Nash Stream Hikes, 10/10

- Muise (N Whitcomb-3615'). Drove the Nash Stream Rd to the locked gate at the end, approx. 1850' elev. Took an immediate R up the overgrown logging road along Pike Br. Open colorful hardwoods until hitting an interesting 30' escarpment that was a challenging obstacle. Luckily,afterwards herd paths seemed to link together into a mostly open ascent. The jar was on the ground but rehung with a bungee cord (I have concerns about its durability). Since this is a NH 100 highest, I expected the usual pvc cannister bolted to a tree (never leave home without your cannister repair kit). As usual I had a more difficult descent, getting tangled briefly in blowdown and thickness. I kept trying to remember Professor Phil "PigPen" Pythagoras' therom on this subject: "ascending to a single point with all lines converging is more straightforward than descending with an infinite number of possible routes." This obsevation didn't seem to be of much practical help; I 'll have to take the refresher course. Actually, with many of the deciduous leaves fallen, heading out toward Sugarloaf was an easy route to follow.
Does anyone have any background info on Mr. Muise? or how this peak recently came to be named after him?

-N Percy (3430') and S Percy (3234'). These peaks are both trailled, but both spectacular! No beating around the bush with this trail, 2200' gain in 2.2 mi. Striking views of these twin rocky cones almost from the beginning and frequent scrambles over steep slabs. The wide open summit provided an amazing view of the long line of peaks from the Presis all the way to the Baldpates. Not to be missed!!

mhrsebago said:

Does anyone have any background info on Mr. Muise? or how this peak recently came to be named after him?

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vague memory of this being discussed in the Cohos Trail guide (I was perusing it in a store a few yrs ago but haven't bought a copy yet)

Mhrsebago, thanks for the trip report. Is there still a canister on South Percy? I was a little suprised to find one on that peak when I was there about a year ago.

Mark,

You forgot professor Pig Pen's other thing to remember: "I had to find the passage back to the place I was before" (Eagles, Hotel California)

You would have been fine if you did that.

Who is Muise?

Jason is right. Per the Cohos Trail Guide, Arthur Muise is a fine north country character, a former NH Fish and Game officer, a pipe smoking, wide smiling, soft spoken man. I have no idea who Whitcomb was.

Percy Peaks

Back in 1988 when I first did the Percy peaks, I stopped for coffee at the gas station/convenience store at the junction of Route 3 and Route 110 in Groveton, the lady in the store told me the local name for them was Ruby's Boobies because of the physical resmblance with a well known Groveton waitress!

cantdog said:

Is the Percy Peaks trailhead obvious? What about the junction?

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yes, yes. there's a trailhead sign. The CT blazes at the junction are bright orange, hard to miss.

I went on a hike there led by Bill Bowden a few yrs back, the trail was a bit faint in the lower sections; the trail over to S Percy is a semi-bushwhack (brush wasn't well maintained), but to N Percy I remember it being fairly open.

watch out for wet weather, those ledges on the way up are somewhat unnerving. there is a rope at one point to help pull yourself up. This is one of the few trails with "easy" statistics (short, not too much el. gain) that I wouldn't do alone.

Is the Percy Peaks trailhead obvious? What about the junction? Can you comment on the trail conditions?

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You've been asking about this one for years, just do it before the glaciers return and grind it down! One of the finest off-beat peaks in NH.

I thought the trailhead for the Percy's was a little hard to spot as I passed by previously to climb the Longs and Sugarloaf. But with a little care it's right where the AMC guide suggests it is. I agree, the orange blazes are hard to miss once on the path. The trail's roughness, slabbiness and roots reminded me of Adirondack trails (without the mud). I didn't find any of the slabs particularly unnerving or requiring aids (didn't use the one fixed rope), but one certainly needs to be careful and wet conditions would increase the hazard. The trail over to S Percy is not signed or blazed, but obviously leaves the Summer Club Tr in the col. It was easy to follow all the way to the summit (I didn't really look for a cannister assuming there wouldn't be one on a summit with a maintained trail).
Thanks for the extra advice, Professor; when is your next field trip scheduled?

The cannister is still on South Percy. (As of last Friday) I was surpirsed to see one there, and was bummed as I left my stickers in the car. And a new notebook wouldn't be a bad idea either.

Julie you need to hike these mountains as they rock! The Percy's are now defintely going to be in my yearly rotation.

Percy's

reference Whitcomb/Muise

It is still Whitcomb on the topographics, BTW, at one time there two cannisters pretty close together on slightly different humps. In "Smoke of a Thousand Campfires" by Paul Doherty (a fascinating if poorly edited book) Arthur Muise is described as a 6'6" Fish and Game officer in the North Country who died on the job (heart attack) and a fine gentleman. Like Roy/DMS I have no idea who Whitcomb was or why he got three mountains names after him (same question about Carter).

Percy peaks have a trail from Christine Lake as well as one leaving Nash Stream Road. The trail up South Percy is comparatively new (my first trip was a complete bushwhack, the second had a taped route and the last a rough but noticeable trail, while North peak has been an attration for many years. Best views inthe north.