Perkins Notch, Rainbow Trail, Mt. Hight, Carter Notch Loop (White Mountain National Forest)

Perkins Notch, Rainbow Trail, Mt. Hight, Carter Notch Loop (White Mountain National Forest)

Hike Type: Loop w/ Spur

Distance: 16.09 miles

Elevation: 3812 feet

My Time: 10 hours, 1 minute (8 hours, 5 minutes moving)

Book Time: 9 hour, 57 minutes

Parking: Parking for ~4 cars at Bog Brook Trailhead, with room for ~4 more futher down the road before the gate.
Hiking Challenges: Operational Alaska Benchmark Challenge 

The Hike 

Fall is in the air and it was IMPERATIVE that I got back up to the Whites. I had been eyeing the Rainbow Trail up Carter Dome for quite some time, and with the foliage starting to come through, it felt like a perfect opportunity, especially with a Monday off for Yom Kippur! When I was looking at possibly getting a hotel room, I was astonished at how expensive they were until I realized I had Columbus Day weekend selected accidentally - I got a room at the Chrsitmas Farm Inn for just $80!

I drove up Sunday afternoon through the rain and had truly a delightful check-in experience - they are SO nice there! They got me in for a dinner reservation and all set up for my night. I chilled in the room for about 45 minutes as I waited for Sarah to land. The whole place was adorable and Christmas-themed. Our room was small, but it was all we needed, and the bed was COZY. Dinner was simply wonderful - we both got this salmon with sauteed cheesy spinnach on top, all baked in puff pastry? It was a DREAM. We had a warm brownie with ice cream, marshmallows, and graham crackers for dessert, and ended our night playing some Milles Bornes before bed!

We were up around 5:30am (Sarah grunted "noooooo" when my alarm went off) and out the door around 6:00am to start our adventure! We opted to leave my car at the Inn and just take her car to the trailhead, which was a whopping 13 minutes away. There was parking for maybe four cars at the trailhead, and to no surprise we were the only ones there! We spent some time to eat breakfast and caffeinate (thankfully I had my morning christening in the hotel) before slowly getting ready. It was a chilly 40 degrees with mostly clear skies above. The clouds went from white to pink to gold as we booted up, and then we were off onto the Bog Brook Trail!

[6:44am - Bog Brook Trail]

We entered the trail, passing a couple signs that read: [1] "WILD RIVER ROAD AND CAMPGROUND CLOSED DUE TO ROAD DAMAGE" and [2] "ATTENTION HIKERS. SEVERAL WASHOUTS EXIST THROUGHTOUT THE WILD RIVER. USE CAUTION IN AREAS ADJACENT TO BROOKS AND RIVERS WHERE UNDERMINING HAS OCCURRED. PORTIONS OF THE HIGHWATER TRAIL WERE BADLY DAMAGED OVER THE WINTER. THE TRAIL MAY BE DIFFICULT TO FOLLOW AND NON-EXISTENT IN PLACES. PLEASE PLAN ACCORDINGLY AND TURN BACK IF IN DOUBT."

The woods were instantly beautiful. The trail followed a soft footbed dotted with fallen birch or beech leaves (there WILL be a day where I can tell the difference). We immediately started saying "MILF: Man, I love Fall."

The trail sharply turned left to join an old route at a collapsed camp, maybe with some fire damage (on our way out, we noticed the former driveway to this camp still has a chain up). The trail was a bit wider now and equally as beautiful. We soon came to the first of three crossings. The guidebook listed all three as difficult in high water, but thankfully this one (the Wildcat Brook) was easy peasy, and absolutely beautiful. 

We noticed the high blue-diamond blazes and assumed this is a cross-country ski route in the winter, and we were loving the different shades of changing hobblebush leaves all around. The surrounding woods were absolutely beautiful in the morning light, and our second crossing was similarly nice and easy (this was an unnamed brook, I guess?). We passed more and more hobblebush and the start of what would be a day FULL of wonderful, bountiful mushrooms. The final crossing of this segment was over the Wildcat River, which was noted as being the most difficult, and to our delight it was still an easy rock hop. We were absolutely LOVING this trail so far!

[7:06am - Bog Brook Trail/Wildcat River Trail]

Just after the third crossing we passed the junction with the Wildcat River Trail and saw our first frog of the day, bringing our people to frog ratio 0:1 - a great start! The trail gently rose, but grades were overall nice and easy (like most of the hike so far). 

[7:16am - Bog Brook Trail/FR 233]

We crossed FR 233, which looked nice and easy to follow as a possible return route if we were too tired/lazy to rock hop at the end, and continued back into the woods. We hiked over some slippery and rotted boards and carefully stepped through some muddy spots, but overall the trail remained a delightful walk. We caught an occasional glimpse out to the cloud-covered mountains, and passed our first pile of moose poop (paired with a hefty moose print). 

The Bog Brook Trail soon began to wiggle through a ferny wonderland, bordering some wetlands, and we just kept saying how much we were loving this hike! The wetlands were results of beavers, and at an arrowed sharp left turn, we could start to make out the Carter Dome-Hight ridge through the trees (we think, at least). We crossed the Bog Brook technically five times in this stretch, but our final count was around eight crossings, so who knows what was what. Thankfully, all were easy, and the final one was at the base of a beaver dam with plenty more moose poop. This wasn't the poopiest trail, but the moose sure were around!

Soon after that final crossing, the Bog Brook Trail terminated at the Wild River Trail. What was BEAUTIFUL day!

[8:13am - Wild River Trail]

The Wild River Trail continued the theme of the Bog Book Trail - beautiful! There were leaves on the ground, but not enough to be a problem (yet), and the woods were just stunning. The grade of the trail remained nice and easy and before we knew it we were starting the first of two side trips for the day!

[8:31am - Wild River Trail/Rainbow Trail]

[8:32am - Wild River Trail/Entering Wild River Wilderness]

Our first spur trip was to the Perkins Notch Tentside and No-Ketchum Pond (I can only think about Ash Ketchum from Pokemon...). We hiked past the Rainbow Trail sign, over some sketchy boards, and into the Wild River Wilderness. This was officially my first time hiking in the Wild River Wilderness. I stepped into it for the bit twice before: once with Gen when we hiked the Royces to the Basin and once with Sarah and Emma on the way to Shelburne Moriah. The trail was a bit more narrow, which provided us with some wet ankles, but truly wasn't much different than before.

[8:46am - Wild River Trail/Enters FPA]

We gained a smidgen of elevation before descending for a few minutes, and we entered the Forest Protection Area somewhere in there too. We caught a few glances over towards the Carter Dome mass of land through the trees and were sincerely enjoying our hike. The trail crossed some more wet, slippery, slightly sketchy boards and entered an open, grassy area that used to be the site of the Perkins Notch Shelter and then the Perkins Notch Tentsite!

[8:51am - Perkins Notch Tentsite]

We were greeted to the tentsite with a hand-drawn map, some rules and regulations, and some safety regulations. The tentside is on a beautiful, relatively open knoll above the Wild River Trail. First we came to the fire ring on the left where we dropped our packs, and then deeper into the area are a few dirt tent pads, once with some nearby moose poop! There are also a few revegetation area signs around the area - it was really beautiful! We both found spots to pee and kept our packs off for another side quest to No-Ketchum Pond.

We hiked further down the Wild River Trail, keeping an eye on the left for the two spurs described in the guidebook. We made it to the far end of the pond and had only found one, maybe we had to go a bit further, who knows?

