Mt Israel

 We had unseasonably warm temperatures this week, so Laura and I busted loose and took a week day off to explore while the weather was so nice. Thankfully the weather was nice, because the rest of the hike... was an adventure. We arrived at the Mead Base Camp in Sandwich which generously allows parking for the trail, to find cows on the loose! We had read the parking area was muddy and boy, was it ever?! We got ready and headed out on the Wentworth Trail. I had hiked this trail several years ago in June. This was an entirely different experience. We wore spikes as the ground cover seemed thin enough to not warrant snowshoes. That was our biggest mistake. During this in between season, it's pretty beneficial to carry all the traction. What conditions may be like down below does not necessarily match conditions at elevation. We started out OK, although the trail does immediately start to climb so as usual, I found myself out of breath right away. I like a little build up before the climb to get myself warmed up. As we continued the snow cover deepened and we found ourselves sinking through the snow as had others before us. It was an arduous climb that took much longer than it should have, but we were taking care to make sure our steps were not going to send us sliding over the edge. Some very short sections are rather steep and although well covered in trees, no one wants to find out if a tree is strong enough to stop a fall. Eventually we made it to the summit area, where the snow was deep enough that some of our postholing was almost hip deep. It was a crystal clear, bluebird day.. but honestly, I was done. I wasn't having fun in the conditions. The snow was softening as the day warmed, so while I think snowshoes would have been better up high, I still think we would have been sinking some. We enjoyed a few minutes on the summit cairn taking pictures and video. The views up there really are beautiful and we were so lucky with the weather. It was a bit windy, but the views for miles made up for that. We contemplated the descent and how messy it would be but once we started to get a bit chilly, we just went for it. It definitely was messy, the snow had melted considerably even since our ascent. We were tired and just ready to be done, so we went a lot quicker going down, gravity helping us to slip and slide through the slush. Thankfully no major incidents and we made it back to the car in an hour less than going up! In retrospect, it was a good hike, the views were incredible and we were away from work enjoying the outdoors. Can't complain about that. 

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Cows and mud in the parking lot

water crossings are starting to fill as the snow melts

summit cairn

looking back at Mt Israel on our way out

Bog Mountain via SRK Greenway Sections 6 & 7

 Today my buddy Laura and I hiked our first car spot traverse. I was wildly excited about just hiking and not having to double back. So much so, I almost forgot to take the key to the car spot with me as we were heading out. Thankfully I remembered at the last second and crisis was averted. We left my car at Wilmot Town Hall and drove to the trailhead on Lakeshore Drive. Our plan was to hike the Sunapee Ragged Kearsarge Greenway's sections 6 and 7. As we were gearing up, another couple of ladies were dropping their car spot for Section 5. Love it. Section 6 starts out coinciding with some trails in the New London Conservation Commission's trail network. The beginning is Wolf Tree Trail which almost immediately climbs up. I knew this thankfully and was mentally prepared. It's not a crazy climb, but a good steady incline, enough to get the blood flowing. The up does seem to go for a long time, but as my Suunto kept telling me, it really wasn't, only about 1.5 miles. We just took our time and enjoyed the picture perfect day. The trail weaves about and up the side of an unnamed hill with no real views, just beautiful trees and nature. At one point we passed a plaque on a stone wall announcing the former homestead of the Bunker family and their 12 children. I'm sure there are more artifacts to see, but for now everything was covered in snow. We briefly joined the Webb Forest Interpretive Trail which had some numbered plaques denoting different points of interest (again all covered in snow at this time) before turning onto the final trail of this section, the White Pine Trail. The NLCC trails are well marked with maps at each intersection. The SRK Greenway is also well marked with white trapezoid blazes. We had no issues at any time during the day following the trail. White Pine Trail meanders down the other side of the unnamed hill through some open areas before reaching NH 4A at Schoolhouse Lane in Wilmot. Here we crossed the road and had an interesting descent down to the Kimpton Brook Trail, which was on the other side of the guardrail. Due to the season the pile of snow/ice created from plowing the road made it a little hairy, considering a slip would send you into the brook below. We made it safely and crossed the bridge over Kimpton Brook. We were now on Section 7 of the SRK Greenway. The first 1.4 miles follows Kimpton Brook Trail which is another lovely walk/mild climb through the woods, crossing Kimpton Brook several times before reaching Stearns Road. Another climb over plowed snow/ice and we were climbing Bog Mountain Trail 1.0 mile to the summit of Bog Mountain. This is a steady incline the whole way which was a little icy in places today with the blazing sun shining on the snow. Our spikes were necessary and sufficient for our travels. We passed a group of 3 on their way down, these were the only folks we saw all day! A beautiful vista over Mt Kearsarge and surrounds greets you just before the final push to the summit. The summit itself has beautiful views over towards Mt Sunapee. I had been up here 6 years ago and was met with total whiteout conditions, so today's crystal clear views were amazing. A memorial bench provides a wonderful spot to sit and enjoy the view. There is also a "Little Library" next to the bench which was all wrapped up for the season. In Summer it would be a perfect place to sit and relax with a book. By this point we were starting to get tired and the slight breeze was making us cold so we had a quick snack and headed on over the summit. This side of Bog Mountain Trail was far less traveled, so the foot bed, while established, was very soft. We slipped and slid our way down off the summit, probably made a little more ridiculous by our fatigue. With the leafless trees there was a gorgeous view over towards Kearsarge. Eventually we reached the trailhead on Pinnacle Road. A quick road walk down Pinnacle to N Wilmot Road and to my car at the Town Hall. We were definitely done by this point, but the day was amazing. 

