Views From The Top - Forums - Trip Reports http://www.vftt.org/forums/ - this is for detailed trip reports that are longer than trail conditions en Wed, 22 May 2013 17:33:36 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.vftt.org/forums/images/misc/rss.png Views From The Top - Forums - Trip Reports http://www.vftt.org/forums/ The Doubleheads in Jackson, NH 05-20-13 via looping Ski / Old and New Paths http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?49118-The-Doubleheads-in-Jackson-NH-05-20-13-via-looping-Ski-Old-and-New-Paths&goto=newpost Wed, 22 May 2013 12:04:41 GMT Hi Everyone, My buddy, Alex, and I headed up to Jackson this past Monday to tackle the Doubleheads. I had heard they were steep, but really had not expected them to be as steep as they were. It was a tough hike in my opinion! Below is a link to my full trip report and pictures. Below are also... Hi Everyone,

My buddy, Alex, and I headed up to Jackson this past Monday to tackle the Doubleheads. I had heard they were steep, but really had not expected them to be as steep as they were. It was a tough hike in my opinion! Below is a link to my full trip report and pictures. Below are also some of my favorite pictures if you don't feel like heading over to the blog.

http://www.livefreeandhikenh.blogspo...od-friend.html


Hobblebush in full bloom. Someone told me or I read somewhere that the big flowers are merely there to attract bees to the small ones for pollination and that they were pretty much decoys. Very cool.


Purple Trillium


Toad!


Hobblebush Leaves


Purple Trillium


Doublehead Ski Cabin on North Doublehead


Fog rolling through the valley very quickly


Pine cones


Confusing directions!


Moats and Cathedral Ledge


Carter Notch


Poor trail conditions of the New Path. I was very disappointed as it was not maintained well at all and was not clearly marked. I fell, hurting myself, while searching for the trail on a few occasions.

Thanks ]]> Trip Reports ksearl http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?49118-The-Doubleheads-in-Jackson-NH-05-20-13-via-looping-Ski-Old-and-New-Paths 3 days weekend http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?49117-3-days-weekend&goto=newpost Wed, 22 May 2013 08:44:26 GMT 3 days Weekend : may 17-18-19 Black flies, black bear, ticks, sun, beautiful scenery and fun. *Smarts Mountain* https://picasaweb.google.com/100990495334571118467/SmartsMountainNH17Mai2013#slideshow/5880200933248621186 Image:... 3 days Weekend : may 17-18-19
Black flies, black bear, ticks, sun, beautiful scenery and fun.

Smarts Mountain
https://picasaweb.google.com/1009904...00933248621186



SquareLedge, Hibbard Mountain, Mount Wonalancet
https://picasaweb.google.com/1009904...27934757439442



MountCardigan
https://picasaweb.google.com/1009904...78417404863618

]]> Trip Reports yvon http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?49117-3-days-weekend Barren Mountain Maine (AT 100 Mile Wilderness) http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?49112-Barren-Mountain-Maine-(AT-100-Mile-Wilderness)&goto=newpost Tue, 21 May 2013 11:07:08 GMT The weather wasn't clear as forecasted as planned until after we got back to the car. The clouds did provide some good undercast view from the summit though. The black flies are just starting in the Maine mountains. The trail was for the most part dry with the exception of area that are always soft in this area. No snow lingering anymore, not even the sheltered dark north side of the ridge which tends to have lingering pockets fairly late on Barren. I have a more thorough report and pictures at my blog. Nice to get into this area at least before the black fliles take over the next few weeks.

http://tomcatoutdoors.blogspot.com/2...tain-hike.html ]]> Trip Reports tomcat32 http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?49112-Barren-Mountain-Maine-(AT-100-Mile-Wilderness) Backpacking on Tumbledown Mountain, Maine, 5/18-5/19 http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?49109-Backpacking-on-Tumbledown-Mountain-Maine-5-18-5-19&goto=newpost Tue, 21 May 2013 00:59:33 GMT A few shots from last weekend's backpacking trip to Tumbledown Mountain, Maine.























Thanks to Carmen A, Andi B, Atticus F, Ron L, Fran M and Susan W.

