Sentinel Mt. - 1680'

Sentinel Mountain

August 30, 2008

After two weeks of shuttling scholars somewhere we were back on the trail. The Ossipee area is getting some buzz now that a good trail map has materialized. 

An overcast day minimized the view from the top. Looking out over Dan Hole Pond toward Camp Sentinel. 

The obligatory call with Canaan Mt. over Muh's shoulder.

Muh checking out our first cache in a long time. A pretty lame one.

The highlight of the day was finding and picking about a pint of delicious blackberries on the way down.

There were even a few wild raspberries...which tasted "interesting."

Arethusa Falls - 2000'

Arethusa Falls

August 10, 2008

Little Missy came home from her summer research and we took the long drive up to Crawford Notch to visit Arethusa Falls. The trail was in miserable shape. Tons of tourists ripping up the muddy trail. Tourists? Yes, the kind who thought we were geniuses for bringing "ski poles" with us.

The babes and the scenery were photogenic today.

Purple fungus!

Falls and Dolls

The whole gang (-1)...

Who's the Mommy and who's the daughter?

The "model" pose...

Duh's getting some sugar...

Sunset Hill - 1800'

August 2, 2008

Muh had an ulterior motive on this one. We had to combine a quick hike with a trip to the spectacular New Hampshire League of Craftsman's Fair. We parked in The Fells parking lot and went across the street to the Sunset Hill trail head. This was pretty much a blind hike. We had no idea what to expect. The view from the top was a bit obscured.



The Fair was across Lake Sunapee at the base of the ski area (of which we had a good view).




A few Indian Pipes casting long shadows.

Greeley Ponds

July 19, 2008

Seeking a cool height-of-the-summer trip we took off for a relatively flat destination hike to the lower and upper Greeley Ponds in Mad River Notch. Seclusion. Beauty.

A nice surprise on the way home was finding Half Baked on Main St. in Lincoln. Duh had a delicious savory rustic torte.

Can you identify these blue berries?




Muh soaking her dogs in Upper Greeley Pond with East Peak watching us. (Also, the obligatory on-call one bar phone call--I remember that Muh was talking to Wilkie that day.)





The reflection of one of Mt. Kancamagus' neighbors/



Duh must have said something...he knows that look :-)




Muh checking out some backwoods handiwork on the Greeley Ponds Trail. We parked at the Kanc trail head and pulled a U-turn at the upper pond.

Charles Ward Reservation

July 12

This was something out of the ordinary--a hike that was more-or-less local. The Charles Ward Reservation is a hidden gem. The most distinctive feature is Pine Hole Bog, a rare quaking bog. Very cool indeed. Mosquitoes cut our walk along the interpretive boardwalk short of our goal to find a pitcher plant.

The incredibly wet weather created ideal fungus fortune. Mushrooms of all sizes,, shapes and colors--including red, mauve, and blue!

Indian pipe

A very cool dew dripper.

Atop Holt Hill, at 420' Essex County's highpoint, is a solstice stone configuration.

The non-ski area side of Boston Hill is crowned with Elephant Rock.

The same wet weather that gave rise to the fungus also filled tire rut pools with juvenile frogs.