Thursday, June 13, 2024

52 With A View: Shelburne Moriah Mountain

Thursday, June 13, 2024 - Wendy has a conference-and-dinner in Amesbury today, so I'M GOING HIKING! I made a list of the 25 mountains I have remaining in my New Hampshire "52 With A View" list, and the longest, at 11.2 miles, is Shelburne Moriah Mountain (blue = hiked, yellow = not-hiked):


I saw this great poster in the Rest Stop just north of the Manchester, NH tolls:
Maybe Wendy and I will go up and see Tom Rush August 17, or The Weight Band August 30!

AllTrails has a good map - south/up on Rattle River Trail, then east on Shelburne Trail:

I was at The Trailhead at NOON:

The Trail starts out great, on an old logging road:

As you can imagine, it goes up alongside Rattle River:

After 1-1/2 miles I reached the Rattle River Shelter. Rattle River Trail is on the Appalachian Trail, so I imagine this shelter will see a lot of use over the next few months (pretty quiet today, though. I only saw 1 person, sitting on a rock in The River - we waved to each other):

More river crossings:
(No wonder Monet painted the way he did!)

There was a big blow-down across The Trail at 2-1/2 miles, but I made my way through the woods to get around it. At 3 miles, the Trail is going up:


15 minutes later, the Trail got a lot more VERTICAL:

It is nice walking on the boards, as Rattle River Trail ends and I turn left onto the Shelburne Trail:

The Shelburne Trail is where you get the views:

At 5 miles, I was hiking on boards through a boggy low-area:

Pretty cool sub-alpine region up here:

I reached The Summit at 3:44

Because I had read the-book-with-descriptions, I didn't stop there, but continued only another 0.2 miles to a ledge looking east:

Time to turn around and head on down:

COOL gnarled tree and moss-covered rock on the way down:

Once I'm back on the "nice trail", I can make pretty good time:

Back at my car, I had a fun visitor:

I hiked 10.77 miles in 6 hours 21 minutes (I don't know why MapMyWalk put a "11" on the map?):

That was a hard hike! Back down the road, Dinner in North Conway, and Home at 9! Thank You God for this great "52 With A View" day!

For my listening pleasure today:

Van Morrison - Enlightenment, 1990 20th studio album:

Garland Jeffreys - Escapades ep, 1981 4-song ep, packaged with "Escape Artist":

Garland Jeffreys - Escape Artist, 1981, packaged with 4-song "Escapades ep". Time Magazine wrote: "Jeffreys' ambitious and sophisticated synthesis of rock, reggae and jazz could easily become top-heavy. The cool inflections of his passion, however, keep the songs strong and upright, buttressed both by a flair for elegant concert showmanship and a voice that sounds like Frankie Lymon with a college education.":

Blue Öyster Cult - The Essential Blue Oyster Cult (2 songs), 2003. The only 2 songs I like are "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" and "Burnin' For You":

Bruce Springsteen - The Essential Bruce Springsteen [Bonus Disc], 2003 compilation album. A limited-edition third disc includes previously unreleased cuts, B-sides, contributions to soundtracks and benefit albums, covers, and an alternate, "country-blues" acoustic version of "Countin' on a Miracle" from The Rising.:

Dinah Washington - The Essential Dinah Washington, 1992 compilation album - ok, but I don't need to keep it:

Fred Astaire - The Essential Fred Astaire, 2004 compilation album - pretty cool:

Rod Stewart - Every Picture Tells A Story, 1971 3rd solo album - EXCELLENT MUSIC! "Maggie May" is my running song:

Neil Young - Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, 1969 2nd solo album - MORE EXCELLENT MUSIC:

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
http://dixonheadingwest.blogspot.com/

Thursday, May 30, 2024

52 With A View: Mount Pemigewasset

Thursday, May 30, 2024 - This is a zoomed-in map of the New Hampshire "52 With A View" - I have climbed 28 of them so far (blue = climbed, yellow = unclimbed) - I'll be doing Mount Pemigewasset today:


It is supposed to be nice today up in Franconia Notch, But it is RAINING IN BOSTON:

It is an easy 2-hour-drive up to "Franconia Notch Visitor Center", with its pretty waterfall:

I was at The Trailhead at 11:21

It is a nice hike up through the woods:

In less than an hour I get my first views, just off-trail:

Just a little farther on are "The Real Ledges", starting with a look back at my previous viewpoint:

Then looking South:

I hit The Summit at 12:20

I took "Mount Pemigewasset Trail" (blue blazes) up, but I have the time, so I took "Indian Head Trail" (yellow blazes) back down (and walked back up the road):

I came down next to lovely "Hanson Brook":

I continued down the trail:

and finished "Indian Head Trail" at Route 3:

It took me another 1.1 miles back up Route 3 to get to my car:

I hiked 4.79 miles in 2 hours 29 minutes (I don't know why MapMyWalk put a "5" on the map?):

Back down the road, and Home For Dinner! Thank You God for this great "52 With A View" day!

For my listening pleasure today:

Bruce Springsteen - Devils & Dust, 2005 acoustic album:

Dido - Dido Live, 2005 live album:

various - Dirty Dancing (2 songs), 1987 soundtrack album. This album was at #1 for 18 weeks. My 2 favorite songs are "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" (Bill Medley, Jennifer Warnes) and "Do You Love Me" (The Contours):

Drive-By Truckers - The Dirty South, 2004 fifth album:

various - The Disco Years, Vol. 1: Turn The Beat Around (1974-1978), 1990 - WOW, what a lot of GREAT ENERGY!

Cream - Disraeli Gears, 1967 second album. How can you not LOVE lyrics from the 60's - "Tales of Brave Ulysses":

You thought the leaden winter
Would bring you down forever
But you rode upon a steamer
To the violence of the sun

And the colours of the sea
Bind your eyes with trembling mermaids
And you touch the distant beaches
With tales of brave Ulysses
How his naked ears were tortured
By the sirens sweetly singing
For the sparkling waves are calling you
To kiss their white laced lips

And you see a girl's brown body
Dancing through the turquoise
And her footprints make you follow
Where the sky loves the sea
And when your fingers find her
She drowns you in her body
Carving deep blue ripples
In the tissues of your mind

Tiny purple fishes
Run laughing through your fingers
And you want to take her with you
To the hard land of the winter

Her name is Aphrodite
And she rides a crimson shell
And you know you cannot leave her
For you touched the distant sands
With tales of brave Ulysses
How his naked ears were tortured
By the sirens sweetly singing

Tiny purple fishes
Run laughing through your fingers
And you want to take her with you
To the hard land of the winter


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
http://dixonheadingwest.blogspot.com/