Monoosnoc Trail - 10/29/00
|
Trip Report by Nancy:
On Sunday morning, we awoke to sunny skies, yet a forecast for chilling temperatures and snow.
Snow on the Mountain Laurel
Five hikers (Nancy, Seth, Ken, Tom and Dave)
decided to brave the elements and hike the Monoosnoc Trail (Leominster, MA) anyway. Though
there were snow flurries in the air throughout the day, the skies were
relatively clear and the air was fresh and brisk.
We dropped cars at the Northern terminus of the trail and shuttled to the
South end to begin our hike. We started out walking on an old cart road
around Fall Brook Reservoir, one of 3 reservoirs we would pass on the
hike. There is something about hiking with water views that has always
inspired me. In addition, we passed through some old granite quarries and
the remains of the village of Notown, where we spent quite a bit of time
looking at the old cellar holes.
There were 2 small hills to be climbed, the second being Monoosnoc Hill.
The trail description was accurate in stating that the view was limited
due to the foliage on the trees - and recommended climbing the lone pine
tree at the summit to get a view of the New Hamphsire peaks.
Unfortunately nobody in the group was willing to climb the tree.
Overall it was a wonderful hike and the weather, though a little blustery,
did not dampen our spirits at all. I think we were all amazed at how much
wilderness land there is in Leominster. I will be scouting the trail
again in the next few weeks as a Mountain Bike trail. Ken plans to go
back next June when all the Mountain Laurel will be in bloom.
Snow on the Fern
| 
Nancy, Seth, Tom, and Dave get ready to head out
The First Reservoir
Mountain Laurel
Crossing the Bridge
Notown
The sign reads: "4th Stage Monoosnoc March Begins HERE 1:00pm"
We're actually on time for something, arriving at 12:59:38!
Nobody else was there, though--but we were, and on time!
The View
|
|
| Mt. Kidder (Dogs Welcome) - 10/28/00
Joss
It was a bright and windy day...Eight of us plus three pups made the
easy hike to the top of Mt. Kidder in Temple, NH.
Erich
Kidder is relatively little effort for some great views, and you'll
find Your Webmaster there on a regular basis.
Pam with Shadow
The last time we were there was in July,
where we had our fill of blueberries! This time out the
blueberries were long gone, as was the foliage, but the views, the
trail, and the company were just as good as the last time!
We just arrived at the summit  ,
and we continued to where we had lunch. 
Erich and Joss were licking their chops for some of Dawn's cookies and
brownies (thank you, Dawn!!!) 
...while Bob, Marilyn, Pam, and Shadow enjoyed their mid-day meal.
Hey, Arnie! 
Here's the gang: 
It was a lot of fun having the pups along---I hope we do this again!
(reminder: click on the smaller pictures to
see the full-sized ones)
|
| Holyoke Range West (a.k.a. Seven Sisters) - 10/22/00
In back: Tyler, Martin, Jerry, Dave, Your Webmaster, Nicky the Dog
Up front: Dayhike With Deb's Deb, Robin
Fabulous weather greeted us at the Holyoke Range this time.
Usually Your Webmaster hits it on the hottest day of the year, but not
this year! Although to many this hike is fairly mundane, it is a
hike which will let you know that you've done something, considering
you're going from peak to peak all day long (you tend to lose count
after a while). But the one outstanding thing about the hike is
the view you get the entire way. I'll let the pictures speak for
themselves.
/ 
Amherst / Springfield and Hartford in the
distance
/ 
/ 
Deb with the Mt. Tom Range in the background /
The Gang takes a pause / Autumn yellows
/ 
End-of-hike photo ops! Just before we headed
down to the parking lot.
|
Ireland - 10/16/00
Photos and text sent in by Dan D.
|
| Beaver Brook - 10/9/00
People often ask, "How many people usually come out on
activities?" and I guess at a number.
Then they follow up with, "What's the fewest?" to
which I answer: 
:-)
Another great day at Beaver Brook in Hollis, NH!
|
Morgan-Percival - 10/7/00
Photos by Dawn S. and Ken L.
When you see the pictures, you'll realize just how
incorrect this "reliable weather forecast" was.
We arrived at the Mt. Morgan trailhead around 10:30am and
walked a bit down the road to the Mt. Percival trailhead to start our hike
there. This is a wonderful loop with some fun surprises, as you've
undoubtedly read about in the report for our June
hike to that area. Lisa D., "Pokey" Patty P., Dawn S.,
and Your Webmaster enjoyed a super hike with great weather, and here are
some pictures from our adventure.
Lisa, Patty, and Dawn take a break |
Negotiating the cave near the top of Mt. Percival |
Patty negotiating the tricky parts after the cave |
Dawn, Patty, Your Webmaster, and Lisa at the top of Mt. Percival |
Helping Hand
Your Webmaster gives Patty some encouragement negotiating the
ladders coming down Mt. Morgan |
Awesome foliage!
East & West Rattlesnake |
Fortunately about all that weather forecast got right was
the sunrise and sunset times. We had a great day---without a drop of
rain! 
|
| Edmands Path - 10/1/00
Kristen, Carrie, Elana, Lisa, and Your Webmaster 
(that's Your Webmaster in front, of course) made it up to Mt. Clinton
Rd. and the Edmands Path trailhead, and off we went on this 2.9 mile
journey to the left shoulder of Mt. Eisenhower.
One of the first things we saw was  Abenaki Brook, 
where Carrie, our resident hydrogeologist, set about to find some neat
rocks.
After we gained a bit of altitude, we were given some wonderful
autumn views. Check out the view looking back toward the Mt.
Washington Hotel 
and the view of Mt. Washington itself  ---unusually
clear, no? The smoke you see is from the Cog Railway.
Along the way Elana noticed that she was reaching her limit, so she
decided to call it a day (which is always a good thing---listen to your
body!). Unfortunately Elana didn't get to share in the views from
the very top, but she'll be back the next time we do this.
Carrie and Kristen went on ahead, and they made their way to the
summit of Mt. Eisenhower 
while Lisa and I had some lunch. And talk about a 
perfect spot for lunch!!!
Uh ohhh... ...I
think Your Webmaster is in trouble with Carrie (so new...)
On our way back home, we stopped at the viewing area near the Mt.
Washington Hotel for a look at the Presidentials. 
What a day!
|
|