[9:04am - No-Ketchum Pond]

We turned onto the one clear spur path and it was a short adventure but QUITE the adventure. The bushes were pretty grown in on either side, getting us nice and wet, and there were a few tricky mud pits, one in particular... Sarah got across by balancing on submerged limbs, I guess. I thought I was doing the same, but when I went to take a little leap onto the dry ground my back foot slipped, causing my front foot to land early, and I SUNK into about two feet of mud. I was UPSET. It was one of the most unpleasant feelings I have ever felt. I made an unholy sound and Sarah said "I could only see your hair over the bushes!" 

I bravely pulled my foot out of the muck and got to the end of the spur, which at least was pretty... The Carter Range was still in the clouds but what might be the southerly knob of Carter Dome that the Rainbow Trail ascends was out in the open and looking beautiful, especially with the early autumnal yellows.

We took our photos, I "cleaned off" by scraping my leg on the wet bushes, and we stopped back at the tentsite for a quick snack before resuming our journey and putting a bow on this silly side quest.

[9:20am - Wild River Trail]

[9:36am - Wild River Trail/Departs FPA]

[9:39am - Wild River Trail/Departs Wild River Wilderness]

We had a lovely return hike on the Wild River Trail, warming up as it easily gained a little bit of elevation. We exchanged more rounds of "MILFs," exited the Forest Protection Area, lamented at how we still need to actually climb a mountain, and then exited the Wild River Wilderness. We dipped to cross the rotting boards before the rainbow trail, and then... *schlurp.* I stepped in ANOTHER mud put. This one was only a foot deep, but just as horrific. Neither of us spoke - I think Sarah was too scared to talk first. I took a deep breath and accepted my new lifestyle of trench foot. 

[9:40am - Rainbow Trail]

On the plus side, it was time to climb a mountain! We had been excited about the Rainbow Trail and were eager to see if it lived up to the hype - EVERYBODY seems to love it! The trail got off to a great start - soft dirt, yellow leaves, and a frog, bringing our ration to 0:2! The mushrooms were still exceptional, as well.

We climbed easily and moderately, and after about 20 minutes we came to "beautiful birch woods with luxuriant undergrowth," per the guidebook. Actually, it was a stunning area with an open canopy and a reasonable amount of undergrowth (the last time the guidebook read "luxuriant undergrowth" was when I hiked the Unknown Pond Trail from Mt. Cabot and the undergrowth was up to my chest, so I was nervous!). The views of the dead birch trees in this area were beautiful (similar to Casablanca at Saddleback), and we were ELATED to see our first views across the valley to nearby peaks, Mt. Kearsarge in the distance, and the Baldfaces a bit higher up. We took our sweet time in this area beacause it was simply stunning. There were plenty of clouds overhead, but they were beginning to burn off (finally!). 

We passed an assumedly old white blaze and entered coniferous woods, sadly leaving that stunning area. From here, we climbed more moderately with a few steeper pushes. This was the first time during the hike that Sarah and I more or less "locked in." That was, until I inhaled a fly and had to gargle my water to not throw up. Rough day for me!

The trail began to transition to large rocks to a beautiful, more graudal, moss-lined trail that eased up and slowly began to provide views of... a cloud! Do it for the views!!!

[10:51am - Rainbow Trail/Southerly Knob]

In fairness, it was really cool. The primary view was towards the Carter Dome ridge, which was fully in a cloud but wind would provide peaks at the foliage leading up to the summit. There were more beautiful views from this southerly knob as the clouds blew around. We could see the Baldfaces through a few trees, and as the clouds blew over we could make out the end of the Montalban Range with the Sandwich Range far to the left and behind. It was COLD and windy on this knob, and knowing we still had to climb some more, we didn't stick around for too long. 

The hike down to the sag between the southerly knob and Carter Dome was also in the open, which provided some more views of the clouds whipping around. There would have been a unique view into Carter Notch from here, but I guess I'll have to come back another time!

We fully arrived back into the woods and started to climb again along some more beautiful trail at a relatively easy-moderate grade, passing more moose poop and entering the clouds (against our will). The trail climbed a bit steeper near the top and passed what must be a couple lookouts, but we were fully socked in at this point. Thankfully, just a few minutes later we made it to the top!

[11:30am - Carter Dome Summit]

It was actually very fun (and comical) to be at the top of this mountain again! We wanted to summer when we did our overnight at Carter Notch Hut years ago, but we ran out of daylight and didn't want to tempt the steep descent in the dark. We wanted to do it after our Wildcat traverse, but Sarah's ankle was hurting bad. We FINALLY got it back in March of 2025, but not before I plunged my foot into a freezing river and had to wrap it up in a ziplock and hope for the best (it worked!). The views we got that day were incredible and Sarah SWORE she'd never be back, but here we were again - this time in a cloud!

We giggled at how we couldn't even tell there were fire tower footings when we were there with the snow. I got a picture of the disc and we recreated a few photos from that hike before taking a nice sit. I JOYFULLY took my shoes off to let me feet air out before putting new socks on (game-changer). The grey jays saw us snacking and immediately tried sizing us up, but we don't mess around! I wanted to take photos of them, but I couldn't walk around the summit barefoot due to a lot of broken glass (I guess from the fire tower windows? It wasn't bottle-shaped). A trail runner passed us (1:2) and then a duo hiked up from the notch and we joked about it being a perfect day for a view (3:2). Soon after they went on to Mt. Hight, we packed up and followed. Mid-pack-up, I looked up and saw blue skies and screamed "SARAH. BLUE." and we ran like animals to the little viewpoint and got a SMALL window towards... something. It was something, though!

[11:58am - Carter-Moriah Trail]

We started our second side quest of the day: Mt. Hight! Hiking down the Carter-Moriah Trail, we were immediately impressed with the height of the trees and moreso with the depth of the snowpack from our last hike up here. Not too soon after starting the trip, there was a little spur on the left that led to a view... A VIEW?! I YELLED again, and Sarah came barreling down the trail and we caught a unique view of the lower Chandler Ridge and lower slopes of Jefferson and Adams peaking through the clouds. The valley below had a nice hint of red appearing, too. We might get a view on Mt. Hight?! We could barely see South and Middle Carters through the flying clouds, too. 

[12:09pm - Carter-Moriah Trail/Black Angel Trail]

Back on track, we easily descended along the Carter-Moriah Trail, carefully navigating some slippery boards and coming to another viewpoint at the Black Angel Trail junction toward the Baldfaces (and a fun note - the Black Angel Trail sign was fully barried last time we were up here). 

[12:11pm - Carter-Moriah Trail/Carter Dome Trail]

Just after the Black Angel Trail junction we turned right to stay on the Carter-Moriah Trail towards Mt. Hight. The trail was pretty flat and unfortunately pretty muddy (I was suffering from post-traumatic stress). The trail was in the clouds the whole time, and we laughed when we came up to a little knob with only a cloud view. We climbed up a bit before emerging onto the open summit area that was, you guessed it, fully socked in! It was also WINDY!

[12:24pm - Mt. Hight Summit Area]

We chatted with the duo from Carter Dome for a minute, passing around jokes about being in clouds, talking about the 48, and we learned that they're from Connecticut and their kid is interested in the 48, but they just like hiking. Over the next 30ish minutes, the clouds started to clear up, revealing some spectacular views! 

The summit area proper was beautiful by itself. To the left of Carter Dome we could see Table, Attitash, and the Moats with Chocorua and Shaw behind. We loved seeing the ridge that we hiked up along the Rainbow Trail. Further on the left, working counter-clockwise, we then saw the Baldfaces again, which were looking much smaller! To the north were the Royces, Mahoosucs behind the clouds, and then Shelburne Moriah, Moriah, and the Carters. There was a small plane low in Pinkham Notch and we caught an occasional glance at the lower slopes of the northern Presidentials. 