Full gallery ]]> Trip Reports blaze http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?49109-Backpacking-on-Tumbledown-Mountain-Maine-5-18-5-19 <![CDATA[Loopin' The Southern Presidentials From C-Notch, 5/18/2013]]> http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?49107-Loopin-The-Southern-Presidentials-From-C-Notch-5-18-2013&goto=newpost Mon, 20 May 2013 22:29:25 GMT *May 18, 2013:* Loopin’ the Southern Presidentials From C-Notch (Monroe to Jackson) *Trails:* Crawford Path, Monroe Loop Trail, Eisenhower Loop Trail, Webster Cliff Trail, Webster-Jackson Trail *Summits:* Monroe, Eisenhower, Pierce, and Jackson *Hikers:* Trail Trotter (Sue) and me May 18, 2013: Loopin’ the Southern Presidentials From C-Notch (Monroe to Jackson)

Trails: Crawford Path, Monroe Loop Trail, Eisenhower Loop Trail, Webster Cliff Trail, Webster-Jackson Trail

Summits: Monroe, Eisenhower, Pierce, and Jackson

Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue) and me



This is another hike I’ve been thinking about for a while. Several times, we’ve traversed these peaks from Base Road to Crawford Notch. It requires two vehicles or car-spot help. My interest was to see how looping these peaks from Crawford Notch would work out.

Bad News: this approach has more miles and more elevation.

Good News: this approach has more miles and more elevation, and there’s more time above the treeline to really enjoy the place.

We met early and headed north. Our plan was to be on-trail early. A little later than planned we started up Crawford Path headed for Monroe. The lower part of Crawford Path is generally clear and dry. We didn’t start to run into snow and ice until the area of Mizpah Cutoff. From the junction to the treeline we had snow, ice, monorail, and some mud to get past. None of it was a real problem. We managed to bare boot our way to the treeline, and beyond.

Between the junction with Webster Cliff Trail and the south end of Eisenhower Loop, there were quite a few sections of clear and dry ground; there were also quite a few areas of snow, ice, standing water, and mud. That’s spring hiking; take what you get and make the most of it. We didn’t have any trouble along the way with any of it. At the Eisenhower Loop we stayed right, followed Crawford Path around Eisenhower, and continued working our way to Monroe. We would get Eisenhower after we made the u-turn to head back south. As we passed along the eastern slope of Eisenhower there were a few places that were pretty icy but with a little extra caution we made our way through all of it without a problem.

Once we reached the junction with Edmands Path we were out of the snow and ice for the remainder of the way to Monroe. The trail was clear and dry. At the south end of Monroe Loop we made the turn and climbed to the top of Little Monroe before actually heading for the target. We decided to bypass it on our exit. The section of trail approaching the area of Monroe is the southern end of the endless rock-hopping that continues north through Madison. We were no longer hiking a relatively tame pathway but instead were going rock-to-rock in order to reach the summit of Monroe. The surface of the rocks is pretty rough and provides great traction; it also really tears into skin if you’re not careful. We were careful. Soon after making the turn onto Monroe Loop Trail we were standing on the summit enjoying the terrific views Monroe offers. We got our usual summit pictures, a few view shots, and made the u-turn for Eisenhower.

We made our way down from the summit of Monroe, re-joined Crawford Path, and followed it to the north junction with Eisenhower Loop Trail. I really enjoy ascending Eisenhower from the north. The trail goes through a few switchbacks and in no time at all with little effort you’re above the steep part of the climb and headed to the summit. As we approached the summit of Eisenhower we could see it was a very crowded place. We managed to find an opening in the summit crowd to get a couple pictures at the cairn. We also bumped into Linda with her canine companion. They were making a u-turn and heading south from Eisenhower. The people kept arriving from the south and north. We needed to put a few miles between us and Eisenhower and all took off together headed to Pierce.

Once back on Crawford Path we were hiking a section of trail we had covered earlier in the day. We knew about the hazards along the way and simply cruised through all of it. At the junction with Webster Cliff Trail Sue and I made the turn and kept hiking to the summit of Pierce. Linda stopped at the junction for a quick break. Pierce wasn’t nearly as crowded as Eisenhower but people were there when we arrived. We stayed long enough to get a few pictures. By the time we finished with the pictures, Linda arrived to the summit. We said our goodbyes and continued on our way; Sue and I were on our way to Jackson and Linda was on her exit hike.

As soon as we moved back below the treeline we were also back in snow and ice on the trail. The conditions remained easy to bare boot. Along the way we came to an area of snow that was soft and perfect; Sue dropped her pack and went to work. In a few minutes we had one of Sue’s snowy friends along side of the trail. It’s getting late but as long as there’s snow to be found there will be snowmen.

