52 With A View: Mount Success

Wednesday, August 23, 2023 - This is a zoomed-in map of the New Hampshire "52 With A View" - I have climbed 24 of them so far. I'll be doing Mount Success today:

Because Wendy will be away tonight at a play up in Maine (meaning I don't have to get home for dinner at 6:30), I will be doing the "farthest away" peak.

For today's drive, I picked-up Ellie in Ipswich and dropped her off at an appointment in Burlington. Then 4 hours north (the last 5.4 miles on a dirt road) to the Mount Success Trailhead:

Beautiful Day in New Hampshire:

At one point, they were paving the road near Jefferson, New Hampshire, which gave me the chance to stop and take a picture of an iconic New England Church:

At 2:30, I was one of five cars parked at the trailhead:

After 10 minutes you are into the woods:

And at 1.25 miles you are GOING UP:

To give you an overview of the whole hike, it should have been 6 miles, but I took a side-trail looking for plane wreckage (did not find it):

At about 1.5 miles you get to the side-trail for the "Outlook Loop":

Pretty impressive views from the "Outlook Loop":

Back on the Success Trail, things can get a little boggy:

So, I'm an-hour-and-twenty-minutes (2.4 miles) into this hike, and I'm feeling pretty good. The description I read said something about "plane wreckage" off on a side-trail. I'm not a "plane wreckage" groupie (I know they are out there - you may be one), but I thought "Well, a little side-trip might be cool." So up into the woods I went:

It was a Very Hard hike. At 1/4 mile, I caught up with a guy and his son, who asked if I was "Looking for the plane crash?" (that means we hadn't passed it). Saying Yes, I continued (faster than them) for another 1/4 mile and gave up. There were these weird signs on the trees:

This trail sure is nowhere near the US/Canada Border, and it also certainly is not part of the Appalachain Trail!

Well, that was certainly a waste of 45 minutes/a mile!

Back on Success Trail, heading for the Summit:

Cool USGS Marker to add to my collection:

South of the Main Peak is a sub-peak. To quote the 52-With-A-View book: "Just below this ledge to the south is an expansive sub-alpine meadow traversed by bog bridges where cotton grass blooms in late summer.":

I would call it a "bog" instead of a "sub-alpine meadow", but then you might not get as many hikers:

Nice views on the sub-peak:

Back on the main peak, that is my way back down:

To quote the 52-With-A-View book: "The trail drops off a small chimney-like section, which can be tricky if wet. Hikers with long legs have an advantage here.":

I wound up doing 6.9 miles in 3 hours 49 minutes - great hike, except for the silly little side-trip. Thank You God for this great "52 With A View" day!

For my listening pleasure today:

Patty Larkin - Tango, 1991

Lyle Lovett - I Love Everybody, 1994

Actually, I don't need to keep this album.

Madonna - The Immaculate Collection, 1990 greatest-hits album

Taj Mahal - Giant Step/De Ole Folks at Home, 1969 double album (electric and acoustic)

The first album (Giant Step) is a really good electric album; the second (De Ole Folks at Home) is banjo-traditional-blues. Not my cup of tea.

Dave Mason - Alone Together, 1970 solo debut album

Dave Mason's 1st album after he quit Traffic. I like it.

John Cougar Mellencamp - Big Daddy, 1989

Bruce Springsteen - The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle, 1973 second album

I think this is my favorite album by Bruce and the gang. Wendy and I are going to see him at Gillette Stadium tomorrow night (note from the future: He played "Kitty's Back", "The E Street Shuffle", and "Rosalita" - all from this album - excellent!)

The Rolling Stones - Flashpoint, 1991 live album

Bruce Springsteen - Western Stars, 2019 album

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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