After a while with the wind whipping, we did start to get cold and it was time to head on back! Sarah would have stayed truly all day, but I could no longer feel my fingers.

[12:54pm - Carter-Moriah Trail]

[1:06pm - Carter-Moriah Trail/Carter Dome Trail]

[1:07pm - Carter-Moriah Trail/Black Angel Trail]

To our delight, the return trip took hardly any time! We enjoyed a few peek-a-views from the trail as we passed the Carter Dome Trail and Black Angel Trail junctions. We were both feeling hunkered down for the climb back up Carter Dome, but it was truly easy peasy. 

We checked out the view spur again, and ran into person #4 (4:2/2:1 ratio still isn't too bad!) and were overjoyed to see a mostly clear view of Mt. Washington! Huntington Ravine was looking exceptionally rugged from this viewpoint. We also loved seeing back to Mt. Hight, Middle Carter, South Carter, Mt. Moriah, Shelburne Moriah, and peaks far beyond. We noticed a piece of old, rusted metal in the woods at this spur - maybe an old fire tower-affiliated roof situation?

[1:22pm - Carter-Moriah Trail/Carter Dome Summit]

We said hello to the summit of Carter Dome again and began our descent back to the hut! We were both very curious about this descent, as we hadn't hiked this stretch of trail any of the three previous trips to this range! It started out pretty pleasant, reasonably descending with very obstructed tree views over to Washington and a wonderful breeze. Mt. Madison had officially left the clouds and a few trees let us catch a nice view that way, too.

The trail began to descend more moderately with rocky-but-decent footing, and this led us to a "viewpoint" sign, so naturally we had to take it!

[1:56pm - Carter-Moriah Trail/Viewpoint]

The spur climbed uphill for just a minute before opening up to a truly spectacular view down into Carter Notch. The Carter Lakes were rippling in the wind and the green roofs of the hut complex were standing proudly. The mass of Wildcat A looked ridiculous and beautiful with the specks of color, and Pulpit Rock was directly on the left kind of looking like a pseudo "old man." We could see Black Mountain, the Doubleheads, and Kearsarge to the right of Pulpit Rock, with the Moat-Attatash-Table Range, Chocorua, and Shaw after that. Further over we could see the bulk of the Sandwich Range with some smaller peaks like Iron Mountain and Mt. Tremont in the distant foreground. On the right side of the notch was Washington again in-and-out of the clouds. This was just stunning! Oh, and how could I forget to mention the stunning view down to the Ramparts?

We were both feeling quite hungry at this point, so we didn't stick around for too long. After the viewpoint, the trail began to steepen. It was steep, but footing was pretty good with many, many stone steps. We could hear someone singing ahead (or below...) of us, and it was someone working on a Diretissma attempt! Another person crossed paths with us soon after, and after fighting with gavity for a few more minutes, we delightfully entered the Forest Protection Area!

[2:10pm - Carter-Moriah Trail/Enters FPA]

Nautrally, the fight with gravity continued, but after a few million more steep stone steps, the trail began to level out. We both concluded that we would have been fine descending down here in the winter, but it wouldn't have been pleasant. I would absolutely go up this trail in the winter, though, to get a little Carter Dome-Hight loop. 

After a bit more hiking that was only increasing in enjoyment, we came to the end of the Carter-Moriah Trail and turned onto the Nineteen Mile Brook Trail!

[2:25pm - Nineteen Mile Brook Trail]

Carter-Moriah Trail terminates right at the larger Carter Lake, which is always just beautiful. The cliffs of Wildcat A were daunting straight ahead, and if it was a little/much warmer out, we might have taken a swim! Water levels were low at the smaller Carter Lake, but the view up to Pulpit Rock and the cliffs of Carter Dome were beautiful. 

[2:29pm - Carter Notch Hut]

[2:30pm - Wildcat River Trail

We walked just for another minute to find the Carter Notch Hut simply abuzz with AMC workers turning it over for the off-season. Every piece of cookwear was outside drying, all pillows and blankets were in the main room, all the bunkhouses were cleaned and airing out, and the... poop containers were being serviced? We speculated what that actually meant, but we did not ask. Instead of taking out break at the hut, we decided to continue on up past the bunkhouses and to the Ramparts for our final break of the day.

[2:31pm - Ramparts]

The sign for the Ramparts was super clear and a short, rugged footpath led to the expansive boulder field with just a stunning view up to the cliffs and Pulpit Rock and over to the "U" of Carter Notch. We spent a nice amount of time here just enjoying the serenity of this beautiful area, ate some snacks (including the cookie we got from Santa himself!), and did a quick potty break before our final blast off (and by blast off, I mean longer-than-I-was-ready-for hike out).

[2:55pm - Wildcat River Trail]

The Wildcat River Trail was identified as "pleasant" in the guidebook, and let me just say, the guidebook was correct! The trail left the rugged notch and entered some beautiful woods with a soft trailbed, gently meandering around and beginning to descend.

[3:00pm - Wilcat River Trail/Departs FPA]

We left the Forest Protection Area and descended more moderately, but never steeply. Footing was just about always good. We were both tired at this point of our hike, but still feeling good! We eventually crossed what the guidebook described as a washout from a 2011 slide, but it was really just a ~10ft long rocky section versus something cool to see. We hiked over a few streams and enjoyed the increasing deciduous trees showing their autumnal yellows and spent some time yapping about what a wonderful hike this had been! We had a nice and easy crossing of Wildcat River (the guidebook again said that it would be difficult at high water) and soon after came to the Wild River Trail junction!

[3:41pm - Wildcat River Trail/Wild River Trail]

We had one more uphill stretch which was totally fine and reasonable after the junction, which ultimately led to another easy crossing, but this time of the Bog Brook! This was the spot where the Bog Brook and the Wildcat Rivers meet, which was fun. We decided we would not hike the Bog Brook Trail back to the car and instead follow the gravel fire road becuase we were both all done with thinking for the day.

[4:19pm - Forest Road 233]

We HAPPILY turned onto Forest Road 233, crossed a bridge over Bog Brook (sign; we were confused becuase we thought this was the Wildcat River now?), and hiked uphill for just a couple minutes (we both silently lamented about this) and then had a delightfully easy hike out, crossing the Wildcat Brook (sign) on a bridge on the way. 

We couldn't beleive our eyes when we saw the gate, and truly were confusing ourselves beacause we didn't see Sarah's car at first, but we didn't know there were two parking areas. We passed two more people at the end and their dog. Woman #1 said "he's friendly," and Woman #2 said "but I'm not," which gave us a good laugh!

[4:44pm - End of Hike]

Back at the car we changed into our clean clothes, got my car, and had a wonderful dinner at the Shannon Door right on NH-16 in Jackson! We each got a Chicken Parm and it was delicious! We wanted to stay longer since the live music was just getting started, but we were still three hours from home and it was a school night!

The drive home was pretty easy and when I got home I had one question: how do I quit working and do this every day?

Step-by-Step

- Start hike on Bog Brook Trail.

- At terminus, turn right onto Wild River Trail.

- At Perkins Notch Tentside, explore Tentsite and No-Ketchum Pond, then turn around.

- At jct., turn right onto Rainbow Trail.

- At terminus, turn right onto Carter-Moriah Trail.

- At Mt. Hight Summit, turn around.

- Follow Carter-Moriah Trail over Carter Dome and down to terminus in Carter Notch.

- At terminus, turn left onto 19-Mile Brook Trail.

- At Carter Notch, continue onto Wildcat River Trail.

- At jct., turn left to Ramparts.

- Enjoy the view, then turn around and return to the trail.

- Turn left onto Wildcat River Trail.

- At jct., with FR 233, turn right.

- Follow FR 233 back to car.

