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Middle Sister

Another peak on a hazy day.

Despite the stagnant weather – which has left us to suffer without rain for two weeks, in hot, hazy, and humid conditions suffused with smoke from distant Canadian wildfires – I was itching to get out for one more hike. Today I scampered up a small peak with an unassuming name but a fantastic view: Middle Sister. This granite-topped peak formerly hosted a stone firetower, offering nearly 360º views of the southern high peaks’ region of what is now White Mountain National Forest. One of three bumps on a ridge connected to their more famous neighbor, Mount Chocorua, the Three Sisters have views nearly as good but with far fewer people. Indeed, it’s possible I was the only visitor to Middle Sister and First Sister today. Read on!

Photo of Mount Chocorua from First Sister peak — Mount Chocorua seen from First Sister peak – White Mountains NH.

Lyme wildlife – July (part 2)

The second installment in a two-part post of July/August wildlife videos.

Over the past two years, most of my wildlife videos have been captured by cameras placed on a hill near my home. In this post – my final post of wildlife-camera video until next year – I have some pretty neat stuff to share. Lots of bobcats and black bears! Read on to watch both videos.

bear cub crossing a log right in front of the camera…

Bald Peak

Another smoky summit.

A friend and I were eager to get out hiking, today. The forecast showed a risk of thunderstorms in early afternoon, so we opted for a short hike: to Bald Peak. As one of the peaks on the “52 with a view” list, it promised some nice views from the shoulder of the Kinsman Range toward the west. Unfortunately, the lingering smoke from Canadian wildfires left us with a hazy view at best. Still, it was a worthwhile hike to a nice viewpoint.

David and Ken on Bald Peak, with a hazy view.
Mount Moosilauke is high in the haze and clouds in the left distance.

Hiroshima

Never forget.

Earlier today, Japan recognized the 80th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima – a date one can never forget. When we visited Hiroshima in September, I was struck by the simplicity of the commemorative park’s design – and by the tremendous emotional power conveyed by that similarity.

Hiroshima Peace Park, Japan (September 2024).

Lyme wildlife – July (part 1)

The first of two installments of video from my wildlife cameras.

It felt like we had a slow start to summer here in Lyme, but my wildlife cameras nonetheless captured bears, bobcats, and more. In this post, I’ll share two videos spanning July 1 through August 5.

California hiking

Not my normal environment!

I was in San Francisco all week for a conference and some meetings. Today, I had a spare day to spend with my two sons. So, in the morning Andy and I had the chance to visit the famous Exploratorium science museum (on a pier where the city meets San Francisco Bay); in the afternoon John and I took a hike in the hills above San Carlos (further down the peninsula) overlooking the Bay.

View of San Francisco Bay from trails in the Pulgas Ridge reserve, San Carlos CA.

Second College Grant

A wilderness refuge in northern New Hampshire.

Regular readers will have seen my three posts about hikes this past weekend –Sugarloaf, Magalloway, and North Percy Peak – all in far northern New Hampshire. I was visiting that region for a Dartmouth event in the Second College Grant – a Dartmouth-owned township spanning 42 square miles of forest, wetland, and wilderness. Dartmouth manages it for sustainable timber production, recreation, research, and education. It has a fascinating history dating back before the American Revolution.

the Dead Diamond River, near Monahan’s Bathtub. Dartmouth’s Second College Grant.

Percy Peaks

My third hike in three days – again, with limited views.

They say the third time’s the charm. Two days ago I hiked to the summit of Sugarloaf Mountain, nestled among the rolling hills and bogs of Nash Stream Forest in northern New Hampshire. Though I had waited out the rainstorm before hiking, the low clouds clung to the nearby peaks and the summit offered limited views. Yesterday, sunny weather with cloudless skies offered better luck for our hike to Mount Magalloway, whose fire tower provides wide views into Canada, Vermont, Maine, and the northern-most tip of New Hampshire… only to be foiled by dense wildfire smoke drifting in from faraway Manitoba.

Views from North Percy Peak on a cloudy, rainy day.

Today we struck out to climb the Percy Peaks, a pair of notable nubbins just downstream from Sugarloaf in the Nash Stream Forest. (I had a view of these paired peaks two days ago.)

Mount Magalloway

Irony: this fire tower’s views were obscured by smoke from wildfires.

The afternoon sun burned hot overhead as we bumped along miles of remote dirt roads, in the far northern corner of New Hampshire. We were aiming for one of the most remote peaks on the “52 with a view” list – Mount Magalloway. This steep-sided peak has a commanding view of the rolling hills of northern New Hampshire, a sparsely populated region that has long been an important source of timber and pulp. A coalition of timber-management companies built this fire tower in 1935, where a fire warden would keep a keen eye out for the emergence of any fires – which could clearly be devastating to their business.

Jon and the views from the fire tower on Mount Magalloway.

Sugarloaf Mountain

Another 52WAV without a view.

As I sat in my car waiting for the rain to let up, while parked far up a remote dirt road in northern New Hampshire, I read again the description of the trail I was about to follow. It was quite steep, apparently, but this small peak promised strong views in almost every direction. Read on and check out the photo gallery!