Chandler–3335', Sable–3519', & Black–3304'

[onestep]

I got up at 4:30am. My plan was to try to beat the heat and any afternoon thunder-boomer's. After a quick stop at Dunkin Donuts it was off to NH to do a trio of NH3k's that I've been looking forward to for a long time.

I arrived at the end of the Slippery Brook Rd and was ready to go around 7am. I followed a short side path to the East Branch Trail, crossed the river and headed uphill. After getting through an initial thick band of spruce the woods opened up and basically stayed that way for the rest of the day!

My compass bearing was to the NE and soon I found myself on the narrow ridge that comes off Chandler to the WSW. Once atop this ridge it was one moose path after another till the summit.

I reached the summit at 8:20. The jar was found atop a stump, upside down with no cover. I signed the register, put it in a new baggy, and headed off towards Sable.

I dropped off Chandler a little bit W of the ridge that leads down to the col. This was not on purpose, but, with the open woods I was enjoying it didn't really matter. I ended up contouring just below and to the W of the col and then headed uphill towards Sable. Again, lots of herd paths and ferns.

I arrived at the summit 9:30. The PVC canister was damp inside so I placed the register in a new baggy. After a short visit I dropped due W off Sable and headed down into the valley.

The woods again where cooperative and I made good time. I'd been told that the woods on both sides of the river where thick. I must have been on the right side of the 50 yard rule as they sure seemed O.K. to me! I crossed the river, and then the East Branch trail. I continued W until I came upon an old logging road.

I turned right onto the logging road and followed it up to approx 2700', At this point it starts to descend and turn away from the summit. This was easy to see on the map I was carrying. I was just over 3/10th of a mile from the summit. I calculated a compass bearing and struck off for the summit. I was not sure what I'd find along the way as the contour lines on my map where really close together.

The ascent involved 600' of elevation gain. Fortunately the woods where mostly open. It was steep but no ledge or cliffs to negotiate. I arrived at the summit boulder at 12:30. Someone wrote in the register that the PVC canister was full of water so they re-hung it upside down. Well, somehow water is still finding it's way in! Again, I replaced the baggy with a new one.

I wanted to linger at the summit but it started to shower. It didn't last long but neither did it drive the bugs away... so downhill I went. A swarm of flies in pursuit.

I arrived back at the logging road and found a HUGE moose antler that was in GREAT shape! It weighed a ton but even so I strapped it on my day pack and waddled back downhill with it. Along the way I scared up 3 moose. Two where bulls, the other I couldn't tell.

Once down lower on the logging road I again headed into the woods and 'whacked over to the East Branch Trail. Even with the large antler strapped on my back the woods posed no challenge. Once back on the trail it was an easy walk back to my car. I arrived there around 2:45.

Just another fun day in the woods!
a few pic's

 

[Nate]

Onestep, thank you for the trip report. Did you encounter any remnants of the old trail that used to pass between Chandler and Sable? Also, how was crossing the Saco? Is it a rock hop, or should one expect to get their boots wet?

 

[onestep]

Did you encounter any remnants of the old trail that used to pass between Chandler and Sable? Also, how was crossing the Saco?

I looked for clues of the old trail. Other than a well worn foot path I didn't find any. There's a lot of herd paths up there... moose, old trail, who knows.

The Saco was running low. Never got my sneakers wet!

 

[Pig Pen]

Hi Onestep

Thanks for breaking trail on this one, hopefully I can get in there to vulture your tracks before the next snowstorm.

PP

 

[albee]

I did the exact same hike yesterday. Man, you gotta liven up your register entries, Kurt! They're so.... curt.

It appears that the trail coming from the Baldfaces and descending Sable towards Chandler is reasonably passable. The woods are pretty open so it doesn't make much of a difference if you're on the trail or not. It looked like more moose use it than people with all the hoof prints in the churned up soil. I found the trail at about 3,100 or 3,200' coming from Chandler, and lost it at about the same point on my way back down.

I found the old logging road on Black Mountain and followed it up to a split at 2,500', then followed an initially obscure branch of it southwest to 2,700' where it levelled off and started to bypass the summit. I went up a steep slope to the ridge and explored the middle summit bump, even though I could see the true northern summit nearby through the wide open woods. I searched for the old trail that used to run along the ridge but there are so many raspberry bushes that all signs were hidden. I waded up to the true summit and found the outcropping and its leaky PVC cannister. It was a nice spot with views to Chandler, Sable, and the Baldfaces, and limited views of the Wildcats to the west.

Dropped back down to the logging road and had an hour long walk back to the car, including a short bushwhack along Black Brook to regain the East Branch trail. Man, that East Branch trail is in crummy shape! Saw 3 moose up there - 2 of 'em on Chandler Mtn, including one from about 20 feet away as he just stood there and stared at me for 2 or 3 minutes. Couldn't get a clear picture because of branches in the way, and as I tried to maneuver into a better area for a photo he took a step towards me. I decided that there weren't enough trees to hide behind nearby, so I got out of there in a hurry and he did too. What a big, beautiful creature!

While driving back on Slippery Brook road, I passed one of the forest service campsites that had been occupied with college-aged looking kids when I drove by that morning. All that was left was two torn-up trash bags and garbage and beer cans scattered all over the road. This made me so mad that I actually stopped and picked it all up, stuffed it in 2 trash bags, drove it to the Saco ranger station, and threw it in their dumpster. Some people are just so damn inconsiderate!

Oh, and it didn't rain on me at all - which is always nice!

 

[RoySwkr]

Even with the large antler strapped on my back the woods posed no challenge.

The PeakMaster carries antlers in front of him like a shield in thick going. I'm still not sure why moose don't get caught in branches more often.

I hiked Chandler-Sable in winter so I don't know how the footpath was, but there were moose tracks all over.