Map

Photo Album

Quarter Mile Pond & Southern Spot Pond (Middlesex Fells Reservation)

Quarter Mile Pond & Southern Spot Pond (Middlesex Fells Reservation)

Hike Type: Out-and-Back Yo-Yo

Distance: 2.20 miles

Elevation: 36 feet

My Time: 2 hours, 36 minutes (51 minutes moving)

Book Time: 1 hour, 7 minutes

Parking: Plenty of parking at Flynn Rink.
Hiking Challenges: Middlesex Fells

The Hike 

First time to the Fells since June! Christien and I were meeting for a lowkey hike and to talk shop a bit. We parked at the Flynn Rink and explored the areas around Quarter Mile Pond and Spot Pond Reservoir. Quarter Mile Pond was lackluster and drying up, but Spot Pond was absolutely stunning. We walked up to the boat dock before turning around and finding a spot to sit for a long talk along the reservoir's southern edge. Bugs weren't too bad, and as the sun began to set the fish began to leap out of the water to catch bugs, which was really fun to see! We sat for over an hour and had some hard conversations, but it was a perfect venue for it. We hiked out around 6:00 and I was home by 7:00!

Step-by-Step

- Start hike on Cross-Fells Trail.

- At E4-6, turn right onto trail along Quarter Mile Pond.

- At terminus, turn right onto Half Mile Road.

- At split, veer left.

- At Boat House, turn around, hiking spur on the way.

- Retrace steps and continue past pump house, turning right onto unnamed path for a long break.

- Retrace steps back to Quarter Mile Pond and back to car.

Middlesex Fells Reservation Map

Photo Album

Stone Arch Bridge Trail (Westford Conservation Trust)

Stone Arch Bridge Trail (Westford Conservation Trust)

Hike Type: Out and Back

Distance: 1.49 miles

Elevation: 37 feet

My Time: 26 minutes

Book Time: 45 minutes

Parking: Limited parking at trailhead on Cold Spring Road.
Hiking Challenges: N/A

The Hike 

My car saga is FINALLY complete! Drove from Arlington to Parkway Honda in West Roxbury (about an hour), and then drove all the way to Westford (pushing 1.5 hours) back in my CRV for the first time in a LONG time. I was running late for band, but I needed a second to decompress from everything, plus I was on the phone with Mom, so I pulled over at the Stone Arch Bridge Trail and did a quick out and back while Mom and I wrapped up our conversation. The trail was lovely, the weather was an absolute dream, and it set me up right for a few hours of band!

Step-by-Step

- From parking area, start hike on Tom Paul Trail (unblazed, wide trail).

- At terminus, turn around and return to car.

Map of Stone Arch Bridge Area Trails (Hand-Drawn)

Map of Stone Arch Bridge Area Trails (Digital)

Photo Album

Flume Gorge (Franconia Notch State Park)

Flume Gorge (Franconia Notch State Park)

Hike Type: Lollipop Loop

Distance: 3.0 miles

Elevation: 524 feet

My Time: 1 hour, 22 minutes (55 minutes moving)

Book Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes

Parking: Parking for MANY cars at Flume Gorge Visitor Center
Hiking Challenges: N/A

The Hike 

Time for Hike #2! The rain was starting to lighten up, thankfully, but I still brought my umbrella with me. We all took a pit stop in the Visitor Center to use the bathroom, we then bought our tickets ($21 is expensive my goodness...), and then we were off!

The "Enter" kiosk said "this is a 2 mile self guided nature walk" and had information on The Flume:

"This narrow gorge 700 feet in length with walls of granite 60 to 70 feet high was formed thousands of years ago when magma filled an east-west fracture in the side of Mt. Liberty. Erosion resulting from water flowing over this lava dike through the ages created the Flume to you see today.

The walls of the Flume are overarched by a forest canopy and covered with mosses, ferns, and flowers that in summer produce a tapestry of color. The floor of the gorge where Flume Brook flows is sewn with rocks deposited eons ago. In winter the Flume is like another world as great iciles hang from the walls.

For centuries a large egg-shaped boulder hung suspended between the walls of the gorge. On June 20, 1883 a cloudburst on Mt. Liberty sharted an avalanche of water, earth, rock and trees that roared through the Flume carrying away the great stone.

According to local folk-lore the Flume was discovered in 1808 by "Aunt Jess" Guernsey, one of the pioneers of the region, who at age 93 went trout fishing and upon returning home told of looking into a great ghasm. At first no one believed her, later word reached the outside world bringing visitors to this natural wonder."

We started our hike on the access path that followed a wide, well-graded gravel road. Spirits were high, and we were all delighted to be slightly less soggy than before! We passed a large glacial boulder and then turned right onto Flume Path, which had a sign and arrow, starting the lollipop loop. The Flume Path started a realtively easy descent to the covered bridge that we then got to cross over the scenic brook even further down below.

We ascended alongside a road and visited the Boulder Cabin, which had bathrooms, some history, and some nature information. Andrew had to use the bathroom, but there was a line tragically. Onward!

We hiked along the scenic Table Rock, which would be so much fun to treat as a natural waterslide... We passed the closed Rim Path (maybe it's only open in winter?) and then it was time for the main event: The Flume! A sign read:

"The granite rock which make up the walls of the flume was formed many millions of years ago in ancient geological time. At a later period dark colored lava in a molten condition was pushed up from below filling a great crack and smaller side cracks that had been formed in the granite. This lava solidified to form dikes. As ages passed the main dike was worn away leaving the flume gorge. The original flume thus formed has been further widened by frost and water action. In a few places marked by signs the remants of the main lava dike are still preserved in the bed of the gorge and small branches or off-shoots can be seen along the canyon walls. The lava is darked in color than the granite walls."

This place is nothing short of spectacular! The walkway alone is a wonder let alone the flume proper. It wasn't crowded, but we also didn't have the place to ourselves. The flume became more and more dramatic the further we walked in on the somewhat slippery walkway. There were small information signs scattered about giving information about natural features of the area. The moss-line walls were just beautiful. 

I particularly enjoyed a narrow stretch just before Avalance Falls came into view - it just felt like we were in prehistoric times or something. 

The gorge widened near Avalance Falls and the walkway crossed over the brook, climbing up to provide nice and ever-changing views of the roaring falls. It was great to be here on a wet day, because everything looked even more dramatic!

From the top of Avalance Falls, we skipped the Bear Cave, and continued left onto the Ridge Path towards Liberty Gorge and Sentinel Pine Covered Bridge. Back on a wide, gravel road, we had some easy downhill walking to a viewpoint that was mostly socked in, and then we continued on down, enjoying each other's company and yapping up a storm. 

We soon crossed over Liberty Gorge, which was another beautiful area (less impressive, though) and got a great view of the falls from a side path.

We crossed the covered bridge, played leap frog with this duo that was unfortunately incredibly stinky, and then followed another side path to O'Connor's Overlook. We followed the endless stairs on this seemingly new stretch of deck to get a view of The Pool, which was REALLY inviting us for a swim (if it was warmer out...). We could see where an older stretch of trail had eroded away, which is most likely what prompted this rebuild.

We could have taken another side trip through the Wolf Den, but everything was so wet and the stinky people were in there, so no thank you! At a rain shelter just after the overlook, we continued onto the Wildwood Path (these three paths make up the full loop and there's really no other option besides them). We passed some spectacular mushrooms and Andrew had to take a run to find the bathroom, poor guy! We also noticed how close the trail came to the Bike Path... 

After some more leisurely walking we made it back to the glacial boulder from before, and we had a nice and easy walk out to the gift shop! I changed at the gift shop/Visitor Center, and then we all got ready to drive into Lincoln to get some lunch!

