Diamond Peaks Firetower Site - Proposed - ???????

[Becca M]

Hi All, Question about the Diamond Peaks Proposed Firetower site:

http://www.firelookout.org/lookouts/nh/diamond.htm

says the height was 2071'. If you take the Diamond Peaks Trail, it leads to the the East Peak (2050' per the 29th edition WMG). Last week I searched around for a herd path to the other peak/higher (no trail) but saw no easy way there.

My 1963 WMG (17th edition) states, "Diamond Peaks (2071'): Two small elevations between Dead Diamond and Magalloway Rivers, together composing a nearly semi-circular ridge. Their attractive feature is a high cliff on the concave side of the ridge, facing S. The sharp, semi-detached E peak has a bare summit, while the long and flat W peak affords many viewpoints from the brink of the cliff.

There is no trail, but the circuit of the peaks may be made with little difficulty. Less than 1/4 m. beyond Peaks Camp at the confluence of the two Diamond Rivers an old logging road bears off R (NE) from the auto road at Dart Wentworth Spring. Follow this for 10 min. then its L fork for 10 min. more to where the latter swings off E. The peaks are now visible, and one should strike into the woods, making for the ridge which runs down SE from the E peak. In a couple of hundred feet another older road will be found, which will help for part of the distance. The crest of the ridge is semi-open and leads quickly to the peak.

Fro the summit follow the main ridge down into a gap, from which there is a short scramble up to the beginning of the long ridge which constitutes the W peak. This ridge is followed at first near the edge of the cliff but later, when it begins to descend toward the SW, farther inward along the crest, where the blazes of an old trail may be found. The direction to be kept is SW, toward a clearing with two buildings (the College Grant Management Center), which is visible from several points on the route. This clearing lies on the auto road about 1/2m. N of Peaks Camp at the confluence of the rivers.

Distance. About 3 m. Auto road to E peak, 1 1/2 hrs.; to clearing at road again, 3 1/2 hrs. "

I am somewhat confused as to which peak is which - I know the firetower list is on the honor system (as are all these lists ) but, does it seem like one must do the entire ridge loop to get to the proposed site? Which is the site? Also, it's hard to tell which direction the 1963 description is referring to - clockwise or ccwise?

Anyone have any insight?

Thanks!!!!
--Becca

 

[NHClimber]

From the topo it looks like the WMG description is CCW and that you ascend the east peak first. The topo, however, shows a trail ascending from the west along the ridge going E and the NE. I don't see anything on the historic topos either, except that the access road to the grant used to come in higher up on the Magalloway River.

 

[nartreb]

On the map, the northeast peak is clearly highest - and it looks like 2050'.

There are three peaks. One I'll call the West peak looks like 2010'; it's got only about 50' of prominence above the long east-west ridge joining it to the summit (2050'), which I'll call the northeast peak. South and slightly east of the summit there's a deeper saddle (100') and another peak which I'll call the southeast peak (1994'),

I'm wondering if the 1963 WMG considers the "east peak" to be what I'd call the "southeast peak", and considers both my 'west peak' and 'northeast peak" to be part of the "west peak". That's the only way you get a "semicircular ridge" out of just two peaks, and explains the "long and flat W peak" and, likely, the necessity of scrambling between the "east peak" and the "west peak".

http://caltopo.com/map.html#ll=44.89239,-71.05806&z=16&b=t

Dart Wentworth spring is marked on the map, right at the confluence of the two diamond rivers. The roads aren't marked but it's clear from the description that the plan is to head mostly east (and a bit north), gaining the ridge perhaps near the point marked 1737T. From there you'd follow the ridge over pt 1994 and the summit, then head to the west peak. The map shows a trail along the east-west ridge descending from the summit, continuing near the cliff as described by the WMG, but then it turns due west whereas the WMG advocates bearing straight southwest ; both the trail (according to the map) and a southwest bearing (once the cliff subsides) will get you to the two buildings (visible on the map at BM 1353) near Wentworth Spring.

The description says nothing about where the tower was sited, and once again the coordinates given by the firetower site are inexact. Normally you'd put the tower on the highest point, but I'm curious about the fact that the height of the southeast peak was measured.

 

[NHClimber]

The older 1930's topos do show the 2071 elevation close to the peak that is northwest of the 1994T elevation on the topo linked above. I assume therefore, that the 2071 peak is the east peak.

 

[Becca M]

great info and opinions - yeah, the names of the peaks were what was confusing!!!! Based on your replies, I am pretty convinced the current trail does, in fact, go to the highest point. I'm not sure why it's listed as 2071'.... but, oh well - I don't think I need to go back and do the full circle bushwhack

 

[Andrew]

As one of my favorite mountains and facing some of the same questions while researching and exploring (not for the sake of any lists) I would have to agree with Nartreb. I think there was a disconnect between the newest and earlier editions of the WMG where the newer refers now to the west peak as west and east. The older guides in my opinion referred to the west peak to what is now described as west and east, and the now trail less (and lower) east peak as such (confused?).

Reason being is the description from the older guide mentioning the scramble up to the west peak, which really is not there as the currently described west/east, but does describe from the earlier (lower & trail less) east peak. I'm thinking you stood on the brink of the somewhat precipice thinking how the heck can a trail go down this? Scramble up from the ccw direction of the older guide seems possible and less threatening when climbing. I really wanted to get over to that east peak to get a better view of the seemingly endless boglands on the Magalloway oxbows.

The DOC map does not provide any more insights/details, althouth one of the better tools for The Grant.