The Hikers
New member
Thinking back through the years we figure it was in the summer of1992 when we packed up the family and decided we would hike up to Mt. Shaw. Now I had an A.M. C White Mountain Guide book, which described the thunderbird trail, so we drove up to the trailhead and blissfully set out .Joyce and I, three kids, aged 4, 7 and 9 and one dog.
Sadly, as we soon found out, my AMC Guide was the 22nd edition (1979), and had I used the 25th edition in 1992 I would have noticed that the thunderbird trail was no longer listed.
When the trail eventually disappeared I got to lead my family on their first bushwack up Shaw. We did make it to the top, but being too afraid to find our way back down the way we came, we descended on that day down the Mt. Shaw trail, getting to the bottom about 8 miles from our car.Thank God that a friendly young man gave all of us (two adults, 3 kids and a dog) a ride back to our car. That is a day we will never forget.
Of course, now, the Thunderbird has been restored and marked very well, so today we figured we'd give it a go,less the kids and dog.As we parked the car at the point where the road turns for Merrowvista, we were a little apprehensive, given the trouble that has brewed in this range. Our fears were calmed, however by a friendly wave from one neighbor and a "good day for a hike" from another. The trip up the thunderbird went easily as it was well marked and we had a very good map.We cleared light brush as we went, and ran into very little blowdown.We got to the top of Shaw in a couple of hours. One should never underestimate the view fron this mountain which , today, was spectacular.
Mount Washington, still snow capped
Ossipee Lake
From Shaw we headed out to Black Snout with its views of Winnepesaukee, and then started down the Banana Trail. This trail was fairly steep, but actually more travelled than the Thunderbird had been. a couple of big blowdowns had to be avoided, but ,all in all, a very pleasant trail. Eventually we got to the open ledges on Big Ball, and had some lunch while we enjoyed the view of Winnepesaukee, and Dan Hole Pond.It had started to warm up by this time waking up the blackflies. There was enough wind to keep them from driving me crazy, but Joyce applied bug spray which later was a blessing for a different reason.
Looking Back Towards Shaw
The Big Lake
DanHole Pond
We really Loved the trail over the big and little Ball, and the trip back to the car was easy and uneventful.
Now, removing the hiking boots and changing, it became tick counting time for me I picked them off and tossed them. Most were Dog Ticks , but a few Deer Ticks mixed in. Joyce had MUCH fewer, which we have decided was due to her application of bug spray. I had occassion to pick two more off and toss them from the car window on the way home,and found a couple more that made it all the way inside the house with me. So, yes, the ticks are out in the Ossipee Range.
Anyway, we picked a beautiful day for a hike with moderate temperatures and slight wind. There are some more mountains in this range which we will visit soon.
Sadly, as we soon found out, my AMC Guide was the 22nd edition (1979), and had I used the 25th edition in 1992 I would have noticed that the thunderbird trail was no longer listed.
When the trail eventually disappeared I got to lead my family on their first bushwack up Shaw. We did make it to the top, but being too afraid to find our way back down the way we came, we descended on that day down the Mt. Shaw trail, getting to the bottom about 8 miles from our car.Thank God that a friendly young man gave all of us (two adults, 3 kids and a dog) a ride back to our car. That is a day we will never forget.
Of course, now, the Thunderbird has been restored and marked very well, so today we figured we'd give it a go,less the kids and dog.As we parked the car at the point where the road turns for Merrowvista, we were a little apprehensive, given the trouble that has brewed in this range. Our fears were calmed, however by a friendly wave from one neighbor and a "good day for a hike" from another. The trip up the thunderbird went easily as it was well marked and we had a very good map.We cleared light brush as we went, and ran into very little blowdown.We got to the top of Shaw in a couple of hours. One should never underestimate the view fron this mountain which , today, was spectacular.
Mount Washington, still snow capped
Ossipee Lake
From Shaw we headed out to Black Snout with its views of Winnepesaukee, and then started down the Banana Trail. This trail was fairly steep, but actually more travelled than the Thunderbird had been. a couple of big blowdowns had to be avoided, but ,all in all, a very pleasant trail. Eventually we got to the open ledges on Big Ball, and had some lunch while we enjoyed the view of Winnepesaukee, and Dan Hole Pond.It had started to warm up by this time waking up the blackflies. There was enough wind to keep them from driving me crazy, but Joyce applied bug spray which later was a blessing for a different reason.
Looking Back Towards Shaw
The Big Lake
DanHole Pond
We really Loved the trail over the big and little Ball, and the trip back to the car was easy and uneventful.
Now, removing the hiking boots and changing, it became tick counting time for me I picked them off and tossed them. Most were Dog Ticks , but a few Deer Ticks mixed in. Joyce had MUCH fewer, which we have decided was due to her application of bug spray. I had occassion to pick two more off and toss them from the car window on the way home,and found a couple more that made it all the way inside the house with me. So, yes, the ticks are out in the Ossipee Range.
Anyway, we picked a beautiful day for a hike with moderate temperatures and slight wind. There are some more mountains in this range which we will visit soon.
Last edited:
