Terrifying 25: Ice Gulch Path

Tuesday, June 30, 2026 - I have been thinking about Ice Gulch Path for a while - every since it got HOT here in New England for a few days in May. It is one-of-the-20-Required-Trails for the Terrifying 25, so I have to do it sometime. Today is nice and hot (and I have all day free), so here we go.

On the map:
Yellow = "Required", have not climbed
Blue = "Optional", have not climbed
Green = "Have Climbed"

Of 33 total trails, I have climbed 20 of them, with 13 to go:

Ice Gulch Path is on the list because of a TON OF BOULDERING:

I did my reading: Ice Gulch Path and Peboamauk Loop going up, and Cook Path on the way back down, then 1/2 mile on the road back to my car:

I started the day with a nice morning walk on Singing Beach:

Today's hike is so far NORTH (Randolph, NH) that it runs off the AMC Map:

I was PARKed (in the shade) a little after 1 PM (looking towards The Trailhead, then back down the road I will finish on:

I never caught up to the person parked in front of me, but I did see his/her bootprints along the trail.

Trailhead at 1:08 PM (keep to the left of The Barn):

1 Mile (25 minutes) into the hike (6 miles all together) - the Red Blazes are helpful and reassuring:

Pretty nice trail:

You then turn right onto Peboamauk Loop:

This Hike has been just up-and-down through The Woods - no great elevation gain (or loss). But then you get to a "steep, rough pitch to Moose Brook" (and the base of "Peboamauk Fall"):

To get back up to Ice Gulch Path you have to continue on Peboamauk Loop. Go to the left of the waterfall and "make your way up" (note the red blaze, telling you that here is The Trail):

Peboamauk Loop continues alongside "Moose Brook". Some trail-finding skill/luck is required:

At 2:34 I hooked back up with Ice Gulch Path:

That's where THE FUN BEGINS (at least I'm on "The Trail"!):

Looking ahead, up Ice Gulch Path, looking down at THE ICE, then looking back down behind me:

You keep going up:

I got some ice right next to me, and I rubbed some snow on my head:

When you Google "Why is there ice in "Ice Gulch Path"?", the AI answer is:

Ice remains in the Ice Gulch (located in Randolph, New Hampshire) because it sits within a unique "cold-air talus" microclimate. The gulch is a deep, shadowed ravine filled with massive, jumbled boulders. In the winter, heavy snow and cold air plunge deep into the crevices between these rocks. Because the steep, narrow walls of the ravine block out most direct sunlight, this trapped ice and cold air remain insulated from summer heat, allowing the ice to survive well into the warmest months. This phenomenon also creates an environment where sub-alpine plants, typically found thousands of feet higher up on mountain ridges, can grow.

2 hours and 46 minutes into This Hike, I ascended to the-end-of-The-Trail and its meeting Cook Path:

Cook Path is very raw - pretty sections, but mostly very overgrown:

Out onto The Road, and I finished at 5:27 PM, hiking 5.96 miles in 4 hours - a "Really Cool" Hike (ha ha):

I got a Pastrami sub in Gorham, and home at 9 PM. Thank You God for this GREAT "Terrifying 25" Adventure! Singing Beach in the morning, Ice Gulch Path in the afternoon!

For my listening pleasure today:

George Harrison - Live in Japan (2 cds), 1992 double-live album, last heard never:

Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen - Live From Deep In The Heart Of Texas, 1994 live album, last heard never - These guys are A LOT OF FUN!

Elvis Presley - A Boy From Tupelo (live stuff), 2012 album (32 tracks, including 6 versions of "That's All Right"), last heard never. Live and Radio recordings from 1953-1955 - I really like the youthful energy, and the easy-going rawness of the music. And of course it is HISTORY!

Buffalo Springfield - Last Time Around, 1968 third album, last heard never - a good album (I'll keep it), but not as good as their first two albums. The cover-photo says it all - Neil is already out-the-door:

Field Report - Trust in Movements Made, 2024 album, last heard never. I like Field Report, so I'm very glad I have the chance to listen to this:

Freddie Hubbard - The Best Of Freddie Hubbard, 1980 album, last heard never. Some good jazz, some not-so-good jazz. Freddie Hubbard has some WONDERFUL stuff out there:

Grateful Dead - From the Mars Hotel, 1974 album, last heard never. A nice collection, with standouts "U.S. Blues" and "Scarlet Begonias":

Miles Davis - Complete Live At The Plugged Nickel 1965 (cd 7), recorded 1965, released 1995, last heard 8/31/2021. Very Nice Jazz to hear on my last leg home:

Shameless Plug: if you enjoy this blog, you may like my other one about visiting Art Museums and National Parks (and hiking in the Rockies)
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