We landed at Basecamp Brewing in Lincoln and it was just perfect! After lunch we went to the Burgeon store and I am proud of myself for not splurging and buying a third Highlander Hoodie, yet... Afterwards we said our goodbyes and all made our seperate drives home. Bummer we didn't get our friends onto a 4,000 Footer, but we made great use of a rainy day!

Step-by-Step

- Start hike on access path.

- At split, turn right onto Flume Path.

- At Bear Cave, turn left onto Ridge Path.

- After Rain Shelter, continue left onto Wildwood Path.

Map of Flume Gorge

Photo Album

Georgiana & Harvard Falls (Second Presidential State Forest)

Georgiana & Harvard Falls (Second Presidential State Forest)

Hike Type: Out-and-Back

Distance: 2.67 miles

Elevation: 702 feet

My Time: 1 hour, 41 minutes (1 hour, 27 minutes moving)

Book Time: 1 hour, 41 minutes

Parking: Parking for ~10 cars at trailhead.
Hiking Challenges: N/A

The Hike 

Sarah, Linnea, Andrew, Christien, and I had grand plans to spend the night up at Moose Brook State Park and head into the southern Presidentials in the morning for a stunning hike, but nature said otherwise! We all drove up Saturday afternoon and met at the campground and had truly a wonderful night of fire, food, yapping, and a few drinks! Around 3:00am the rain started (and my $30 Walmart tent held up wonderfully, thank you!) and it stayed for most of the day. Instead of giving up, we pivoted to getting breakfast in Gorham and going on a couple waterfall hikes! Breakfast at the White Mountain Bookstore and Cafe was an absolute dream, and after some scrolling and searching we decided we'd drive down to the Lincoln area and explore Georgiana/Harvard Falls and maybe also the Flume Gorge! This also got us an hour closer to home which was a treat in itself!

Our first stop was the hike to Georgiana Falls, which there wasn't too much information about online. The trailhead was clearly signed, though, so our plan was a go! Poor Christien left his hiking clothes at home, so he was in jeans... in the rain. I opted for hiking with an umbrella versus a rain coat, and I truly was not upset about my decision! We all got started around 10:30am.

The hike started by following what felt like a snowmobile trail into the woods and under the I-93 overpass (naturally we had to sing "ahhhahhh ahhhahhh" from Frozen 2) and then really got into the woods, passing what looked like an old bridge or something rusting just off trail?

The snowmobile trail split with signs for "Bog Pond" and "Murray's Trail" going straight and a smaller sign for "Georgiana Falls" to the right. We went straight just for a moment to catch a view of Harvard Brook (lovely) before getting on with our hike.

Back on task, the route followed a wonderfully flat and wide woods road with old yellow blazes. After a few minutes, the road continue straight/right and the trail turned left - the wrong way was clearly blocked off.

The old yellow blazes were now joined with occasional, newer red ones, which I thought were some form of property lines but are apparently real blazes! The trail joined Harvard Brook and instantly became beautiful (and wet). We navigated one tricky section that crossed a wet, rocky area and soon came to the lower Georgiana Falls! Water levels were low, so it wasn't running too intensely, but it sure was beautiful! Most of the crew hiked up the slab parallel to the falls to continue on, but I have trust issues with wet slabs, so I followed either the trail or a herd path through the woods.

From here, the trail steepend and footing became significantly worse, mostly due to mud. The red blazes loose guided us up. Morale was dipping, also becuase it was raining, but thankfully Sarah and I are stubborn and needed to see what was next!

After huffing, puffing, sweating, and slipping, we later made it up to the viewpoint of the upper Georgiana Falls, also known as Harvard Falls, I guess? The naming of these cascades is a bit confusing. Apparently, this used to be fully unblazed and just a herd path, but the red blazes continued all the way up. The falls were beautiful! I was sure glad that we pushed on up. A bit further up was another viewpoint, and apparently you can scramble your way to the top of the falls here for a swimming hole and viewpoint, but we were in a cloud and I did not trust the slippery rocks - another time!

We hung out here just for a few minutes before starting the slow, careful trip down. Andrew found a small snake while relieving himself that we all said hello to, and we very carefully made our way down. Everyone was soaking wet, except for me! I was loving the umbrella and I fear I am now in the market for an ultralight one... Footing was dicey at best, but we had most success staying to the left hand side of the "trail."

We got a little off-trail near the crossing further down, but AllTrails came to save the day. There were a lot of criss-crossing herd paths, which made things a bit confusing. 

After the crossing it was smooth sailing! We followed the lovely road all the way back to our cars where we decided to not dry off (even Christien decided to stay in his wet jeans...) and head right to the Flume Gorge for hike #2 du jour! Thankfully, it was no more than five minutes down the road.

Step-by-Step

- From Trailhead, follow signs for Georgiana Falls, sometimes with very faded yellow blazes.

- When red blazes begin, follow red blazes.

- At Harvard Falls, turn around and retrace steps.

Photo Album

Big Muddy Pond Loop (Long Trail State Forest)

Big Muddy Pond Loop (Long Trail State Forest)

Hike Type: Loop

Distance: 3.62 miles

Elevation: 810 feet

My Time: 1 hour, 58 minutes (1 hour, 50 minutes moving)

Book Time: 2 hours, 12 minutes

Parking: Parking for 10-15 cars at trailhead off of VT-118.
Hiking Challenges: Long Trail Side-to-Side; 52 Hike Challenge 2026

The Hike 

Day two of Labor Day weekend! I was mentally flirting with the idea of hiking Belvidere Mountain via Frank Post and Forester Trails to keep knocking off trails on the Side-to-Side patch, but I just didn't feel like climbing a mountain. Emma and I slowly got up and got some chores done, and then I proposed we check out Big Muddy Pond, still at the same trailhead as Belvidere, which would hit the Babcock Trail and Babcock Extension on the same list - she agreed, and we were off!

We brought her dog, Lola, and were at the trailhead around noon, which was expectedly full (with room for us!). We got suited up, we got Lola suited up, and we gave Lola our drinks to hold, too! We hiked past a couple of thru-hikers eating lunch at the gate, and then hiked past the trail register and onto the Long Trail southbound! Lola was NOT a fan of her paw-protection booties, but she did her best.

We hiked past an old Agency of Environmental Conservation sign stating that the trail was closed to vehicles and then walked gently uphill over some fallen yellow leaves (FALL IS NEAR). We carefully crossed VT-118 and continued on the Long Trail southbound on the other side, riding gently through wonderful fern-filled forests. Lola was having a wonderful time smelling literally everything and trying to nosh on any grass she could find. 

We saw some leaves with a unique squiggly mark on them - we figure either slugs or really really small bugs, and then admired some common jewelweed flowers, which were incredibly unique looking. The hike began to moderate with a few steeper spots that got the two of us sweating (Lola was running laps ahead and behind us, basically). Lola got mad at her booties again, so eventually the back two came off. The trail continued rising to a height of land and the Rittenbush Lookout. The lookout was nice, but pretty grown-in. We could see the landmass on the other side of the pond below, but that was really it. We did love to see the early autumnal reds popping through!

The descent from the lookout was comically steep with many stone stairs - Lola had no problem flying up and down them as Emma and I fought for our lives while carefully stepping on the wet stones. Once further down, the trail rambled around, crossing a few streams (we had to fight Lola from drinking the mostly stale water - she had plenty of her own) and passing a teeny tiny red eft on the way!

Just after the final stream we came to a junction! On the left was an unmarked path to another pond, straight was the Long Trail southbound towards Devil's Gulch, which looked like a fun scrambly section, but not with the dog, and left was the Babcock Trail - our return route! We hopped on the blue-blazed trail and began to moderately climb back up on a very eroded stretch of trail.

