forestgnome
New member
Tagged along with Rocket 21, who wanted to follow an old ski trail to the summit of Bear Mtn. He is searching old alpine ski slopes. This one was cut in the 1930's as a sister to Wildcat, and abandoned in the 1950's.
On the early morning drive I saw who I think is Kezossa, a young bull who was a new calf last year. I saw him occasionally throughout the year since he was a couple weeks old. He actually bluff-charged me one day when I was hanging with him and his mama, as if he was protecting mama. It was adorable. I saw him with his mama as recently as late April, just before his mama sent him into the world on his own.
I strongly believe this is him...
Left Kezossa to meet Rocket at HOL on Bear Notch Road. He found what he thought might be the trail north of HOL and off we went. We followed this along a brook through nice hardwoods for a while then turned south/uphill along what we suspect was the old trailbed. Rocket was talking about how the trail should have double fall lines, consistent with how trails were cut back then, following terrain. Now they are made more like roads, nice and level. We traded plenty of well-natured snowboarder-vs.-skier jabbs.
These slopes have lots of beech with lots of bear sign, such as claw marks on many of the beech trunks...
I've recently been hiking with others after being exclusively solo in the forest for years. Woud it be bad form to request a group to stop and sit in silence for a half hour when I find a special little place such as this?
It got me thinking about the virtue of individualism and what is lost or impossible when conforming with a collective group. On the other hand, humans desire company. A mix is good.
We were in hardwoods until about the last few hundred feet. Rocket keeps insisting I'm a more experienced bushwacker while I keep insisting that I've sought out a trailess peak maybe twice, otherwise I'm always going downhill and looking for birch/hobblebush glades. WDYK, I was leading and we popped out on a herd path right at the summit.
Lots of fine views through the trees...
Then we went straight back down, ignoring all kinds of wonderful hardwood glades that were begging to be explored as if the goal was to get back out of the forest. Actually we were still looking for the ski trail and we think we were on it for much of the way. I thought this was like racing through a fine meal of sirloin and cabernet...whatever.
We were at the road with half the day left and Rocket wanted to hike Mt. Bemis. He said there were nice views. I recalled that the group we met on Vose Sour said are no views on Bemis but there are nice views from Mt. Nancy. Now, going by the map I've always wanted to see the view from Mt. Bemis up the Dry River Valley so I went along for another hike. Two different hikes on the same day is more unfamiliar territory for me. We passed by all the beautiful forest on Bear Mtn. and now we were going up another one when we just on a perfectly nice one already...peakbagggers
So up the fire warden's trail we go for the views promised by Rocket. The trail would be an excellent addition to the network because the trail grade and footing is just superb.
The trail reaches a shoulder where there's a stretch that's thick blowdown and laurel...
The trail leads over the shoulder where the vegatation, featuring lots of laurel now in bloom, is waiste deep, affording beatiful views in almost all directions...
We could see the summit and it didn't look promising for views...and it isn't. The remains of the tower are not at the summit, but you can see that it had stunning views. If the skies were drier I would have climbed a tree for the view. I declined to push the distance through thick blowdown over to the summit so I waited while Rocket went and did his peakbagging thing.
Thanks very much to Rocket for a great day of hiking Saw a nice bull moose on the drive home along the Kanacamagus...
happy trails
On the early morning drive I saw who I think is Kezossa, a young bull who was a new calf last year. I saw him occasionally throughout the year since he was a couple weeks old. He actually bluff-charged me one day when I was hanging with him and his mama, as if he was protecting mama. It was adorable. I saw him with his mama as recently as late April, just before his mama sent him into the world on his own.
I strongly believe this is him...
Left Kezossa to meet Rocket at HOL on Bear Notch Road. He found what he thought might be the trail north of HOL and off we went. We followed this along a brook through nice hardwoods for a while then turned south/uphill along what we suspect was the old trailbed. Rocket was talking about how the trail should have double fall lines, consistent with how trails were cut back then, following terrain. Now they are made more like roads, nice and level. We traded plenty of well-natured snowboarder-vs.-skier jabbs.
These slopes have lots of beech with lots of bear sign, such as claw marks on many of the beech trunks...
I've recently been hiking with others after being exclusively solo in the forest for years. Woud it be bad form to request a group to stop and sit in silence for a half hour when I find a special little place such as this?
It got me thinking about the virtue of individualism and what is lost or impossible when conforming with a collective group. On the other hand, humans desire company. A mix is good.
We were in hardwoods until about the last few hundred feet. Rocket keeps insisting I'm a more experienced bushwacker while I keep insisting that I've sought out a trailess peak maybe twice, otherwise I'm always going downhill and looking for birch/hobblebush glades. WDYK, I was leading and we popped out on a herd path right at the summit.
Lots of fine views through the trees...
Then we went straight back down, ignoring all kinds of wonderful hardwood glades that were begging to be explored as if the goal was to get back out of the forest. Actually we were still looking for the ski trail and we think we were on it for much of the way. I thought this was like racing through a fine meal of sirloin and cabernet...whatever.
We were at the road with half the day left and Rocket wanted to hike Mt. Bemis. He said there were nice views. I recalled that the group we met on Vose Sour said are no views on Bemis but there are nice views from Mt. Nancy. Now, going by the map I've always wanted to see the view from Mt. Bemis up the Dry River Valley so I went along for another hike. Two different hikes on the same day is more unfamiliar territory for me. We passed by all the beautiful forest on Bear Mtn. and now we were going up another one when we just on a perfectly nice one already...peakbagggers
So up the fire warden's trail we go for the views promised by Rocket. The trail would be an excellent addition to the network because the trail grade and footing is just superb.
The trail reaches a shoulder where there's a stretch that's thick blowdown and laurel...
The trail leads over the shoulder where the vegatation, featuring lots of laurel now in bloom, is waiste deep, affording beatiful views in almost all directions...
We could see the summit and it didn't look promising for views...and it isn't. The remains of the tower are not at the summit, but you can see that it had stunning views. If the skies were drier I would have climbed a tree for the view. I declined to push the distance through thick blowdown over to the summit so I waited while Rocket went and did his peakbagging thing.
Thanks very much to Rocket for a great day of hiking
Saw a nice bull moose on the drive home along the Kanacamagus...
happy trails
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