Soon after the snowman break we were passing over a section of open ledge above Mizpah Hut where we had a clear view to Jackson, our next target. We descended to Mizpah, made a quick stop and soon set off for our final stop of the day.

Prior to the hike, I was unable to find any reports of trail conditions describing the trail from Mizpah to Jackson. I knew how it has been in recent years and expected the worse conditions of the day to be in this section of the hike. I was right, but the trail wasn’t terrible. We watched our step and slowly made our way along to the area of the large bog and the string of bridges. By the time we reached that point the most difficult was behind us. From the bog to the summit there are areas of snow and ice but the hiking is better. The final climb to the summit was on bare ledge that was completely dry. The footing was great and the traction couldn’t have been better. Soon we were at the summit cairn for Jackson and we had the place to ourselves. There are definitely worse places to be on a sunny late afternoon. We took care of our usual summit pictures and were soon on our way. The only disappointing detail was the lack of gray jays – there was none on this visit.

From Jackson we’re on our exit hike. The Jackson Branch of the Webster-Jackson Trail would lead us back to Crawford Notch. The initial steep descent from the summit was on bare ledge and we had an easy time of it. Once back in the trees we needed to be more cautious due to the snow and ice. There were many sections that offered good traction due to all of the debris on the snow and ice. There were areas of wet ice that required a great amount of care. In one section the trail was very bad. Sue went with MICROSpikes and I decided to spend some time off-trail. Eventually, in a couple hundred yards, we were both bare booting the hike and it stayed that way to the trailhead. The really big blowdown that was between the trail split and summit has been removed. In fact, there were no blowdowns all day that I can recall.

The lower part of Webster-Jackson had the usual mud pits that were all relatively easy to get past. Not far from the trailhead we passed several hikers in a couple different groups and then we were out.

We started a little later than planned and finished a little earlier than expected. Hiking these four peaks from Crawford Notch isn’t a bad way to go. We made our usual quick stop at the Highland Center to change into dry clothes, retrieved a couple cold drinks from the cooler, and hit the highway south.



Pictures will follow.


:D ]]> Trip Reports BIGEarl http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?49107-Loopin-The-Southern-Presidentials-From-C-Notch-5-18-2013 Little Rocky, Mombaccus, and AHP - 5/18/13 http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?49104-Little-Rocky-Mombaccus-and-AHP-5-18-13&goto=newpost Mon, 20 May 2013 16:52:22 GMT On Saturday, I had the privilege to hike with Hermit. It had been several years since I had seen Ralph, and it was a pleasure to walk through the woods with someone as knowledgeable as he. We climbed Little Rocky 1 and Little Rocky 2 as Ralph calls them, both bumps of this hundred highest... On Saturday, I had the privilege to hike with Hermit. It had been several years since I had seen Ralph, and it was a pleasure to walk through the woods with someone as knowledgeable as he.

We climbed Little Rocky 1 and Little Rocky 2 as Ralph calls them, both bumps of this hundred highest peak. We then visited Mombaccus for sheets and giggles. From there, shortly after beginning our descent to the col with Ashokan High Point, Ralph soon found a faint herd-path that we used most of the way to the trail. Once on the trail, it was a hop, skip, and a jump to the summit of AHP.

After a quick lunch while taking in the views, we made our way over to the “Knob”, the little bump just east of AHP. This is an awesome little side-trip and well worth the effort. The summit is mostly open and covered in blueberry bushes, and there are very good views in many directions.

We then re-climbed Ashokan High Point, and then began our descent down the trail. Ralph showed me the Cessna plane wreck from the 60’s, and then we took the “Hermit Short-cut”. This short bushwhack to the south-west cuts off about a mile as the trail meanders to the south-east. A nice, hemlock forest complete with small waterfalls made this even more enjoyable.

Soon enough, we were back on the trail, and the rest of the descent back to the parking area went fairly quickly.

Ralph’s knowledge of the area is amazing, and he schooled me on the businesses and trades in the area as far back as the 1800’s. We found several old woods roads throughout the day, some were used for traditional logging, others for bark scraping, and others for harvesting young saplings used to make wooden barrels back in the day.

We were fortunate enough to see a bear cub in a tree, for which we gave a wide berth since we had no idea where the mama bear was! We saw tons of wildflowers including plenty of trillium, lots of deer, bear, and coyote scat, and at least a dozen fire rings, some of them very old, some newer. Some of them no where near a trail or even a herd-path.

The total elevation gain for the day was about 3700 feet, over about 10.5 miles. Thanks again Ralph, for a fun hike and a great day!

- PHOTOS - ]]> Trip Reports Rob S http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?49104-Little-Rocky-Mombaccus-and-AHP-5-18-13 The MiRacle in Damascsus ... http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?49100-The-MiRacle-in-Damascsus&goto=newpost Mon, 20 May 2013 14:40:07 GMT In the midst of a blissful four days traversing Appalachian Virginia, on and off trail, we found ourselves magically floating back and forth from 'tent city' to 'vendor city' and all points between. Much of what happened was indescribably delicious. But then Saturday afternoon tragedy and mayhem struck like a lightening bolt, for a while. While i was stuck in my four wheeler in a traffic jam out of all proportion to the venue, unbeknownst to me, a half mile away a new friend i had shared dinner in the woods with a hundred miles away two nights before, was rolling a car off thru-hikers run over by an out of control float car in the annual thru-hikers parade. Given the speed of the car, mass of humanity and several life-flight copters coming and going the new few hours, an unprecedented tragic disaster seemed like the only end in sight. A blanket of dread fell over the whole community. Yet, a loud roar and then cheers erupted late night at the bonfire/drum-circle/primitive dance area when it was announced that due to quick thinking, community of spirit and heroic efforts, a miracle had occurred and no one was killed or even seriously injured.

Long live the thru-hiker spirit!!! :D ]]> Trip Reports Gris http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?49100-The-MiRacle-in-Damascsus Mtn Monadnock and a little place called Pumpelly Cave!!!!! http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?49099-Mtn-Monadnock-and-a-little-place-called-Pumpelly-Cave!!!!!&goto=newpost Mon, 20 May 2013 14:35:55 GMT The ride up to Monadnock left us wondering if we would get any views as there was heavy fog. We parked on the road at the trailhead for the Pumpelly Trail. We had boots on the trail at 7:30. The trail starts out skirting along a residential area, before coming to what seemed like and old logging... The ride up to Monadnock left us wondering if we would get any views as there was heavy fog. We parked on the road at the trailhead for the Pumpelly Trail. We had boots on the trail at 7:30. The trail starts out skirting along a residential area, before coming to what seemed like and old logging road. The beginning of the trip was a peaceful walk through the woods, until you take that left turn off the road and the UP starts. When we started getting to the views, it was well worth it. The first thing we saw was an undercast off in the distance and as we got higher the views got better. There is a point where the trail starts to feel more like you are walking on a roller coaster with all the up and down. This trail will give you a workout. The whole trail itself was in fine shape and dry, just a little minor mud that was avoidable. As we got closer to the summit there were quite a few interesting rock formations. We arrived at the summit just before 10:30 and except for maybe 6 people the summit was empty. The views were great up there, the day cleared up very nicely. This was our first time on Monadnock, but we heard it is usually packed with people. The Pumpelly Trail is the longest and least used trail to get to the summit. Actually we have hiked some 4000 footers that seemed easier than this trail. To be fair though it is 9 miles round trip.
Our trip back down the mountain was a completely different experience. We found the Pumpelly Cave aka Megalithia. We did a lot of research and had to weed out the clues meant to be misleading just to get us to a huge area where the cave might be. In the end we just got lucky that's all I can say. I'm not going to say what trails we used to get us into the area, but once we started the bushwack it became very interesting. The woods did their best to deter us and getting across the edges of cliffs were not for the faint of heart, trust me. We explored the whole place and signed the logbook, then we ate lunch. Getting back to a trail proved just as interesting as getting to the cave. We came out with cuts and bruises, but we also came out knowing where one of Mtn Monadnock's biggest secrets is located.
After we got back to the trailhead, we headed to Elm City Brewing Co for a brew on the View and Brew list. Oh yeah as we were driving away from the mountain, the skies opened up and it starting pouring. Timing is everything along with luck. What a great day!
We did post a video of our days adventures on YouTube, as we are not picture people. The video taken at the cave is extremely limited and does not give any info as to it's location. There is extensive video about the cave, but it will never be posted, that's for our personal memories. A secret is a secret after all. :)
Link...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RzLanT7DeU ]]> Trip Reports WeRmudfun http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?49099-Mtn-Monadnock-and-a-little-place-called-Pumpelly-Cave!!!!! A Fine Morning on Mount Madison http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?49095-A-Fine-Morning-on-Mount-Madison&goto=newpost Mon, 20 May 2013 01:30:42 GMT Super light winds, comfortable temps, and clear skies were an invitation to spend the wee hours of this morning on Mount Madison's rocky slopes, watching the skies change from a starry night into a morning of beautiful fair weather clouds.
I took the good old Valley Way, which, be warned, still sports a good 1/4 mile or so of monorail above the tent platform sign. It's actually more of an side escalator-like looking affair at this point, with two foot grooves and many branches poking you in the face, really entertaining when totally frozen at 2:30 am. Looking forward to a great summer up high!



