and the plants are encroaching on them from the sides. Near the end of the bog bridges, the tree branches were really closing in on the trail and you had to push your way through them. If this trail is to stay open, it needs some brushing done so that people can actually follow it and use it.

Once you push through the bushes, you are at the end of the path with the water on your right. The water isn't actually a pond, but a setback side path of the river that works out into the trees. There is a decent view of Middle Sugarloaf from the area along the side of the water. While I didn't actually see any wildlife on this path, there were signs of it. I saw both deer and moose tracks, and also some scat from other smaller animals. To get back to the truck, it was just following the same route back after pushing through the branches to get onto the bog bridges.

Gated road on Zealand Road where the trail starts

Trail sign at the gate

Where the trail turns right off of the gated road

Easy to follow, but narrow in spots

Plants encroaching on the boardwalk

View from the edge of the water

I needed to push through some branches today on this path

Moose and deer tracks in the mud next to the path

Google Earth representation of section 2

OVERALL

Distance: 6.4 mi.
Elevation: 393 ft (overall) 831 ft (total)
Time: 2:38

It was nice to get some of these shorter sections of trail done so that I wouldn't have to make a trip later just to do them. And since I was driving to the mountains anyways, it was good to save a trip as well since it can take me 2 hours to start to get into the heart of the white mountains from my house.

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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