November 2002

Arethusa Falls
Trip report by Jan G.

Janet, Pam, Shadow, Michele, Lara, Joe, Jack, and Jan headed to Arethusa Falls (highest waterfall in NH) for a short but beautiful hike. It was snowy and icy enough that crampons would have made the trip easier. (The one person who had the foresight to bring them lacked the willpower to put them on until she had fallen down a couple of times near the top.) The falls were a breathtaking mixture of running water and ice formations-- a sight not to be missed! As an extra treat, several of our party saw the hind end of a bear waddling away as fast as can be.

Joe and Lara took the long way back over Frankenstein Cliffs. The rest of us chose to return the way we came up.

On the way down, our canine companion, in his eagerness, nudged one of our hikers right off the narrow path into the ravine! Thank God, the hiker was caught in a hammock of roots on the way down, so the only things broken were our stride and composure for a few moments. Crampon (Spider) Woman could dig in, hold out her pole, and safely pull up our intrepid hiker out of his/her Bark-alounger. Arf arf!!

To take my tongue out of my cheek for a moment, the outcome could have been painfully different. Some "bylaws" reinforced here were: Don't hike alone, but if you must, do carry a whistle. When there is snow and ice, bring crampons (or snowshoes) and poles.

Kearsage North
Trip report by Your Webmaster

<- Rachel, Kathy, and Your Webmaster decided to hit Mt. Kearsage for the day. It's off Hurricane Mountain Road just outside of North Conway. The temperatures were good, and there was sun and clouds. On the way up the snow got a bit deeper, giving us about 5" of trail cover in spots, making for a little bit of slippery going, especially where there was a bit of ice underneath. I used my poles to help, but crampons would not have been out of the question, yet we did just fine without them.

Mt. Kearsage is best known for the fire tower , which has graced the summit in one version or another for the better part of a century. I first hiked to the fire tower some 26 or 27 years ago, just a few years after it was taken out of service, so there were some things left behind by the former inhabitants. The fire tower has since been cleaned and fixed up, and it looks like it just got a fresh coat of paint. It is in excellent condition, and it's a fabulous place for lunch!

KK made a new friend, Rangeley , which we agreed is the coolest name for a dog ever.

Kathy and Rachel in the fire tower

To make things comfortable in the old tower, someone brought up some plastic lawn chairs, so between a good place to sit and the warmth of the sun streaming through the windows, we really didn't want to depart all that quickly. Someone else had fastened some I-hooks to opposite walls in the tower. If I had found a hammock there, I would never have come back down!

Your Webmaster obscuring the Presidentials

But we knew it'd be dark early on in the day and didn't want to have to break out the flashlights, so we reluctantly left.

A sunset greeted us on the way down.

Lincoln Woods - November 10

Pam F., Shadow, and Your Webmaster took a jaunt on Sunday to Lincoln Woods, which is off the Kancamagus Highway just east of Loon Mountain.

<- Pam and Shadow

River View ->

The Lincoln Woods trail is an old railroad bed about 3 miles each way, and it leads to a natural waterslide as well as a deep pool that you can jump into from a ledge high up.

Natural Waterslide

We didn't partake in the swimming activity, however, although I believe Shadow was thinking about it!

While out on our walk we encountered a strange weather phenomenon. The temperature would go from chilly to quite warm and humid, as if the cold and warm air were fighting it out. At one point my glasses got steamed up!

After our walk we hit the brew pub over in Woodstock, then it was time to head home.

Our sincerest thanks to the staff of The Bartlett Inn for the great weekend and for the generous use of their facilities to help make Saturday evening's dinner really special!