A short time lapse:

]]> Trip Reports Tim Seaver http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?49095-A-Fine-Morning-on-Mount-Madison Mt Garfield and Galehead Mtn http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?49091-Mt-Garfield-and-Galehead-Mtn&goto=newpost Sun, 19 May 2013 23:08:47 GMT Posted a blog about our trip. Did an overnight to Garfield Tentsite. Not as crowded as I anticipated. Great night to be out in the woods http://www.teamchacopak.com/2013/05/garflield-trail-frost-trail-gale-river.html Posted a blog about our trip. Did an overnight to Garfield Tentsite. Not as crowded as I anticipated. Great night to be out in the woods
http://www.teamchacopak.com/2013/05/...ale-river.html ]]> Trip Reports ChacoTaco http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?49091-Mt-Garfield-and-Galehead-Mtn Baldface/Royce Range Traverse 5/18/13 http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?49086-Baldface-Royce-Range-Traverse-5-18-13&goto=newpost Sun, 19 May 2013 17:48:31 GMT Instead of posting trail conditions here, I figured I'd actually do a little trip report. I planned this hike for the Meetup group, Random Group of Hikers, and was joined by Mike (NH Tramper), Maher, and Jesse. The plan was to do a south to north traverse (Eastman to East Royce). The small group led to us making a quick assault on the initial summits, and left at least some of us, with less gas for the final peaks. The day started out bright, sunny, and cool, but we quickly warmed up in the initial 0.7 to the loop split, and especially on the approach to the Eastman/Baldface Knob col. I can liken the eastern half of Slippery Brook Trail to Mt. Tecumseh Trail from the ski area, just a relentless grind to the top. Eastman features great views to the south, to the Kearsarge Group, Chocorua and the Sandwich Range, and to the north, towards our remaining targets for the day. Retreating, we hit Baldface Knob, and South Baldface in quick succession, even pushing on to North before we took an extended break. The clouds dominated during our stay on north, and a stray raindrop or two was felt. Dropping off north, we ran into a few areas with lingering snow, but it would be overkill to even be carrying traction on these trails at this point. The ridge over to Eagle Crag is awesome, with far reaching views, and striated rocks. Meader Ridge Trail off of Eagle Crag was blowdown ridden, with many step overs, climb overs, duck unders, and whack arounds. We found a clear running stream just off of Mt. Meader, and filtered some extra water here, it sure was tasty. Basin Rim Trail to West Royce was more of the same, a bunch of blowdowns, some tricky, but some nice smooth sections too. We ended our traverse on East Royce, with rays of light blasting through the clouds over the Wild River Wilderness, a truly special moment.

All in all, we had a great day, with lots of mileage, elevation gain, and views. This is one I'll be doing again.

Trail conditions are HERE.

My blog post and pictures are HERE. ]]> Trip Reports brobichaud http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?49086-Baldface-Royce-Range-Traverse-5-18-13 South and Middle Moat Mountains 5/18/13 http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?49081-South-and-Middle-Moat-Mountains-5-18-13&goto=newpost Sun, 19 May 2013 00:22:36 GMT Parked in Passaconaway Rd lot The Albany Covered Bridge is open which is the west turnoff from the Kanc onto Passaconaway (Dugway) Rd so this was nice and save me some time from going all the way around. Started at 8:40 Hit South Moat around 10:30 Awesome peak Many false peaks towards the... Parked in Passaconaway Rd lot

The Albany Covered Bridge is open which is the west turnoff from the Kanc onto Passaconaway (Dugway) Rd so this was nice and save me some time from going all the way around.