We eventually leveled out and passed the first of three(?) beaver dams damming up Big Muddy Pond. The viewpoint began to open up as we began to hear the pitter patter of rain, which turned into a full RAIN. We decided to have our drinks and do some civilized hiking at this point, since it seemed we were just going to be wet. We thanked Lola for carrying our drinks, and comically, Emma's exploded from the josteling. 

The views down to the pond were nice, but there were no really good viewpoints. We could see a couple of loons on the north end of the pond engaging in... something. We saw the big wing flapping thing waterbirds do and then they did some diving too. I wish we were able to get closer! 

The Babcock Trail climbed again and then easily descended past some white baneberries, which look absolutely crazy with their magenta stems and white berries. Emma put Lola back on her leash as we began to hear VT-118 again, and soon we were CAREFULLY crossing again.

The Babcock Extension started straight across the road, but it was pretty overgrown with roadside wildflowers (mostly swamp asters, flat topped white asters, and goldenrods). We pushed through, getting nice a damp after the rain subsided, and then turned to follow a gravel road that we soon joined to follow.

There were a few apple trees above the gravel road that had begun depositing their small apples all over the road. We did NOT stop for a snack, even though Emma offered. The Babcock Extension turned back into the woods and followed a narrow, wet trail with a good amount of bog boards, and one bridge! We gently rose again up to the parking lot, and soon were back and READY to put dry clothes on!

We ended up driving towards Smuggler's Notch and got a late lunch at the Red Fox. Lola was not interested in sitting in the back seat, so she happily inserted herself into my lap for every drive, only slightly tearing up my arms with her claws in the process. We then stopped at the Cambridge Market to stock up for tomorrow - Jay Peak to Canada!

Step-by-Step

- Walk towards the Long Trail from the parking area.

- Turn right onto the Long Trail southbound.

- Carefully cross VT-118, then continue on the Long Trail southbound.

- At jct., turn right onto Babcock Trail.

- At road, carefully cross VT-118, then continue onto Babcock Ext.

- At terminus, return to car.

Map

Photo Album

Zealand Mountain via Zeacliff Trail (White Mountain National Forest)

Zealand Mountain via Zeacliff Trail (White Mountain National Forest)

Hike Type: -o- Loop

Distance: 12.73 miles

Elevation: 2,782 feet

My Time: 8 hours, 8 minutes (6 hours, 39 minutes moving)

Book Time: 7 hours, 45 minutes

Parking: Ample parking with overflow lot at Zealand Trail Trailhead ($5 Day Use Fee)
Hiking Challenges: New Hampshire 4000-Footers; New Hampshire Appalachian Trail

The Hike 

So I had been having car troubles since I got back to New Jersey from Florida. I got quoted $6,500 for a fix, which had me gasping for air. I called Ray's mechanic, who, in a thick Irish accent, said "oh shit man I don't do those repairs any more I'm too old," and Christien's said "listen you'll pay the same no matter where you go but the dealership will get it done faster." I brought the car back to the dealership after finding my warranty paperwork, which looked promising, and basically said "what do I do I can't pay $6,500 but I have this warranty." After 45ish minutes the service advisor comes back with a piece of highlighted paper, kneels down, and shows me what the paper said. It was an email from Honda from the same morning saying that they have extended the warranties for all 2017-2021 CRVs because of an engine problem, and because Honda extended their warranty, the repair would be FREE. I think my soul left my body.

ANYWAY, with that, I was advised to not drive my car until the fix, which will happen sometime next week. Yesterday, Chrsitien offered for me to borrow his car, which was super nice, and once I was done being stubborn I accepted the offer and drove up to hike Middle Sister. He was off today, so we decided to go hiking again! I proposed three possible hikes, knowing that he loves a water feature: Mt. Moosilauke via Gorge Brook (not much water, but treeline), Mt. Chocorua via Champney Falls, or Zealand Mtn. via Zeacliff Trail. None of the hike were horribly strenuous and all had views, but we ended on Zealand because of how many different views and water features, and that it would still be stunning even if we were socked in the clouds.

Knowing he doesn't like the super early mornings that I like, so I let him choose the time we were to leave, and he said 5:36 - specific, but sounds good! He got up at 4:30am, I got up at 5:00am. I was ready by 5:15am because I simply move quickly in the morning, so I tried to help him get ready, but I think I stressed him out instead (oops). I sat patiently, playing my New York Times games, and we were out the door just before 6:00am!

Our drive started with a listen to Sara Barellis's new album: Good Grief, which was slower music than I usually listen to on these morning drives, but the music was very pretty and poetic. This brought us directly to Hooksett (literally had 10 seconds left in the album when we parked), we had a potty break and stocked up on food. We stopped at the Tilton Walmart 20ish minutes later so I could grab a quick shirt to hike in for the day - I foolishly only brought my mid-weight merino long sleeve, and it would be far too warm for that. The second half our drive featured the newest episode of Normal Gossip, and we made it to the end of Zealand Road just after 9:00am! The main parking area was pretty busy for a Friday morning, and there were a few groups of hikers getting ready for their days. To my dismay, I didn't realize this was a day use fee area, and neither of us had our $5 (sorry, USFS!). We made use of the bathrooms, got suited up, and it was time to being our journey!

[9:18am - Start of hike on Zealand Trail] 

Our hike began on the old railway bed along the Zealand Trail, passing a mini-grove of ghost pipes. The trail was delightfully flat underfoot as we passed the "2.8 miles to Zealand Falls Hut" and official Zealand Trail signs. The morning spider webs were all off-trail (thanks to the hikers before us), and the off-trail survivors were illuminated with the morning dew and sunlight. It was a nice 67 degrees out, but it was HUMID!

[9:25am - Zealand Trail/Departs FPA]

The trail soon became more rocky and rugged and then departed the Forest Protection Area - this change of character is due to a relocation of the trail off of the rail bed, likely due to flooding/erosion. The trail brought us across a few bridges over (currently) minor streams, eventually rejoining the old railroad bed. The hobblebush in the forest were starting to show their fall color of dark red. 

Now alongside the Zealand River, there were a few herd paths on the left to see the scenic river, with a few cascades and swimming holes. The trail begins to menauver around the river, crossing it numerous times on bridges and a couple rock hops that were easily navigated. We were slightly swimming upstream, crossing paths with dozens of hikers leaving the Zealand Falls Hut. This whole hike in was wonderfully scenic and we kept saying that if it stayed like this we could hike forever!

[10:04am - Zealand Trail/Boardwalk]

We eventually arrived at the section I was excited to see for the first time - the beaver ponds! This section was marked by views of nearby mountains (possibly Mt. Tom on the left?) and views across the numerous (or one large?) ponds. There was a wonderful boardwalk lined with red berries and "common wrinkled-leaf goldenrods." 

We took a break in the woods for a quick snack and for Christien to put on my extra socks (he wore ankle socks which was already causing problems). We were cheered on by an increidbly yappy duck. The views to Mt. Tom increased with mostly cloudy skies and very humid air. We dipped back into the woods along the wetlands for a bit as we approached the junction with the A-Z Trail.

[10:23am - Zealand Trail/A-Z Trail]

[10:25am - Zealand Trail/Enters FPA]

I was now in slightly familiar territory, as Sarah and I had hiked this section this past December. We hiked over a lovely bridge and then entered the Forest Protection area just after. The Zealand Trail paralleled Zealond Pond here with a lovely view to what I think is the Zeacliff mass with maybe Hale's south peak behind? The pond levels were noticeable low and we could hear the rush of Zealand Falls in the not-too-far distance. 

