By Thomas Best
Last week I began sharing with you further information about my wife’s and my trip to New England last September. We previously discussed our stay in Littleton, New Hampshire. This week I want to discuss the hiking opportunities I had in the White Mountains.
A heavily forested terrain dotted rocky cliffs is likely a good way to describe these picturesque mountains. A favorite elevated playground for both beginning and serious hikers, there are hundreds of trails ranging from easily traversed paved paths accessible to those in wheel chairs to devilishly challenging trails reaching above 6,000 feet.
I first had the drive to ascend one of the most scenic trails called the Franconia Notch Loop. A hike to three mountain peaks rising to over 4,000 to 5,000 feet, I had to pass on this trek because a hurricane had moved inland and drenched this area with both heavy rain and winds over 75 miles per hour. Instead, I decided to hike up Mount Willard in nearby “Crawford’s Notch.”
Nicknamed “Mount Willy” and considered an easier ascent, I was fortunate to make my climb on a day with no rain and little wind. The trail starts at the Crawford Notch Railroad Station. This site also services one of the scenic railroad trips one can make through the White Mountains (Pam and I enjoyed that adventure later). It took me about 2 and a half hours to reach the top. Along with way there are tangled trails with plenty of small rocks, tree roots, small streams, and overhanging tree branches. I had the trail pretty much to myself on this weekday, so having the chance to share stories and ask for a friendly request to take my picture to prove my adventure was limited. Weaving my way to the top at around 3,000 feet, the summit is marked by barren gray rocks, a glimpse toward scenic Mount Washington to your rear, and—most of all—a stunning gaze down into Crawford Notch. Spying the highway and railroad line, I ventured out toward the edge of a series of rocky ledges, but not so far to make my wife think I had some death wish when I took pictures.
A few days later, this time with Pam along with me, we climbed to Artist’s Bluff in the Franconia Notch. While the guide book assured us that this was an easy climb, it was anything but that. The trail was quite narrow and cluttered with large tree roots (one area with a root which resembled a giant snake). Sharp rocks of all shapes and sizes and uneven trails and demanded that you had to finish the final assault with lots of huffing and puffing. Yet, upon reaching the summit, I was impressed with a scene featuring a lake mirroring the hillsides of the Franconia Notch.
Over our five days in New Hampshire, we made other small hikes to eye-catching places with names such as Diana’s Baths (a series of cascading waterfalls) and Madison Boulder (the largest glacial erratic stone the size of a house). While our fit bits told us about how many thousands of steps we had hiked, it will be the memories of hiking in the White Mountains that will last with us forever.
Thank you for listening.
