Date(s) Hiked: October 1, 2005
Trails(s) Hiked: Fire Warden's Trail (abandoned)
Total Distance: approx 5 miles rt, 2300' ascent
Difficulty: easy grade, but requires trail-following plus map/compass skills
Conditions: wet in spots
Special Required Equipment: ability to safely follow unmarked trails, as well as slightly bushwhack to find the start
Trip Report:
It was forecast to be another weekend of incredible weather. I picked up Bunchberry shortly after 6am, picked up Gaiagirl an hour later in New Hampshire, and continued northward to Twin Mountain.
We made our way to the North Twin Trailhead at the end of Haystack Road. The sky was as blue as could be, the air cool and dry, the leaves just starting to change color and jump to the ground. After creatively parking, we got our gear together and started up the trail.
The trail follows an old logging route, and is a nearly-flat, pleasant walk in the woods. At the first crossing, we remained on the old road, which is often used to avoid two crossings of the Little River. After a distance, we did some exploring and easily came upon the old Fire Warden's Trail. There was no mistaking it: a well-trod footway along a 12' wide corridor through the trees. This route was originally built in 1928 as a tractor road to provide access to the fire tower and warden's cabin at the summit, and was abandoned in the 1960's. Clearly, it still gets used by a number of people, and we were looking forward to this not-a-bushwhack but not-an-official-trail route.
This is a spectacular route. The trail wound its way through beautiful, open birch woods. The contrasts of the green, yellow, white, and blue were inspiring, and we easily made good time up the route in spite of often stopping just to gaze into the forest around us.
As we approached the higher elevations, the character of the woods changed. We passed among evergreens covered with Old Man's Beard, a hanging lichen. The trail wound around roots interlacing a soft, spongy forest floor covered with brown needles. At one point, we had a fantastic view of Mount Washington through the trees.
The summit of Mt. Hale is a large clearing, ringed by trees, and containing not only the old foundations of the long-since demolished fire tower, but also an enormous cairn. We celebrated both Bunchberry's and Gaiagirl's accomplishments of completing another 4000-footer, then settled down to enjoy the beautiful afternoon. There was only the faintest of breezes, yet what few bugs there were paid us little attention.
We spent a considerable amount of time lounging around the summit. There had been several other hikers with huge packs that had walked Zealand Road and taken the Hale Brook Trail, and once they left we saw nobody else. It was tempting to just stay there all afternoon, but we had a campsite to get to and set up, so we started back down the mountain. This hike took us only 4-1/2 hours, much of which was spent sitting or lying down. It was a 5-mile round trip, with about 2300' of vertical gain. It was one of the most beautiful trails I've ever been on, a combination of its solitude and the wide variety of forest types that it passes through. I highly recommend this route, and at the same time hope it remains wild and "abandoned".
The full photo album from this hike can be found here.
Trails(s) Hiked: Fire Warden's Trail (abandoned)
Total Distance: approx 5 miles rt, 2300' ascent
Difficulty: easy grade, but requires trail-following plus map/compass skills
Conditions: wet in spots
Special Required Equipment: ability to safely follow unmarked trails, as well as slightly bushwhack to find the start
Trip Report:
It was forecast to be another weekend of incredible weather. I picked up Bunchberry shortly after 6am, picked up Gaiagirl an hour later in New Hampshire, and continued northward to Twin Mountain.
We made our way to the North Twin Trailhead at the end of Haystack Road. The sky was as blue as could be, the air cool and dry, the leaves just starting to change color and jump to the ground. After creatively parking, we got our gear together and started up the trail.
The trail follows an old logging route, and is a nearly-flat, pleasant walk in the woods. At the first crossing, we remained on the old road, which is often used to avoid two crossings of the Little River. After a distance, we did some exploring and easily came upon the old Fire Warden's Trail. There was no mistaking it: a well-trod footway along a 12' wide corridor through the trees. This route was originally built in 1928 as a tractor road to provide access to the fire tower and warden's cabin at the summit, and was abandoned in the 1960's. Clearly, it still gets used by a number of people, and we were looking forward to this not-a-bushwhack but not-an-official-trail route.
The full photo album from this hike can be found here.