[10:30am - Ethan Pond Trail]

We continued through the junction with Twinway onto the Ethan Pond Trail. I naturally took a photo of the sign(s), and a guy made a joke about "now you won't get lost!" - in hindsight it feels a little cheeky, but I took it playfully!

[10:33am - Ethan Pond Trail/Departs FPA]

We hiked along the still-delightfully flat railroad grade, eventually passing three backpackers along the way. The trail was narrower here and maneuvered some more eroded stretches (featuring a few rocky sections and dips), but overall it was pretty nice walking. 

We excitedly existed the woods onto the magnificent talus slope of Whitewall Mountain. It was cloudy and hazy out which made for some spooky views. Naturally, I took a ton of photos right away, but we continued on towards the Zeacliff Trail, where we would take our first break.

[11:00am - Zeacliff Trail & Break]

We hiked just a few feet down the Zeacliff Trail and found a nice spot to sit in the talus field. There was a commanding view to the landmass of Zeacliff on the right, and Carrigain and the Hancocks were through the haze on the left. Behind us was the namesake white-wall of Whitewall Mountain. It was wonderfully quiet here - the only sound was the Whitewall Brook running below. 

[11:15am - Zeacliff Trail]

We continued into the Pemigewasset Wilderness and I warned Chrsitien about wilderness trails and their more rugged character. We wiggled through the talus slope and tight blueberry bushes (Christien shouted "are you SURE we're on the trail?) a couple times - I was sure, he's just used to hiking out in Utah! The trail turned left and went into the woods. We noticed just a few very faded blue blazes, I guess from before this was a wilderness area? The trail then truly PLUMMETED down to the brook, with soft, careful footing needed to avoid slipping. It was borderline comical how steep this drop was. 

After a few minutes of praying our feet didn't slip, we landed in the valley, which was actually delightful and scenic. Soon after flattening out, we arrived at teh crossing of the scenic Whitewall Brook. It was pretty easily rock hoppable, even though I dipped a toe into the water. If I was using my poles I am fully confident I would have survived unscathed, but truly the water felt nice! Christien followed in my footsteps, except he decided to dunk a whole foot. He was not happy about this, but ultimately he said it felt kind of good!

After the river crossing, we hiked past some swamp asters and goldenrods, and then arrived at the base of an old slide, which marked the start of the climb up. I found some information on it through Steve Smith's document "LANDSLIDES OF THE WHITE MOUNTAINS": 

"There has apparently been at least one slide in the 1900s on the west side of Zealand Notch, scarring the steep eastern flank of the prominent ridge that descends south from Zeacliff. For more than half a century from its opening in 1923, AMC Guide descriptions of the Zeacliff Trail (originally designated as part of the Zealand Ridge Trail) have noted that it used a slide for the first part of its ascent out of the notch. As the 1963 edition described it: “Crossing the [Whitewall] brook it ascends the foot of a slide. About one-fourth of the way up the slide the trail diverges R and follows near the slide although the slide itself may be followed.” By the 1972 edition the slide was described as “overgrown,” and it was last mentioned in the 1983 edition. Part of this small slide can be seen in a 1939 aerial photo, but it has long since been completely revegetated"

We slogged up the initial boulder mess and onto the next... mess of boulders. This was steep climbing! Footing was... fine, but relatively unpleasant. The two of us were basically fighting for our lives and pouring sweat (I used the word pouring becuase I don't think there's a single word that accurately how intensely we were sweating). It wasn't hot out, but my god was it humid. 

Partway up the initial climb, we heard commotion - it was a man with a full backpack and his dog! This would be a beastly trail to descend. The dog was definitely surprised to see us. He was an addorable mid-sized dog probably in the poodle hybrid family. His coat was dark grey with black splotches and a dark green doggy backpack. We said our hello's and continued on. A couple minutes later we met another down-hiker who asked if we had met Ernie - the dog's name was Ernie! We chatted a little and she said this was her first hike, to which both of us were shocked. I said "you really picked a hell of a trail!" and she said it was her cousin's idea, which was Ernie's owner. She then yelled to him "ROBBIE!" and took off.

We continued to suffer up the mountain side, but eventually the trail rounded a shoulder and mellowed out for a bit in a more-open forest full of hobblebush and old blowdowns. I caught a bug in my hand and offered it to Christien as a gift. His response was "you are so thanks," which paints a picture of how tired we were. There was a very light passing shower overhead, which was more than welcomed. 

We began to climb a bit moderately again, climbing along a spide with hardly noticeable tree views to mountains on either side. We saw our first and only pile of moose poop and felt something we hadn't felt in a white - a breeze! The trail skirted a cliffy area and then we arrived at the next segment of the trail: the wet scrambles!

The wet scrambles were just as such - wet, and required use of all fours. Thankfully, three points of contact were always achievable, and my upper body is only a little tired today as I am writing this. We started to feel glimmers of hope as we could see a couple very obstructed peek-a-views to Carrigain Notch through the trees. We hit one particularly tricky scramble, but it led to a slightly better view of Carrigain and Carrigain Notch, so it was more than welcomed.

The trail's footing improved afterward (but did not get good), as it climbed through seas of bluebead lily (I am now realizing that I was calling all bluebead and trout lily trouy lily this past spring - who knew there was a difference! The leaves are the main tells). The USDA website describes the berries as such: "These blue berries may look appetizing, but they are not blueberries. Although they are not poisonous, they are quite foul tasting and should be avoided. The appreciation of this plant should be in its viewing, not its flavor."

We soon rounded the shoulder of the mountain, the trail turned into a bedrock sidewalk, we exited the Wilderness, and we made it to the Twinway!

[12:51pm - Twinway]

We did a quick pit stop at the Twinway junction so I could wring out my shirt (NECESSARY) and swap out my water bottles. The Twinway was an absolute delight after twhat we had just hiked! It was wonderfully flat at first and lined in blueberries! We spent a couple minutes descending easily with pretty good footing and then reached the Zeacliff Pond Spur.

[1:11pm - Zeacliff Pond Spur]

[1:14pm - Zeacliff Pond]

As a sucker for a side quest, of course I had to follow the spur. The spur entered the Pemigewasset Wilderness and descend mostly easily with rocky footing down the shoreline of the small pond, which was truly a delight to see. Water levels were expectedly low, but we couldn't walk too far out because the ground was extraodinarly squishy and moist. We watched the dragonflies buzz about, and especially liked the bold red ones (the white-faced meadowhawk). We noticed the rocky knob on the right that we would soon be scrambling up to. 

Our return trip to Twinway was nice and easy, and we were soon back on task!

[1:20pm - Twinway]

Back on the Twinway, we had a brief moment of relatively flat walking before we started to climb-climb again! The trail first got rocky, then it got scrambly, and then maneuvered up a large wooden ladder that is missing it's second rung. We worked our way around some mud and up a slab to the top of the knob seen from Zeacliff Pond. Poking around, there were some views, too! We could make our Stairs, Resolution, and Crawford through one hole in the trees, Mt. Webster through another, Mt. Carrigain a bit further over, and we could make out Zeacliff Pond, which was effectively straight down. I excited said "we can see the pond!" as two thru-hikers passed, and they were just as excited for me!

We descended slightly from the knob and reentered some lovely trail. We saw some tree views to the Twins (with an impressive slide on North Twin) on the right and a minute later could just make out some of the Northern Presidentials, which still had some cloud cover. A topic question came up: how many rocks does one step on during a hike? And to clarify: stepping on a rock means the sole of one's foot touches a rock detached from the earth that is at least one square inch in size. We roughly concluded it was 1.25x or 1.5x the hiker's overall step count for the hike. This is open to refinement.

