1HappyHiker
Well-known member
Although many of my recent hikes have been small in terms of hiking miles, some of them have produced a decent size payoff. One such hike was a trek to Pine Mountain in Gorham.
While en route to the trailhead from my home in Bethlehem, I took a short side-trip onto Route 115A to stop at Jefferson Meadows. I wanted to take a few photos of the snow-capped Presidentials with cows grazing in the meadow where the grass is still lush and green. To me, this is always such an awesome vista, and it somewhat reminds me of a scene from "Heidi" (the classic children's novel by Johanna Spyri).
Since it was already mid afternoon and daylight hours are now at a premium, my time at Jefferson Meadows was brief. I needed to keep moving in the direction of the trailhead! In Randolph, I left Route 2 and turned onto Pinkham B (Dolly Copp) Road for the 2.4 mile drive to the trailhead. I drove slowly over this rough road to try to preserve the 4-wheel alignment I'd just paid to have done.
From the trailhead, my route included the 0.9 mile walk along Pine Mountain Road to hook up with the Ledge Trail which goes over the south cliff of Pine Mountain en route to the summit. From the summit, I followed the Pine Mountain Trail to eventually hike up the unmarked trail to Chapel Rock.
One of the highlights of the Pine Mountain hike is the close-up views of high peaks in the Presidential Range. I could see the magnificent snow-capped mountaintops with the naked eye. However, since it was mid-afternoon, the sun was already low in the western sky, and unfortunately this is where the Presidential Range is located in relation to Pine Mountain. Trying to get decent photos while shooting into the sun is frustrating, at least for someone with my skill level, and with using a simple point & shoot camera. (By the way, I won't feel like my thread is being hijacked if anyone wants to reply by including their photos of the Presidential peaks taken from Pine Mountain.)
Although I was unable to capture worthwhile images of the Presidentials, I was able to get some decent photos of other sights to be seen from Pine Mountain. Shown below are a few of those snapshots.
Looking over the Androscoggin River toward peaks in the southern Mahoosucs
Funky snapshot of Carter Range caused by cloud shadows
Chapel Rock partially illuminated
Glacial striations on south cliff of Pine Mountain
A picturesque view from Pine Mountain Road
I've never done this hike in the winter once the Pinkham B Road is gated. But, it could be done from the trailhead located in the village of Gorham. However, I've never hiked that particular route (winter or summer), and so I'd be interested in reading any comments from anyone who has.
As I said at the beginning, this was a very short hike. But, I still felt amply rewarded by the overall experience, especially considering the views I got for such a small amount of time and effort.
1HappyHiker
While en route to the trailhead from my home in Bethlehem, I took a short side-trip onto Route 115A to stop at Jefferson Meadows. I wanted to take a few photos of the snow-capped Presidentials with cows grazing in the meadow where the grass is still lush and green. To me, this is always such an awesome vista, and it somewhat reminds me of a scene from "Heidi" (the classic children's novel by Johanna Spyri).
Since it was already mid afternoon and daylight hours are now at a premium, my time at Jefferson Meadows was brief. I needed to keep moving in the direction of the trailhead! In Randolph, I left Route 2 and turned onto Pinkham B (Dolly Copp) Road for the 2.4 mile drive to the trailhead. I drove slowly over this rough road to try to preserve the 4-wheel alignment I'd just paid to have done.
From the trailhead, my route included the 0.9 mile walk along Pine Mountain Road to hook up with the Ledge Trail which goes over the south cliff of Pine Mountain en route to the summit. From the summit, I followed the Pine Mountain Trail to eventually hike up the unmarked trail to Chapel Rock.
One of the highlights of the Pine Mountain hike is the close-up views of high peaks in the Presidential Range. I could see the magnificent snow-capped mountaintops with the naked eye. However, since it was mid-afternoon, the sun was already low in the western sky, and unfortunately this is where the Presidential Range is located in relation to Pine Mountain. Trying to get decent photos while shooting into the sun is frustrating, at least for someone with my skill level, and with using a simple point & shoot camera. (By the way, I won't feel like my thread is being hijacked if anyone wants to reply by including their photos of the Presidential peaks taken from Pine Mountain.)
Although I was unable to capture worthwhile images of the Presidentials, I was able to get some decent photos of other sights to be seen from Pine Mountain. Shown below are a few of those snapshots.
Looking over the Androscoggin River toward peaks in the southern Mahoosucs
Funky snapshot of Carter Range caused by cloud shadows
Chapel Rock partially illuminated
Glacial striations on south cliff of Pine Mountain
A picturesque view from Pine Mountain Road
I've never done this hike in the winter once the Pinkham B Road is gated. But, it could be done from the trailhead located in the village of Gorham. However, I've never hiked that particular route (winter or summer), and so I'd be interested in reading any comments from anyone who has.
As I said at the beginning, this was a very short hike. But, I still felt amply rewarded by the overall experience, especially considering the views I got for such a small amount of time and effort.
1HappyHiker
