Livermore Trail from Kanc to Old Skidder Trail

Logging Ghosts
Last Tuesday, I hiked the section of WMNF's Livermore Trail that I'd yet to do--the portion that runs from the upper reaches of the Kancamagus Highway to the link with the Old Skidder Trail. A fairly short in-and-out hike in an area loaded with history, the trail starts fairly high up on the Kanc--almost the height of land--the climb up to Livermore Pass. While a bit rugged, this hike is very manageable, even with a coating of snow and ice. 


What makes hiking the Livermore Trail so interesting is the history of the area. In the late 1800s, Livermore was a bustling community of almost 200, complete with sawmills, a logging railroad, school, homes, shops, even mining efforts. While all of that, other than a few remains, is gone, photos of this ghost town are available through WhiteMountainHistory.org and other resources, allowing one to step back in time before stepping onto the trail:  Historical Photos of Livermore

By the time I got to the trailhead, the elevation--together with some colder weather--meant a couple of inches of fresh snow. The initial 3/4 of a mile is flat, following old roads and taking one along a clearing that is the site of one of the old logging camps. Other than two fresh sets of fox tracks, complete with occasional stops to paw for mice, Riley and I were alone.

This kind of snow always provides nice clues on animal life. Mice tracks repeatedly crossed the trails, as well as one rodent busy starting its winter tunnels.

Shortly after the fields, the trail cuts down into the woods, traveling a gentle traverse for a mile or so, before climbing up into the pass between Kancamagus Mountain and North Tripyramid, mostly along a stream gully. The final 1/2 mile or so gets steeper--and with crust ice and snow-- a bit more tricky, but in all the climb is only about a 900 foot gain from highway to the height of land.

Once on top, the AMC Guidebook describes the pass as wet and difficult. I lucked out, in that the recent cold weather meant much of the mud had frozen, though in some places not quite enough to support my weight. One of the highlights of the day was walking across one stretch--perhaps 50 yards long--where a layer of ice 1/2" thick had formed on puddles in the trail, then the puddles drained. Riley and I had fun crashing through watching whole sheets of ice shatter and collapse with each step.

It's a good stretch along the pass--almost a mile--with boggy sections, lots of puddles, and a few blowdowns, though generally the trail was well cleared. The Old Skidder Trail comes in on the right, though is not marked as such on this end of the trail, instead it is shown as a WMNF ski trail. The trail corresponds with the Old Skidder Trail on the map and GPS, so I'm quite certain they are one and the same. Interestingly, the Old Skidder Trail is a recently re-opened trail. It was signed from the other end, down by the Flume, when I hiked it in the Fall of '09, and was noted in the 28th edition Guidebook; it is not mentioned in the 26th edition. 

Coyote Spotting and Ice Creepers

After connecting with the Old Skidder Trail, the Livermore Trail becomes more of a road with marvelous gentle hiking. Wanting to confirm that the ski trail was one and the same as the Old Skidder Trail, Riley and I continued along the Livermore Trail for another 1/2 mile or so. Not far into it, I happened to look up to spot a large coyote heading our way. It had the look and size of a large German Shepard, only lighter, with tan and gray markings. It spotted me at about the same time, turned tail and loped off. Fortunately, Riley, ever the bird dog, was more interested in what was in front of his nose, so I was able to get him on a lead before he knew what was going on. In fact, he was clue-less to the whole incident, until we got to the coyote's tracks, which--being only seconds old--set Riley into a tizzy, barking, growling, and pulling on his lead so hard I decided to turn around. His behavior made me recall a hike in mid-October where I caught only a flash of tan on the trail ahead of us, but when Riley got to the spot, he acted the same way. I'm sure, now, it too was a coyote. 

The hike back was an easy pull, though I had ongoing problems with a pair of Stabilicer Lite's I've been using. Even with a tie over my instep they routinely came off. Dang.

I got them earlier this fall to carry for the times when one encounters ice on ledges earlier in the season. Time to break out the more durable, heavier Stabilicers. 

This area is quite remote. I didn't see a soul all afternoon, although interestingly, in reading Steve Smith's White Mountains hiking blog, it turns out he was in the same area, along the Scaur Trail and Flume Trail, that same day (Check out Steve's blog here: Steve Smith/Mountainwandering.)  In fact, the only tracks I saw all day, other than animals, were at the end of the day, from someone who had ventured into the fields near the Kanc to cut and drag out a Christmas tree--WMNF's present to us all, you can cut your own practically anywhere in the forest for a $5 fee. 

Hike date: December 7, 2010

Total miles: 6.0

Miles towards "redline project": 3.0

Total miles completed: 586.5

Miles remaining: 834.3

On Late Starts and Middle Sisters

One of the few downsides of living on the Seacoast of NH is that it means, from time to time, I have to drive home from my camp in Jackson. On the way, I'll often try to work on finishing hikes in the Chocorua or Sandwich areas. Usually, I'm often time-squeezed, between packing up Jackson and obligations at home, in today's case, dinner guests to cook for.

My plan today was to hike from White Ledge Campground up Middle Sisters Trail to the "sisters", then return via Carter Ledge Trail. It had rained hard the day before, leaving the Saco River above flood stage, but a review of the hike showed no significant river crossings, so I hoped I wouldn't be scotched by trail wetness.

The Middle Sister Trail diverges from Carter Ledge about a mile in. Carter Ledge Trail is easily visible from the tip of the left campsite loop at White Ledge. 

The lower end is a gentle grade with good trail conditions. Further up, there's only one stream crossing, a bit tricky due to the high waters. Today, the trail was filled with puddles and bloated streams--often partially hidden by recent leaves falling.

In fact, the leaf coverage was so dense, together with soft soils, that I spent much of the day removing "leaf kabobs" from my hiking poles.

The middle section of the trail, before the push up to the ridge, winds through nice hemlock forests, making for some very pleasant walking. The final 1/2 mile up to the ridge is a steep push that, today, was a very active streambed.

As I got up on the ridge, the breeze from the other side, together with the sun dropping behind squall clouds, quickly cooled me down. Within minutes, I was hiking on an icy crust of snow--all that was left from the downpour two days ago. I had set a turnaround time of 1:40 p.m. By 1:20, I was at one of the first lookout ledges, still a good 1/2 mile from the Middle Sister summit. The wind was starting to pick up in earnest and the rocks had all crusted over with ice, which would require me to put on my ice creepers to continue. After a couple of photos looking out to the north from the ledges, I elected to turn around.

The temptation to finish what one sets out to do is always great--and sometimes foolish. Of course, my decision today to turn around was promptly rewarded on the first ledge down, when my feet slide out from under me and I landed on hard my butt and lower back. While my pack cushioned the blow, it was not without some chiropractic-strength 'reverse spinal wrenching'. 

In the end, my lateness means I'll be able to enjoy Carter Ledge Trail another day, with a short down hike to my last ledge to close the loop. And really, that's not so bad, is it?

Hike date: December 2, 2010

Total miles: 7.6

Miles towards "redline project": 4.0

Total miles completed: 583.4

Miles remaining: 834.4

Follow this hike on EveryTrail http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=900826

Slippery Brook Trail to Eastman Mtn.

I've been working on hiking the trails off of Evan's Notch this fall. Today, since I had to go to Center Conway to drop off something, I continued on, taking that well-know turn up Rt. 113 in Fryeburg.

I sometimes think the best part of hiking the eastern White Mtns is the drive through Chatham and Stowe. Fifteen-odd miles of broad farmland with views stretching out over now plowed-under fields, ringed by a wall of mountains: Eastman, Baldface, Meader, Royce, and more. Many of the homes are old farmsteads, weathered, a bit worn around the edges, but still showing the clean lines that only come from homes that were also homesteads.

Today's hike was Eastman Mtn. Really more a shoulder of Baldface Mtn than an honest peak, Eastman is not quite 3,000 feet. I came in from the eastern end of the Slippery Brook Trail; an in-and-out hike. I had hiked the western end of the trail, off of Baldface Knob, some years ago as part of a three-day loop through the Wild River area.

Like yesterday, the ground was covered with an inch or so of crusted snow, more at elevation. The trail leaves from the Baldface Circle Trail, not far from Emerald Pool.

Most of the initial mile and one-half or so is gradual, taking advantage of an old logging road that weaves through dense hemlocks. While the final mile accounts for close to 1,000 feet in gain, even then the trail is wide, dry, and not too rocky. Not only is it a pleasure to hike, but some Chatham Trails Association volunteer had been through in the last 48 hours to clear out any wind-fallen branches. Don't cha' just love trail volunteers? 

Once on the ridge that comes off of Baldface Knob, the Slippery Brook trail drops down off the other side at the connector with the Baldface Knob Trail and the Eastman Mtn Trail. 

It's an easy walk down the Eastman Mtn Trail to the summit cone, mostly through open birch and viburnum woods. At one point, my Springer Spaniel, Riley, kept stopping and looking up the trail. At first, I thought he had sensed a coyote or fox. But then, once I reached him, a partridge boomed out of a nearby tree. Lesson learned: trust the bird-dog. 

The final 300 feet of elevation gain to Eastman's summit is a series of small climbs, with only a couple of ledges to go over. While no means difficult, Eastman does afford some great views--both down into the notch and over to the Wild River wilderness range. Doublehead Mtn, which from Jackson looks like a perfect 'matching set', has a decidedly less-even look from its backside. And Chandler and Sable Mtns, two trail-less peaks I've yet to climb, loomed considerably larger, no doubt due to their proximity.

Perhaps most visible though, directly to the north, was old Baldy, with all of its ledges dusted in white, framed by gray skies, and looking vaguely menacing. Winter hiking can do that to you. 

A hike near Baldface is not complete without a stop at Emerald Pool. Years ago, I helped lead a group of campers--all boys about 12 years old--on a summer camping trip in this area. We stopped at Emerald Pool after hiking nearby. Even in the height of August, it took some time before they braved the cold water, but soon the bolder boys were jumping off rocks and swimming under the falls. How many children these days get to experience an honest-to-goodness swimming hole?

I was curious to see how the pool would look today on this sunless November afternoon. While the granite slabs and surrounding spruce seemed almost black against the snow's whites and grays, the pool itself still held a glimmer of its famous summer sparkle. Here's a photo and later sketch:

Like so many of the hikes I've recently done, there's a sweetness to these smaller, lesser-known trails; an incomparable sense of solitude, views the outperform the effort, and winding drives that alone make it worth the effort. 

Total miles for day: 8.25

Miles completed today towards redlining goal: 3.40

Total miles completed towards redlining goal: 579.40

Miles remaining to hike all WMNF trails: 841.4

Visit my EveryTrails map of this hike