BIGEarl
Well-known member
April 29, 2011: Moosilauke via Beaver Brook
Trails: Beaver Brook Trail
Summits: Moosilauke
Hikers: CINDERSMON (Nancy), Trail Trotter (Sue), and me
Plan A was a hike of Twins, Galehead, and Garfield. We met early and got started from the end of Little River Road as planned. We were hiking the bushwhack bypass to the first two crossings of Little River. Roughly three miles into the hike, a short distance before the second trail crossing of Little River, we came to a usually small feeder stream that dumps into Little River from the east. We spent ~15 to 20 minutes trying to come up with a way across and decided we really needed to come up with a Plan B for the day. We headed back to the truck where Nancy had her hike list and we looked for a good common target. Moosilauke from Beaver Brook came out on top. I have always wanted to see the cascades on Beaver Brook Trail in high water conditions. This is the day.
We loaded our things into the truck and headed back to our ending location to collect the other truck. Soon we were on the run to Kinsman Notch and the trailhead for Beaver Brook Trail. We arrived ready to hike, already having done a six-mile warm-up from the end of Little River Road. We grabbed our things and took off. The sky was clear, no wind, and a warm temperature. At this point we were starting out much later than usual but this one is a short hike and we had plenty of time complete the hike and enjoy the scenery along the way.
There are several crossings between the trailhead and the cascades on Beaver Brook Trail. Two of the crossings have a bridge but the others do not. Usually they are an easy rock-hop but currently a little extra thought is needed to reach the far side with dry feet. We made our way through these early tests without any big problem, passed the DOC sign-in station and warning sign, and headed for the cascades. Along the way there was one final crossing before we pulled out the snowshoes. The conditions were very warm, Nancy had already zipped the legs off from her hiking pants, and Sue decided to rinse-off in the final stream crossing. Unfortunately, I missed it – there is no photographic evidence.
With the snowshoes on and the heel lifts up we started the steep climb along the cascades. As expected, the sights and sounds were incredible. Even if you only hike in to the cascades to experience the high water conditions it’s really worth the trip. The climb to the Asquam Ridge Trail junction was generally as expected. The traction was good and we were able to complete the climb on snowshoes, there was very little ice along the way, and the narrow monorail was relatively easy to hike on but drift off to one side or the other and you’re going in deep. Along the way we got a lot of pictures and videos of the cascades, which for me is the main attraction of Beaver Brook Trail at any time. We passed the spur to Beaver Brook Shelter and slowly the steepness of the trail moderated. Soon we were at the trail junction – the half-way point (half-way in distance only, way past half-way in elevation). After a quick break we continued.
The trail conditions were more difficult from the Asquam Ridge Trail junction to the treeline. The rotting snow was very deep and unsupportive, the monorail was extremely narrow, and the trail surface was still high enough to have us plowing through branches that are normally high above the trail. In the area of Mt. Blue the trail seems to reach its worse for conditions. Snowshoes with plenty of traction helped us stay on the monorail and get through the hike from Asquam Ridge Trail to the treeline with no big problems. As we were contouring around the upper part of Mt. Blue Sue became aware of the sticky snow conditions and it was time for a snowman.
The remainder of the hike to the treeline was simply a matter of stay on the monorail and don’t posthole. We hit the junction with Benton Trail and headed to the treeline. I expected an added layer would be needed but the conditions were still pretty mild. High overcast had moved in since we started but the visibility under the clouds was good making for very nice distance views. At the treeline we removed our snowshoes and continued on bare ground to the summit. It was a little breezy but nothing that required us to layer-up to stay comfortable. We hit the summit, got the usual summit pictures and a few view shots, and were soon headed back to the treeline to collect our snowshoes for our exit hike.
On the way back out we met a couple with MicroSpikes on their feet and snowshoes on their packs – oh well. Soon, we were at the mid-point and preparing for the steep descent along the cascades. Descending this section will test the traction of your snowshoes. We managed to work our way from top to bottom with only one small slip along the way. Early on the climb there is a place where the trail goes to the edge of the cascade with a few handholds. Ice builds in this area making it very difficult in winter. There is a winter bypass that circles away from the cascade and then returns to the trail. Sue and Nancy followed the bypass in both directions and I stayed with the actual trail ascending and descending. The bypass goes over some large blowdowns, which can be difficult under the current conditions. I think staying with the trail might be easier at this point.
We made it to the location where we initially pulled out the snowshoes and stopped to pack them away for the remainder of the hike. We also met a couple with no winter gear making their way up the trail and experiencing some really deep postholes. The woman said with a smile “we didn’t expect all the snow”. The guy just stayed quiet and kept walking. It’s amazing what some guys will do for a woman. Clearly, this guy wanted to be someplace else.
We finished off the hike on bare boots, just the way we started. The lower crossings that were not bridged seemed about the same at the end as they were earlier in the day; the runoff didn’t seem to increase the overall flow. Soon we were stepping into the trailhead lot having finished a nice Plan B recovery for the day.
It was a pleasure to meet and hike with Nancy; hopefully we’ll get together for more trail miles again soon. Sorry Plan A didn’t work out but we all needed Plan B for our list-chasing activities and it was probably the best move we could have made.
Thanks Sue. Section III of your April vacation is underway. This was a good start.
