It was a gorgeous afternoon and I was feeling the need to take in some views. I had read about Craney Hill fire tower in Henniker. It's accessible year round, but supposedly only open 2 weekends a year. I couldn't find anything relevant for 2018 dates, but based on past years the 2nd and 3rd weekends in October seemed to be the go. So I took the chance and headed over to Henniker. Craney Hill Road sure is one steep road, but I found the gated entrance easily enough. I didn't notice the sign that some had suggested would be out if the tower was in fact open, but there were several other cars so I kept my hopes up. A brief walk up an access road, with about 200ft of elevation gain brings you to a clearing with the tower. As I began, a couple on a tandem bike with a pup started riding up. I don't know how they did it, some of the trail was filled with pretty large rocks and it was quite wet from rain the week prior. But they did! I was impressed. I had expected to find people at the tower since there were at least 3 cars at the gate, but no one was around and the tower was all locked up. I was disappointed. There are no views from the base of the tower, the trees are too tall. I tried wandering around a little to see if there were any clearings. The trail did continue on past the tower, which I'm guessing is where the occupants of the vehicles as well as the cyclists had gone on to, but without knowing the area or where that trail went I opted not to go too far. As I headed back down the trail to my car, a couple with a baby carrier came up and mentioned they had hoped the tower would be open too. At least I can check Craney Hill off my fire tower list and maybe I'll try again next year to get up the tower!
Strava Activity
Not being satisfied with the views I got from Craney Hill, I ventured back to Pitcher Mountain having been there twice before and knowing I could get big bang for my buck with relatively little effort. This time I decided to make a loop of it and headed up the Blue Trail, which I hadn't done before. A little shorter at only roughly 0.3 miles and a little steeper, this made for a nice loop.. even if I did trip on a rock and smash my shin creating a nice lump and hematoma! The views from the top were amazing, especially on such a beautiful day. I was greeted by a little field mouse on the tower today, he was so cute! I then returned via the Monadnock-Sunapee Greenway savoring the views across the open field about halfway down. Perfect Fall day!
 |
| views heading down the MSG |
No comments:
Post a Comment