Recent content by evilhanz

I took a scout troop to the site a few weekends ago and told the story. They also found it amazing and a tangible demonstration of the meaning of Memorial Day.

Looks like Chocorua at left, with Three Sister in the background. This could represent Nickerson Ledge or some of the ledges on the Piper Trail, with Carter Ledge peeking in just above it.

The original VFTT was at Lexicomm.com and the very first trip report was a Guyot backpacking trip dated 10/16/1995. I'm not sure that part of the site was active before 1996, though. Dave's White Mountain site, the AMC forums, and VFTT were about all there was.

It was the location of a helipad and some small buildings and equipment related to the Air Force testing facilities. Here is what the site looked like in 1957.

It was October 1988. A 30-year old hiker from Georgia was in the middle of a flip-flop hike. He made it to Maryland, then took a bus to Maine and was working his way south. He didn't like the cold, so when he reached Gorham he bought some vodka to "keep warm". He was found by other hikers...

That was Michael Miller who went missing in Oct 1983. A classic case of a late day start with inadequate gear into steadily worsening weather conditions. Miller separated from his companions and left the trail. No trace was ever found. There was an extensive write up about the search in...

Here is the missing article abut Neighbor Dave's discovery:

This implement has a few different names like pond scoop, dirt scoop, or scraper. It had two wooden handles on either side and a u-shaped metal bar attached to those hooks so that it could be pulled by a horse or mule.

Also chiming in to say they are official WVAIA signs. If you have not seen Steve Smith's excellent new Waterville Valley guide book, there is a short description of these unique signs near the back of the book.

Here is an interior photo: and one showing the road:

Carpenter cut a path in 1897 but it didn't last long. The lower portion was obliterated by logging and the final climb to the summit was difficult. Here is the original description if you haven't seen it:

I like to stay at Cathedral Pines Campground when I'm in the area day hiking. With young kids though, I would look into a condo rental at Sugarloaf using a site like homeaway. Spring/summer rates tend to be low and you'll appreciate having all the amenities.

In August 1931, Jenks, Blood, and Larrabee of the AMC retraced Dr. Ball's journey and found that they could follow his course with "remarkable accuracy". They determined that the unnamed prominence sometimes called Upper Nelson Crag was the highest point reached by Dr. Ball and proposed naming...

Here's an example from the Campbell Tract in Anchorage, Alaska: and a local example from Lincoln Woods:

The trail with a few branches was shown on maps of Monadnock in the 1920s and 1930s as an extension of an abandoned road off the Old Troy Rd where the Emery farmhouse was located. Mountain Brook was one of the suggested approaches to Monadnock from the north and it was described as trailless up...