12/14/14 Sargent Mountain

Mix of sun and clouds with more clouds as the day progressed. At lower elevations ( along the streams) there was no wind- even the tops of the trees were still. But when we got up onto the S. Ridge Trail and the open ledges the wind was quite strong and very cold. Odd. This is a somewhat strenuous hike as Sargent is the second highest peak in the park and the trails we chose have lots of footing issues ( roots, rocks, stream crossings) . We started from Rte. 3 on the Hadlock Brook Trail and found this gnarly fungus

At the next junction we took the Maple Spring Trail which is more challenging but Kelley managed all the work arounds on her own. After the second carriage road the trail becomes more difficult and when we
 reached the bridge at that road we climbed up  and walked the short distance to the next bridge and the Hadlock Brook Trail which is easier for Kelley.

The falls are visible from this second  bridge and the the trail runs along side.

There were more challenges for me on this trail with lots of exposed roots

Looking back down as we near the Sargent S. Ridge Trail. The top section of the trail had been  really treacherous with large sheets of ice covered granite to work around as well as smaller patches of ice on parts of the trail.

Once on the S. Ridge Trail, the rest of the way to the summit is mostly open rock and easy walking but , today, windy and cold.

Some views from the summit

And a panoramic shot- please click and then again for the large version

After a quick apple break ( huddled behind boulders for protection from the wind ) we headed back down.

Kelley waiting patiently for me to take a picture

On the return we stayed with the Hadlock Brook Trail . Still some work arounds for Kelley but she seemed happy to be on the trail and excited when she solved a problem spot.

The bridge over the Hadlock Brook Trail

And finally a tiny seedling growing out of a rotting log

A bit challenging  but a satisfying hike with lots of variety. 3 hours

12/13/12 City Forest

Cold but sunny with little wind. After yesterday's somewhat strenuous hike I thought Kelley might like an easy one so we went to City Forest. I don't think she needed an  easy one as she showed no signs of lameness and was eager and enthusiastic on the trails. We had a nice hike of an hour and three quarters.

12/12/12 Day Mountain - The Triad

Cold but a beautiful sunny day with no wind. We started from the Day parking area on Rte. 3. This is an easy hike for Kelley and we had this view at the top.

Click twice for larger view




Down the other side to the carriage road and the start of the Triad Trail. Even the bare trees were beautiful in the sun.

 This trail was steeper and more rocky but Kelley managed the work arounds without help from me.

When we reached the Triad we had an apple break and this view

We decided to take the Triad Pass Trail down and when we reached the junction found this sign. We had just come from the Triad and it indicated the Triad Pass was to the north while the map shows it going south.

We followed it anyway ( thinking it was incorrect but that we would find that out soon)  and the next junction had a sign for Jordan and Bubble Ponds and indicated the Pass was back the way we had come ??? We backtracked and continued on the trail labeled Hunters Brook and that was the correct trail. The first part of this trail was harder for Kelley and she needed a couple of  boosts. Out of the woods there are large expanses of open granite, some of which had dangerous icy patches to work around but also nice views. Directly in front was the sun which made photos those photos unusable.

The last section was steep with lots of ice and we were both glad to back down on the carriage road

We found a sunny spot for lunch  ( much of the road was in shade)

And  followed carriage roads back to the short section of trail that led to our car. An interesting hike on a beautiful day.  2  3/4 hours

12/11/12 Neighborhood and Walden

Yesterday we had about an inch of slushy snow and drizzle and just walked around the neighborhood. This morning the snow was still with us along with the gray skies. Another walk around the neighbor hood.

In the afternoon the skies cleared so we went over to Walden for an hour. Kelley was excited to be in the woods and kept running ahead and then stopping to wait for me to catch up. The trails were slushy, wet, or muddy but it was good to have the sun.

12/9/12 Park Loop Road and Hunters Brook

Cloudy when we left home but sunny when we got to the island. Decided to get in a good one today as bad weather forecast again for tomorrow.  We started from the parking area near  the end of Otter Cliff road. It was really nice to be out in the sun and the closed road was deserted except for a lone biker.

This is a nice stretch of loop road because it is mostly close to the shore. There are some pull offs for cars  for views and also  very short paths from the road to other ledges with views. Kelley found all of those and insisted we check them out

There is also a set of stairs leading down to a rocky beach

 We followed the loop road to the Hunters Brook Trail , just past where the road passes under Rte. 3 . The brook makes this another of the trails Kelley really likes.

We followed this trail to near the point where it turns away from the stream and then turned back the way we had come. On the way out we met a nice family on the trail and this pleased Kelley.

Back on the loop road we turned toward where we had started and Kelly  had to revisit the paths we had visited on the way

  On the way back there were a lot more people, both bikers and people on foot- taking advantage of the beautiful day when tommorow is going to be nasty.

I am always impressed with life clinging to the smallest of niches.

  A nice outing for both of us - 3  1/2 hours

12/8/122 The Neighborhood

We woke to "freezing fog" with rain predicted. Another dim damp gray day. We elected to just walk around the neighborhood in the drizzle for an hour an a half so that Kelley would  get some exercise. She also got in a lot of sniffing. It seems when it's wet there is more to sniff. The poor weather does not seem to bother her and she was her usual " happy to greet anyone" self.