A double peak with a spectacular view.
I pulled into the parking lot at 7:30am on a Sunday morning… and it was full. Well, nearly full; I snagged the very last spot available. Other hikers milled about, readying their backpacks for the hike to Mount Osceola. Yes, it is a beautiful sunny weekend in September, prime time for hiking in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. But, gosh, I thought I was an early riser. I thought I’d beat the crowds. I’m glad I came when I did… and it was worth it! read on.
Time for applesauce!
Fall has arrived, more or less – and that means it is apple season! We planted two apple trees in the backyard – one with McIntosh, one with Cortland apples. The Cortlands are heading for a bumper crop, and the deadfall have already been extremely attractive to all the local wildlife.
We spent a few minutes today, shaking the tree to encourage a few more apples to fall… and netted over 12 pounds of cored apples!
Cooked with some cranberries from the freezer, then spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and brown sugar, they soon became 5 quarts of cran-applesauce. Wow! We are set for the winter.
One location, nine days, six types of critter!
I found a new location for my wildlife camera that is creating a feast of images: the backyard apple tree. The apples are ripe, falling from the tree, and feeding the entire neighborhood! Check out this two-minute video review of the local deer, fox, woodchuck, turkey, possum, and porcupine.
First efforts!
We are fortunate to live along the Connecticut River in a rural part of New Hampshire – in the town of Lyme, just a few miles north of Dartmouth College and the Town of Hanover. Surrounded by farmland and forest, and situated in that interstitial space between the forest and the river, we are regularly treated to wildlife sightings. Over the years I have seen and heard moose, deer, bear, fox, coyote, porcupine, skunk, raccoon, groundhog (woodchuck), beaver, mink, fisher (maybe), … not to mention birdlife like turkey, bald eagle, hawk, osprey, egret, heron, goose, duck, loon, and countless other songbirds and waterfowl. And yet, I am certain there is far more happening in our yard and around our house than I happen to see, especially at night. Sebastian, our cat, has surely seen it all… but he’s not talking. So I was pleased to get a pair of wildlife cameras for my birthday. I set up one by the river and one at the edge of a woodpile; here’s what I’ve seen so far.
The gallery includes four captures, in still and video:
I am still experimenting with locations for these cameras, and hope to capture something more interesting soon!
A quick hike to the shortest of the NH 4000-footers.
I wanted to go hiking this weekend, ideally somewhere new — but had little time. So I picked Mount Tecumseh, the shortest of the 48 NH peaks over 4,000 feet in elevation, because it is relatively close to home and only 2.5 miles from trailhead to summit. I had not been there since 1995, so it felt like a new hike!
As always, it’s a good day to be out… read on.
A remarkably challenging loop over two of the smallest NH 4000-footers.
I could not remember the last (only) time I hiked Mount Whiteface and Mount Passaconaway, two non-descript peaks in the eastern section of the White Mountain National Forest here in New Hampshire. My records show that I climbed in 1996, when I was wrapping up my effort to climb all 48 of the NH peaks over 4,000 feet in elevation. Today, when I drove along the dirt road and approached the trailhead, a strong memory flashed into my head… a memory of the meadow beside the parking area, of remote farmhouses nestled between the road and the burbling brook known as the Wonalancet River, of plodding down that dirt road after a long hike with friends. Today, 27 years later, I was back because it seemed like a nice opportunity to revisit some trails and peaks I’d seen before but since forgotten. Read on!
An abbreviated but beautiful overnight hiking trip.
We had planned this outing for months, and I was jealously guarding these dates on my calendar. Alex and Jeff and I were determined to make a four-day, three-night backpacking trip in the White Mountain National Forest (WMNF), here in New Hampshire. The weather had other plans, with heavy rain and strong thunderstorms in the forecast. We squeezed our trip into two days, and it all turned out well; read on!
Hot, humid, and muddy.
One of my favorite go-to hikes is to climb Mount Cube via the Rivendell Trail. Today, after three weeks of nearly non-stop rain, a friend and I planned an early start to avoid the forecast of hot/humid temperatures, and likely thunderstorms, later in the morning and afternoon. We arrived at the trailhead at 6:30 and climbed through the morning fog. The trail was extremely wet, requiring us to step over, around, or through many muddy patches, but the going was otherwise easy. We snatched brief views at the two outlooks along the way, but arrived on the summit in the clouds. After about 10 minutes, the clouds (really, fog) rose and allowed us a glimpse of neighboring smarts mountain.
It’s always a good day when one is out in the mountains.
Hike stats:
Distance: 4.1 miles
Time: 2h43
Gain: 1995′
Early morning is best!
Mount Cardigan is one of my local go-to mountains when I want to get up and out, without a long drive. It is extremely popular because it is a relatively short hike and offers a bare granite summit with long views in all directions. I tend to go early, to beat the crowds, but that was especially important today… at 7am the temperature was already in the high 60s and extremely humid, with thunderstorms possible in late morning and afternoon. Read on!
Not one, not two, but three!
Earlier this week I came home to find this brown fuzzy critter browsing the grass and the clover in our yard, as the sun set and the dusk began to creep across the lawn.
David Kotz 