I’ve posted some pictures from the day.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Straight to the slideshow
Trails: Beaver Brook Trail
Summits: Moosilauke
Hikers: CINDERSMON (Nancy), Trail Trotter (Sue), and me
Plan A was a hike of Twins, Galehead, and Garfield. We met early and got started from the end of Little River Road as planned. We were hiking the bushwhack bypass to the first two crossings of Little River. Roughly three miles into the hike, a short distance before the second trail crossing of Little River, we came to a usually small feeder stream that dumps into Little River from the east. We spent ~15 to 20 minutes trying to come up with a way across and decided we really needed to come up with a Plan B for the day. We headed back to the truck where Nancy had her hike list and we looked for a good common target. Moosilauke from Beaver Brook came out on top. I have always wanted to see the cascades on Beaver Brook Trail in high water conditions. This is the day.
We loaded our things into the truck and headed back to our ending location to collect the other truck. Soon we were on the run to Kinsman Notch and the trailhead for Beaver Brook Trail. We arrived ready to hike, already having done a six-mile warm-up from the end of Little River Road. We grabbed our things and took off. The sky was clear, no wind, and a warm temperature. At this point we were starting out much later than usual but this one is a short hike and we had plenty of time complete the hike and enjoy the scenery along the way.
There are several crossings between the trailhead and the cascades on Beaver Brook Trail. Two of the crossings have a bridge but the others do not. Usually they are an easy rock-hop but currently a little extra thought is needed to reach the far side with dry feet. We made our way through these early tests without any big problem, passed the DOC sign-in station and warning sign, and headed for the cascades. Along the way there was one final crossing before we pulled out the snowshoes. The conditions were very warm, Nancy had already zipped the legs off from her hiking pants, and Sue decided to rinse-off in the final stream crossing. Unfortunately, I missed it – there is no photographic evidence.
With the snowshoes on and the heel lifts up we started the steep climb along the cascades. As expected, the sights and sounds were incredible. Even if you only hike in to the cascades to experience the high water conditions it’s really worth the trip. The climb to the Asquam Ridge Trail junction was generally as expected. The traction was good and we were able to complete the climb on snowshoes, there was very little ice along the way, and the narrow monorail was relatively easy to hike on but drift off to one side or the other and you’re going in deep. Along the way we got a lot of pictures and videos of the cascades, which for me is the main attraction of Beaver Brook Trail at any time. We passed the spur to Beaver Brook Shelter and slowly the steepness of the trail moderated. Soon we were at the trail junction – the half-way point (half-way in distance only, way past half-way in elevation). After a quick break we continued.
The trail conditions were more difficult from the Asquam Ridge Trail junction to the treeline. The rotting snow was very deep and unsupportive, the monorail was extremely narrow, and the trail surface was still high enough to have us plowing through branches that are normally high above the trail. In the area of Mt. Blue the trail seems to reach its worse for conditions. Snowshoes with plenty of traction helped us stay on the monorail and get through the hike from Asquam Ridge Trail to the treeline with no big problems. As we were contouring around the upper part of Mt. Blue Sue became aware of the sticky snow conditions and it was time for a snowman.
The remainder of the hike to the treeline was simply a matter of stay on the monorail and don’t posthole. We hit the junction with Benton Trail and headed to the treeline. I expected an added layer would be needed but the conditions were still pretty mild. High overcast had moved in since we started but the visibility under the clouds was good making for very nice distance views. At the treeline we removed our snowshoes and continued on bare ground to the summit. It was a little breezy but nothing that required us to layer-up to stay comfortable. We hit the summit, got the usual summit pictures and a few view shots, and were soon headed back to the treeline to collect our snowshoes for our exit hike.
On the way back out we met a couple with MicroSpikes on their feet and snowshoes on their packs – oh well. Soon, we were at the mid-point and preparing for the steep descent along the cascades. Descending this section will test the traction of your snowshoes. We managed to work our way from top to bottom with only one small slip along the way. Early on the climb there is a place where the trail goes to the edge of the cascade with a few handholds. Ice builds in this area making it very difficult in winter. There is a winter bypass that circles away from the cascade and then returns to the trail. Sue and Nancy followed the bypass in both directions and I stayed with the actual trail ascending and descending. The bypass goes over some large blowdowns, which can be difficult under the current conditions. I think staying with the trail might be easier at this point.
We made it to the location where we initially pulled out the snowshoes and stopped to pack them away for the remainder of the hike. We also met a couple with no winter gear making their way up the trail and experiencing some really deep postholes. The woman said with a smile “we didn’t expect all the snow”. The guy just stayed quiet and kept walking. It’s amazing what some guys will do for a woman. Clearly, this guy wanted to be someplace else.
We finished off the hike on bare boots, just the way we started. The lower crossings that were not bridged seemed about the same at the end as they were earlier in the day; the runoff didn’t seem to increase the overall flow. Soon we were stepping into the trailhead lot having finished a nice Plan B recovery for the day.
It was a pleasure to meet and hike with Nancy; hopefully we’ll get together for more trail miles again soon. Sorry Plan A didn’t work out but we all needed Plan B for our list-chasing activities and it was probably the best move we could have made.
Thanks Sue. Section III of your April vacation is underway. This was a good start.
I’ve posted some pictures from the day.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Straight to the slideshow
Last edited:
