Kath
New member
A perfect way to spend Easter Sunday. First hike of the year for Old Lurp and I, and the first since knee surgery last fall. Wanted to test out the legs on something tame. We took the Andrew Brook Trail, which starts on the west side of Mountain Road, just south of Newbury, NH. (Elev. 1340') The trail leads to Lake Solitude in 2 miles, with several brook crossings. Three of those crossings are quite challenging at this time. One of them I had to make by scooting on my butt on a tree that had fallen across the brook. There were a couple of minor blowdowns that were easily bypassed. All-in-all, the trail was about what you'd expect this time of year.....some mud and patchy snow. Lake Solitude is aptly named. We were the only ones there at the time. From the northeast shore of the lake, we looked across to White Ledge rising from the opposite shore. We came to a trail junction at the north end of the lake, clearly marked with a sign. Here the Andrew Brook Trail ends. Right near this junction stands one of the biggest yellow birches we've ever seen! We followed the Lake Solitude Trail northward from the junction, angling left above the cliffs. There was a fantastic viewpoint at the top of White Ledge overlooking the lake. From here on up, the trail was completely snow covered, being very deep in spots. We decided to use our snowshoes for the remainder of the hike.We have the small MSRs which have pretty aggressive traction. It was a good decision and made all the difference in the world. Another trail junction was shortly reached named "Jack & June Junction". I'd be interested to know if anyone has an explanation for this name! It was another mile of easy walking through the woods before we emerged out onto a ski trail just below the summit of Mt. Sunapee. (Elev.2750') The lifts were running and I was surprised to see so many people still out skiing and boarding. We retraced our route back to the car. Total mileage....about 7 miles. Knees a little tired, but no pain. Highly recommend this hike. And to add a perfect ending to our perfect day, we had Easter dinner at the Dining Hall at Colby Sawyer College in New London with Old Lurp's lovely daughter who is a student there. Couldn't ask for more! It's late now and I'm too tired to fiddle with pictures tonight. Maybe later.
----Kath
----Kath