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Wolf Tree Trail head on Lakeshore Drive

plaque denoting Bunker family homestead

White Pine Trail on Schoolhouse Lane

start of Kimpton Brook Trail on NH 4A

other end of Kimpton Brook Trail on Stearns Rd

Bog Mountain Trail on Stearns Rd

Finishing Beaver Brook Association

 My 6th and final trip to complete redlining at Beaver Brook Association. It was a gorgeous day out and some recent warming temps have left the trails mostly icy with some hard packed snow and even some bare ground in between. I wore spikes the entire time and definitely needed them most of the way. I parked on Rt 130 at the Jeff Smith Trail, opposite where I had been a few weeks before when tackling the northern trail network. I headed down and not far into the trail encountered a small logging operation. Thankfully they weren't working today and it was easy enough to see where the trail continued. The smell of fresh timber was a little bonus to make up for the muddy conditions in that area. The trail took a right turn at an intersection with Shoen Road and I then turned onto the French Meadow Loop Trail. This took me out to an overlook with a couple benches and then rejoined Jeff Smith Trail, which continued until reaching West Hollis Rd. I retraced my steps back to Shoen Road and took the right following to O'Neill Road. This led out to a cul-de-sac on Irene Drive. Retracing my steps again, I did a quick out and back on French Meadow Cutoff to Nichols Trail where I had been a couple weeks ago, then followed O'Neill Road back to Dan Smith Road. Definitely handy to have a good map when exploring this place! Everything is well marked, but it's easy to get yourself turned around if you're not following your progress on a map. I took Dan Smith Road all the way to Elkins Road, took a right and headed downhill to the intersection with Eastman Meadow Trail. I had been on this little section a few weeks ago, but thought it easier to make a loop to finish off the section of Jason's Cutoff that I needed. This was the steadiest climbing all day. None of these trails have any real points of interest along them, but they are still fun trails to just be out and enjoying the beautiful outdoors. I doubled back on Dan Smith Trail to Elkins Road, but this time took a left and followed it to Shoen Road. A right on Shoen Road leads you in between some private residences on what was definitely the messiest section of the day with some deep muddy ruts to Rt 130. More doubling back, this time continuing on Shoen Road to Meadow Trail. This was an out and back across a meadow, past a cellar hole of an original homesteader in the area and down to Rt 130. This trail was the least traveled of my day, however there was still an established path making it easy to follow. Back on Shoen Road, I followed to Dan Smith Road where I had been earlier today and back to Brook Trail. My last trail of the park! I passed some interesting artifacts along this trail, possibly next to an old cellar hole. With everything covered in snow it was hard to tell. I quickly arrived back at Shoen Road and Jeff Smith Trail and back to the car. I really enjoyed my time at Beaver Brook Association over the 6 trips it took me to complete. I'm sure it looks very different in Summer, I could be tempted to come back and explore some more then! However for now it's on to the next redlining adventure. 

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