New Hampshire Waterfalls

Tuesday, May 16, 2017. We had a good winter, and a rainy spring, so I grabbed Wendy today and we went to look at New Hampshire Waterfalls!:


Left home about 8:15, up 95 North, then 16, then McDonald's in Ossipee, then up-and-over on the Kancamagus Highway - 2-and-1/2 hours to get to the first BEAUTIFUL setting on the the Swift River:

After 11 days of rain/clouds, we lucked out with a BEAUTIFUL DAY!

Right alongside the highway, in the White Mountain National Forest, is the Lower Falls Scenic Area, with picnic tables and RUSHING WATER:







Only 2 miles up the highway is the Rocky Gorge Scenic Area:

Beauty:


and History:


6.5 miles further up the road is my primary destination: Sabbaday Falls:

I hiked this trail Sept. 9, 2014 on my way up to my 15th (Middle Tripyramid) and 16th (North Tripyramid) 4,000 footers - Sabbaday Falls are less than 1/2 mile up a nice easy trail. The Sept 2014 water was pretty calm:

but on a Tuesday in May, the water is A LOT MORE ACTIVE!

Sept 2014:

May 2017:


Back in the Parking Lot, I LOVED seeing all the different license plates!!


After the Falls, we continued west to a good lunch at the Black Mountain Burger Company in Lincoln, NH. Since we had our "New England Waterfalls" book (Lower Falls gets 4 stars; Rocky Gorge gets 4 stars; Sabbaday Falls gets 5 stars!), I saw that after lunch we would be going right by Agassiz Basin (only 2-and-1/2 stars), so we stopped to see it:

The location was listed as "right behind Govoni's Restaurant" - well, the restaurant is gone, but the Falls remain.
Looking upstream:

Looking downstream (at Indian Leap):

Hey, worth more than 2-and-1/2 stars!!

Wendy and I drove around some more, seeing cascading water up 112 (the Lost River Valley), then headed home - Thank You God for these wonderful adventures!!

Music today from my iPod:

Billy Joel - 52nd Street, 1978


various artists - 25 Beach Music Classics, 2003


various artists - 18 New Wave Classics, Vol. 1, 1997


various artists - 18 New Wave Classics, Vol. 2, 1997


Patti Smith - Horses, 1975


David Bowie - Let's Dance, 1983


Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV, 1971


"Stairway to Heaven" lyrics:
There's a feeling I get
When I look to the west,
And my spirit is crying for leaving.
In my thoughts I have seen
Rings of smoke through the trees,
And the voices of those who standing looking.

Baxter Peak - The End of The Appalachian Trail

Deede's boyfriend Tad has been doing the whole Appalachian Trail, starting down in Georgia on April 15. Deede joined him in Monson, Maine for the final 100-Mile-Wilderness in Maine, and they invited ME TO JOIN THEM ON THEIR LAST DAY (5.5 miles up to Baxter Peak on Mount Katahdin)!!! Of course I said YES!!:

We met at Katahdin Stream Campground at 8 AM, and headed up Hunt Trail.

Wendy and I spent the previous night at Katahdin Inn & Suites, and I purchased the (waterproof) Trail Map when I made the parking reservation for Thursday's hike - Baxter State Park likes to have hikers and campers use their reservation system, even though I had no problem entering/parking on my Knife Edge hike Thursday Aug 4:


I had a beautiful view of Mt. Katahdin on my morning drive:

the forecast was 50% chance of showers, but the sun seems to be breaking through.

The morning lakes in Maine are pretty awesome!:



The cute morning hikers ready for their final day!:


About 1.2 miles up the Trail are the Katahdin Stream Falls:



Deede and Tad are Very Good Hikers - splits for the first 2 miles were 25 minutes and 33 minutes. I trailed them and was able to keep up. The first breakout is a beautiful view across Witherle Ravine at The Owl (3736 feet):


Once we got above the treeline, the hike got exciting:

Baxter Peak is off to the right (out of the picture); it is a beautiful day, with the clouds coming and going.

Looking back down from the top of the trail in the above-photo:

4 miles up the trail (1 1/2 miles from the top), the trail levels out, but the clouds come-and-go:


And then they hit Baxter Peak - The End of The Appalachian Trail:





Nice of The Kids to let The Old Guy tag along!

Of course, there are GREAT VIEWS:




(can you see the orange hiker?)

It was Quite A Party Scene up there on the Mountain!


Great Views going back down:
looking down on The Owl:
Scrambling down through The Gateway


Katahdin Stream down at the bottom:


Tad and Deede traded in their Day Packs for their real packs, and that marks the end of this "Great Adventure"


Thank You God for a GREAT DAY! 12.09 miles in 7 hours 47 minutes, with an elevation gain of 3,984 feet!



Thursday, September 1, 2016
8 AM at the trailhead
12.09 miles -- hiking (7 hours 47 minutes)
331 miles - 5 1/2 hours to get home (Wendy driving almost all the way because I was EXHAUSTED)

Shameless Plug: if you enjoy this blog, you may like my other one about Art Museums and National Parks (on July 23, 2016 I finished a 6-day trip to Indiana/Kentucky/DC/Connecticut)
hyperlink: dixonheadingwest
http://dixonheadingwest.blogspot.com/