52 With A View: not Mount Avalon & not Mount Willard

Thursday, October 17, 2024 - This is a zoomed-in map of the New Hampshire "52 With A View" - only 20 left (yellow). I HOPE TO make it to Mount Avalon & Mount Willard today:

They are 2 separate mountains, but they are very close and can be hiked in a single afternoon.

It is a BEAUTIFUL Fall Day in New Hampshire! I felt really cocky when I saw Mount Washington and The Presidentials "up there" with snow on them - thank goodness I'm not hiking any 4,000 footers today! Just a couple of them little old 52-with-a-view mountains

I parked just south of the AMC Highland Center, across from Saco Lake:

You walk up the railroad tracks a little bit, then cut left onto The Trail:

It's going to be an easy day - 3.6 miles round-trip to Mt. Avalon, then 3.2 miles round-trip to Mt. Willard.

Lovely trail-in-the-woods:

I crossed over a pretty brook:

Mmmm, I started seeing this "white stuff":

I had passed the pair of hikers by the time I hit the "spur-trail" for Mt. Avalon (only 1/2 mile to go!):

3 minutes later I was at the bottom of the rock-climbing-trail:

At the top of this slide, THE TRAIL DISAPPEARED.

The area inside the rectangle is on the north-side of the mountain, meaning THE SNOW DIDN'T MELT. It was 2-to-3 inches on the ground, with snow-ladened fir tree branches, all closely packed together. I bushwacked FOR AN HOUR (soaking wet), and made it back to The Trail, and quit and headed home:

He who hikes and runs away, lives to hike another day. In comparing "my bushwack" with "The Trail", I didn't bushwack East enough, or South enough to hit The Trail. See you in Springtime!

A pretty view in Danvers as I made my way home for dinner:

Thank You God for this "challenging" "52 With A View" day!

For my listening pleasure today:

Scarlet Haven - Paleologos, 1999 2nd album, last heard 10/09/2016 - Courtney Reid's Rock Band - I really like their 3 albums:

Steely Dan - Countdown To Ecstasy, 1973 2nd album, last heard 10/09/2016 - wonderful album - I'm a fan:

Bonnie Raitt - Give It Up, 1972 2nd album, last heard 10/10/2016. On March 30, 1973 I saw Bonnie (with Little Feat opening) at Irvine Auditorium (Univ. of Pennsylvania) [that was a fun rabbit-hole finding out that date]. She was a solo artist, great show, and was joined by Little Feat for her encore. In the set, she asked for requests - from the 4th or 5th row, I shouted out "Jesus Cried", which is the opening of "Too Long at the Fair", and she said "Sure":

Jesus cried, wept and died
I guess He went up to heaven
I've been downtown such a long, long time
I'll never make it home by seven

Diana Krall - Only Trust Your Heart, 1995 2nd album, last heard 10/10/2016 - I like her music:

After the hike:

Dido - Life For Rent, 2003 2nd album, last heard 10/10/2016 - I like her music:

George Thorogood & The Destroyers - Move It On Over, 1978 2nd album, last heard 10/10/2016 - WOW - I want to learn to play "Who Do You Love?" by Bo Diddley:

John Mayer - Heavier Things, 2003 2nd album, last heard 10/11/2016:

Bill Morrissey - North, 1986 2nd album, last heard 10/12/2016. Never fails to shed a tear:

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)
hyperlink: dixonheadingwest
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