Started at 8:40
Hit South Moat around 10:30
Awesome peak
Many false peaks towards the top where you thought you were close to the summit and then more ups!
A fun climb with many ledge areas and good views opening up.
The walk from South to Middle is also fun and like a ridge-walk out in the open
Went the extra mile to the Red Ridge junction ... thought about grabbing North Moat but decided would get that on another hike with that loop with Red Ridge
4.3 miles at this point and then doubled it back for 8.6 miles
Back at the car at 2:55
Great day to be out on any trails today and was very impressed with the Moats and so glad I got to finally hike them today! ]]> Trip Reports shamples http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?49081-South-and-Middle-Moat-Mountains-5-18-13 Bald Mountain - Adirondacks http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?49075-Bald-Mountain-Adirondacks&goto=newpost Sat, 18 May 2013 11:44:23 GMT Trail is in great shape - we did meet some hikers doing maintenance - thanks Christine & Tony. Lots of wild flowers and lots of poison ivy at the start.

Just a down right great day to be in the mountains!!

Beauty around every corner:



Life is Good!



]]> Trip Reports Adirondack Ladies http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?49075-Bald-Mountain-Adirondacks Gunstock Mtn, Plane Crash Site on Belknap Mtn and Piper Mtn 5-12-13 http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?49063-Gunstock-Mtn-Plane-Crash-Site-on-Belknap-Mtn-and-Piper-Mtn-5-12-13&goto=newpost Thu, 16 May 2013 12:21:37 GMT We had just read about a Piper plane crash on Belknap Mountain and our interests were peaked having already been to the crash sites on Waternomee and Mount Success. We had just been to Belknap Mountain for the fire tower on March 31st, and had no idea how close we were to the crash site, now we... We had just read about a Piper plane crash on Belknap Mountain and our interests were peaked having already been to the crash sites on Waternomee and Mount Success. We had just been to Belknap Mountain for the fire tower on March 31st, and had no idea how close we were to the crash site, now we needed to go back.
When we head out Sunday morning it was rainy at our house, but as we got closer the Belknap Range the rain stopped. We went with friends and decided to hike up to Gunstock first and check out the views. We took the Blue Trail to the Saddle Trail, then hit the Gunstock summit using the Brook Trail. All the trails were in good condition and dry for the most part, but any mud was avoidable. Oh and the sign on the chair lift that says, “Caution lift can start at any time”, believe it, cause it ran for about 2 minutes. We’re just glad we didn’t decide to seat on the chairs for lunch. :D
After leaving the summit on Gunstock we headed over to Belknap using the Brook to Saddle then Blue Trails again. We hiked down to the crash site of a Piper private airplane that crashed in June of 1972. Getting down to the site is steep, the rocks and moss were wet and slippery, but it was doable with caution. We had the coordinates on the GPS, but once we found the herd path, it wasn't too hard to follow. The site is a Waymark Point and a Geocache area and yes, we found the cache.
Having accomplished what we set out to do we decided to continue on to Piper Mountain using the White Trail and the Orange/Old Piper Trail. These were some of the most blazed trails we have ever been on, almost to the point of being over done. The summit of North Peak of Piper Mountain was definitely unique. We felt like we were visiting the Flintstones in Bedrock (Hope I didn't just date us too much there lol). There was chairs and little couches made out of boulders up there and they were comfortable. There was also a fire place and a fire pit built. We were quite impressed. After enjoying the views and furniture for awhile we headed back down to the summer parking lot and ended our adventure. The whole hike was less than 5 miles and well worth it.
We did video the whole hike, but if you like the element of surprise, please be aware we did film the whole crash site. We did not show where the herd path starts, nor did we film where the Geocache is. If you would be interested in seeing the video here is the link...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGizU47vlPo ]]> Trip Reports WeRmudfun http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?49063-Gunstock-Mtn-Plane-Crash-Site-on-Belknap-Mtn-and-Piper-Mtn-5-12-13 <![CDATA[No. & So. Kinsman 5/15/13]]> http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?49060-No-amp-So-Kinsman-5-15-13&goto=newpost Thu, 16 May 2013 03:06:41 GMT This was a bit of a "homecoming" hike for me. Some nostalgia: I have 5 generations of ancestors that lived at the base of the Kinsmans and the Cannon Balls. As a boy I spent a lot of time at the old Kinsman Cabin. I was carried down from there once after splitting my knee cap wide open with my little hatchet! North K may be the first 4000 footer I ever climbed. One summer I worked for the FS replacing corner markers. We did a lot of work on the west side of the Kinsmans. I've hiked them on every trail except Reel Brook. They are a little "special" to me.
A great day. I did all the little side trips: Old cabin site, Kinsman Flume, Bald Knob. Trail in great shape. Some snow and ice still in the shady spots up high, but it won't last long. No traction needed if you watch your step.

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Attached Images
]]> Trip Reports http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?49060-No-amp-So-Kinsman-5-15-13