Silverfox
New member
Uncertain of projected winds up north we opted for a lower elevation hike today in the Ossipees.. There was a gray sky and a raw though not cold wind..when we arrived at the castle parking lot and looked North to clear blue skies the error in my judgement was evident...after a little whining we set off...
The Mount Roberts trail in fine shape..mostly clear of snow..a few icy spots..the fine views and excellent oak forest are just a pleasure to climb through..The frequent outlooks give great vistas in several directions.. I am continually amazed with the fine views offered from these sub 3k peaks...really spectacular....towards the little summit knob the snow and ice pack became pretty slick and i donned microspikes..Helen layered up as we enjoyed the views north towards Washington..
We decided at this point to continue along the ridge and take the Blue Blazed High Ridge Trail over towards Faraway and then the orange, Cold Spring trail back to the parking lot.. It was evident as we descended off Roberts that we were entering a different climate zone..the snow pack was solid and icy in spots..the main difference was the trees..everywhere there were smashed busted trees and tops along the trail..mostly dead stuff at first but soon many beeches lay twisted and torn...we moved dozens and dozens of broken trees and branches..eventually Claude remarked that even he wasn't that excited about sticks anymore.. I can say that the trail between Roberts and Faraway is essentially clear with twigs and sticks remaining.... Based on memory, in haste we had neglected a map but had looked at the kiosk one a bit..I knew that we would becoming to a side path to faraway..now that I am home and look at a map it is clear that the trail to the actually summit is the one that is cabled off with the big mysterious iron thing nearby..Rocket?..We went up that trail awhile but turned around and continued along the ridge clearing numerous blowdowns along the way..eventually reaching a spot that Claude recognized as the Frank Falb Memorial bench..We paused for lunch there..Frank was a long time OTHH member and hiked this area frequently..Great view from "his" spot..
The ridge walk throws a little curve at you soon and heads away from the direction that makes sense.. I was sure we were on the right way however and eventually we came to the orange trail which leads in long switchbacks down the ridge..Very many large broken trees along this trail..we cleared many but some of these are chain saw work..In one spot a massive oak lies directly across the trail..in another a 16 inch beech lies twisted and shattered in a brook bed which made for a difficult by pass... we spotted an old trail on one of the switchbacks and saw some fairly fresh prints and decided this was the quicker way down and we dropped quickly to the Source of the ledgendary castle Springs water..Interestingly there were a few mouse traps in the kiosk area there? Following the access road out we arrived at the perfect time as a gentlemen got out of his truck to open the gate just as we passed..
A nice day in the mountains..and no regrets about not heading north....
a few pics at
http://flickr.com/photos/silverfox777/sets/72157611262894357/
The Mount Roberts trail in fine shape..mostly clear of snow..a few icy spots..the fine views and excellent oak forest are just a pleasure to climb through..The frequent outlooks give great vistas in several directions.. I am continually amazed with the fine views offered from these sub 3k peaks...really spectacular....towards the little summit knob the snow and ice pack became pretty slick and i donned microspikes..Helen layered up as we enjoyed the views north towards Washington..
We decided at this point to continue along the ridge and take the Blue Blazed High Ridge Trail over towards Faraway and then the orange, Cold Spring trail back to the parking lot.. It was evident as we descended off Roberts that we were entering a different climate zone..the snow pack was solid and icy in spots..the main difference was the trees..everywhere there were smashed busted trees and tops along the trail..mostly dead stuff at first but soon many beeches lay twisted and torn...we moved dozens and dozens of broken trees and branches..eventually Claude remarked that even he wasn't that excited about sticks anymore.. I can say that the trail between Roberts and Faraway is essentially clear with twigs and sticks remaining.... Based on memory, in haste we had neglected a map but had looked at the kiosk one a bit..I knew that we would becoming to a side path to faraway..now that I am home and look at a map it is clear that the trail to the actually summit is the one that is cabled off with the big mysterious iron thing nearby..Rocket?..We went up that trail awhile but turned around and continued along the ridge clearing numerous blowdowns along the way..eventually reaching a spot that Claude recognized as the Frank Falb Memorial bench..We paused for lunch there..Frank was a long time OTHH member and hiked this area frequently..Great view from "his" spot..
The ridge walk throws a little curve at you soon and heads away from the direction that makes sense.. I was sure we were on the right way however and eventually we came to the orange trail which leads in long switchbacks down the ridge..Very many large broken trees along this trail..we cleared many but some of these are chain saw work..In one spot a massive oak lies directly across the trail..in another a 16 inch beech lies twisted and shattered in a brook bed which made for a difficult by pass... we spotted an old trail on one of the switchbacks and saw some fairly fresh prints and decided this was the quicker way down and we dropped quickly to the Source of the ledgendary castle Springs water..Interestingly there were a few mouse traps in the kiosk area there? Following the access road out we arrived at the perfect time as a gentlemen got out of his truck to open the gate just as we passed..
A nice day in the mountains..and no regrets about not heading north....
a few pics at
http://flickr.com/photos/silverfox777/sets/72157611262894357/
Last edited: