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