6-7-10 Taking Our Time On Mt Tremont

[grouseking]

A friend of mine came out from the Buffalo area to tackle some NH mountains before the Dave Mathews concert today. Yesterday we took a trip up Mt Tremont via the Mt Tremont trail. We thought about Adams...but he wasn't in shape for it, and my knee is telling me to go jump off a cliff, so a shorter hike was definitely in order..shorter mileage wise anyway, because this trip still gained 2600 feet in elevation.

After the hike, we took a ride up Bear Notch Rd and down the Kanc to check out Falls Pond. Then, the scenic route was taken back to SE NH via Rt 16 and Rt 125.

Weather for the day was a bit breezy, with perfect temperatures...low to mid 60s at the bottom, 50 at the top, and in between...well in between.

Off we go

The trail follows such a gorgeous brook, that was flowing fairly nicely thanks to all that rain in the Whites Sunday. Lots of cascades/small waterfalls were along the way.

After the cascades. there was a nice steep climb up thru some pretty large hemlocks, then across what appeared to be an old logging road, and up some more, then down to cross the stream. After this, it was a zig zaggy climb up to the summit. It was never overly steep...more like short, steep pitches that lasted for about 10 steps. One thing I was surprised with was the lack of rocks. But this trail is beautiful...one of the more beautiful trails I've ascended in quite awhile.

It was a slow go up to the summit...we were just looking around and yapping all the way up. My friend is a meteorologist and I'm a weather nerd, so the conversations ran rampant about weather! If anyone else was with us, they prob would have been bored to tears.

Now, at the top

what a great lookout

Here comes a passing shower coming from Carrigain Notch

spectacular

After many pictures, and about a 45 min stay at the top, the random quick hitting downpours kind of chased us off the summit, and we headed back down, at a nice slow pace. There were so many photo ops I promised myself I would get. Plus, my knee was beginning to act up, so it was a perfect excuse.

Great view of Mt Washington, with some snow left. With such a warm spring (that already feels like we are in mid July) it is nice to see there is still snow left up there.

and now, back into the woods, and into the beautiful cascades

continued in a minute

 

[Jen R]

Nice pics.

 

[grouseking]

the rest...

more cascades

after about 100 pics, we got back to the trailhead, and headed down Bear Notch Rd to the Kanc to take the scenic route home.

and a quick stop at Rocky Gorge and Falls Pond...never been there before

bog laurel

Falls Pond...wasn't really that impressed, but if I had taken a walk around it, I bet I could have found some better vistas.

One more thing....as many remember, back in April we had an early leaf out, and then a huge snowstorm late in the month, and subfreezing temperatures, and that took a toll on many plant species, including the hobblebush. Here is an example along the Tremont Tr.

Healthy hobblebush

Wilted, dead hobblebush, right next to it.

As usual, an amazing hike, in the Pemi region. They are always my favorite hikes. The views are second to none, and the relative solitude is something you cannot experience on larger 4,000 footers. We didn't see anyone all day.

Hope you like!
http://grouseking.smugmug.com/gallery/12477341_ayHbb#894221278_RvYbG

grouseking

 

[The Hikers]

Some great pics there. A beautiful Spring Day !!

 

[1HappyHiker]

Phil . . . a wonderful trip report, and excellent photos!
The views from the top of Tremont are great, but equally great (as you discovered) are the picturesque cascades along Stony Brook. I've told several folks that an amble along Stony Brook (especially at high water) is a very worthwhile trek, even if you don't go to the summit of Tremont.

(P.S. Also, I want to take this opportunity to once again extend some accolades to the Forest Service for the terrific job they did a weeks ago in removing a large number of huge blowdowns on this trail.)

 

[Jazzbo]

Nice Pic's!

I'm thrilled a great photographer like you went up Tremont and you had such great weather for photography. Like 1happyhiker says those cascades are marvelous and views from the top are so great. Thanks for sharing.

Weather always seems to come at you from Carrigain notch. I remember one time when we were up there when a major t-storm came at us right from there and we had to bail out in a hurry with lightning striking all around us. all the time yelling like Monty Python "Run away! Run away!"

Love the pics you took from Bear Notch. The time of day you hit it really shows off the sharp topography nicely. Lots of up and down in there.

 

[grouseking]

Nice pics.

Thanks Jen R

Some great pics there. A beautiful Spring Day !!

Gotta love those beautiful spring days, even if it does rain. The ceiling was high enough so I could see everything, and the weather was changeable enough to keep things interesting.

Phil . . . a wonderful trip report, and excellent photos!
The views from the top of Tremont are great, but equally great (as you discovered) are the picturesque cascades along Stony Brook. I've told several folks that an amble along Stony Brook (especially at high water) is a very worthwhile trek, even if you don't go to the summit of Tremont.

(P.S. Also, I want to take this opportunity to once again extend some accolades to the Forest Service for the terrific job they did a weeks ago in removing a large number of huge blowdowns on this trail.)

Yes, I had had no idea how terrific the walk along the stream was. This was definitely a pleasant surprise. And the trail itself was different from lots of trails I have hiked in the white mtns. I think it had the least amount of rocks on any mountain trail I've hiked in the white mountains. And yes, thanks for removing those blowdowns! There were still some random trees that were kind of hanging precariously above my head as I walked by, and it made me pause for a moment.

I'm thrilled a great photographer like you went up Tremont and you had such great weather for photography. Like 1happyhiker says those cascades are marvelous and views from the top are so great. Thanks for sharing.

Weather always seems to come at you from Carrigain notch. I remember one time when we were up there when a major t-storm came at us right from there and we had to bail out in a hurry with lightning striking all around us. all the time yelling like Monty Python "Run away! Run away!"

Love the pics you took from Bear Notch. The time of day you hit it really shows off the sharp topography nicely. Lots of up and down in there.

Thanks! It was very difficult to get water pictures....I'm still kind of learning how to take pictures of waterfalls. I have one of those neutral density filters that helps to give the water a motion blur effect, but I got the wrong size for my camera! So I've been trying to manually get that effect, with some limited success.

Carrigain Notch seems like the most wild notch to me. I've hiked thru it once, and I was in awe with the feeling you get out there. If you didn't know any better, you'd never know it was such a devastating logging area not so long ago. Glad we didn't have to worry about thunderstorms....I don't do those very well.

Glad you like the bear notch pics. I've always got there at a difficult time of day to take pics....the sky was so blue, yet the sun was in the way, at least for the view up towards Mt Washington.

grouseking