From here, the trail rambled through some boards and mud pits, keeping a relatively steady pace. We climbed up and over a false summit area strewn with old blowdowns and young conifers that exfoliated our legs. Christien helped me get my visor out since we were facing directly into the sun here, and after a bit more hiking, we were at the Zealand Mtn. Spur trail!

[2:00pm - Zealand Mtn. Spur]

I can't remember if the spur trail had this adorable sign when Gen and I hiked out here in 2021, but I was sure delighted to see it! What I do remember is that when Gen and I hiked it, it was a busy superhighway of day hikers, Bonds traversers, and Pemi Loopers all trying to tag the viewless summit. Plus, last time it had rained a bunch so the full spur was a sloppy, flooded mess. Thankfully, it was more or less a delightful 0.1 miles on this day!

[2:03pm - Zealand Mtn. Summit]

In just a few minutes we were at the top of Christien's first 4000 Footer! I told him that if he gets bit by the hiking bug he'll have fun telling people this was his first one, becuase I feel like this is a relatively uncommon first. We booped the sign and found spots to sit for our snacks and hydration. Christien ran out of water just before here, but I always bring extra, and we had the hut not too far away.

We sat for some good time just enjoying the solitude. There were very obstructed tree views out to nearby peaks, and eventually a juvenile grey jay joined us! I had told Christien about them, but I was glad he was able to see them! The juvenile had more of a speckled pattern to his feathers, and he was very brave! Eventually, two more adult birds joined him - they did NOT get any of our food! 

As we sat, we could feel the cold front beginning to blow in. Some breezes were warm and some were CHILLY. We both got a little chilled up here, so after 20ish minutes we packed up and started our return!

[2:25pm - Zealand Mtn. Spur]

[2:28pm - Twinway]

We cruised down the Zealand Mountain Spur and turned left back onto the Twinway for some backtracking. In the higher, flatter stretches we had a lovely breeze that alternated between warm and cold. We pretty mindlessly made our way to the top of the knob over"looking" Zeacliff Pond, and then carefully worked our way down the wet slabs and semi-tricky scrambles. We caught a few views to the Presidentails that were poking out of the clouds just for a moment. I had a medium loud yawn near the top of the scrambles, and it had the most insane echo I had ever heard. It reverberated incredibly quickly, almost like a yodeling woodpecker? 

[3:06pm - Twinway/Zeacliff Pond Spur]

[3:15pm - Twinway/Zeacliff Trail]

The steep section concluded at the Zeacliff Pond Spur, and then some more easy hiking brought us to the junction with the Zeacliff Trail. Time to continue the loop section of our hike! We noticed a bunch of mountain holly on either side of the trail - not sure how we missed it before. The berries looked so yummy but after a quick search on the computer just now, it turns out that we made the right call to only stick to blueberries. The trail was MUCH warmer here, and I knew we were approaching the Zeacliff Spur when we entered the land of 1,000 bog boards, some of which were rotted and flooded.

[3:18pm - Zeacliff Spur]

The Zeacliff Spur junction was incredibly scenic, formed by a three-way junction of bog boards over water. The spur followed a few more boards and then wonderfully soft dirt. We crossed paths with a duo who told us to enjoy the view, and landed at the viewpoint as another duo was departing. 

[3:20pm - Zeacliff]

For lack of a better word, the view is absolutely insane. I remember when Gen and I were planning out Hale-Zealand-Bonds hike, I read over and over again that Zeacliff is touted as one of the best views in the Whites, and I sure do agree. Similarly to all of my recent White Mountain hikes, I absolutely love revisiting old viewpoints because I know what I'm looking at now, which is just the best!

The first thing we noticed was the Ethan Pond Trail cutting through the talus slope of Whitewall Mountain and then the Whitewall Brook river valley below - we were able to mostly trace our route up on the Zeacliff Trail, which was so much fun. Behind Whitewall was Jackson and Webster, and behind them on the right was Stairs, Resolution, and Crawford. 

Moving to the right, we had the mountains surrounding Carrigain Notch, the Hancocks, and many, MANY more peaks beyond. Far on the left we could see Jefferson, Clay, and Washington, which was back in the clouds. We were both tired and ready for dinner, so we didn't stay too long, but boy did we enjoy the view!

[3:26pm - Twinway]

We backtracked to the Twinway to start our descent, which was ultimately fine but felt a bit like a slog. The grade was moderate with decent, rocky footing basically the whole time. Nothing exciting, nothing dreadful, all of it was just... the same. I noticed my watch was on low battery, which was also a huge bummer! We were tired and in and out of the void, but again, it ultimately was totally fine. 

[3:54pm - Twinway/Enters FPA]

We felt some relief when we entered the Forest Protection Area after crossing a little stream. Just a few minutes later we made it to the crossing of Whitewall Brook above Zealand Falls, which Gen and I had to fully submerge our feet in last time to cross! There were a bunch of guys swimming in a swimming hole a bit further down the trail - it was a BEAUTIFUL day for it! If we weren't hungry for dinner, we would have probably stayed a bit longer. 

[4:03pm - Twinway/Lend-a-Hand Trail]

We crossed another branch of the brook, which was just a sliver of a natural water slide, and then came the junction with the Lend-a-Hand Trail. I joked about adding in Hale real quick, and he said "see you at the car!" From here, the Twinway descended along the brook and falls moderately, soon landing at the beloved Zealand Falls Hut!

[4:07pm - Zealand Falls Hut]

We took a sit at the hut, refilled waters, and enjoyed the falls for a bit. Someone was celebrating their birthday in the hut, so we kept to the outside. I washed my face off in the water and Christien enjoyed staring off into the void. Whatever they were cooking inside smelled wonderful! Again, we could have styaed up there for hours, but we had dinner on the mind!

[4:20pm - Twinway]

The Twinway descended moderarately with more rocky, but stable footing for a few more minutes, passing a wonderful falls lookout on the way, before bottoming out at the outflow of Zealand Pond, which I guess flows both toward Whitewall Brook and Zealand River.

[4:29pm - Zealand Trail]

[4:33pm - Zealand Trail/Departs FPA]

[4:35pm - Zealand Trail/A-Z Trail]

Back on the Zealand Trail, we started our cruise out. We loved seeing folks swimming on the Falls from Zealand Pond, and then we left the Forest Protection Area and passed the junction with the A-Z Trail again. We briefly admired all the views of the ponds, but kept a steady pace.

[4:46pm - Zealand Trail/Boardwalks]

We were absolutely loving the flat railroad beds and had a good discussion on the difference between a boardwalk and a bridge as we crossed... the boardwalk over and through the beaver ponds (we never hit a conclusion). Blue skies were still shining, but there were also some dark clouds rolling in. 

A red squirrel stopped to pose for us for a while, so naturally I took dozens of photos. We then began our wiggle across the two streams and over many, MANY bridges. As we got onto a relocation, the woods became DARK and a light drizzle ensued. My watch tragically died around the 12 mile mark, but thankfully we were amost done! We also crossed a cross-country trail we didn't notice on the way in - I'm curious about the network of cross-country ski trails in the Whites.

[5:20pm - Zealand Trail/Enters FPA]

We enjoyed some flat and then it was back on a rocky, now-wet relocation again, which required just enough brain power to force us to lock in. We rejoiced when we rejoined the old rail bed again and even more at the Forest Protection Area sign. We turned a corner gently, and were soon back at the parking area, with NO TICKET on the car! We did it!

[5:27pm - End of Hike]

We changed into our apres clothes once back at the car, had a very careful drive out (his Civic did NOT care for the dirt roads), and worked our way to the Woodstock Inn and Brewery! We each had a drink, shared some soft pretzles (the beer cheese was to DIE for). He had a mediocre burger and I had a wonderful pulled pork quesadilla. Afterwards we did a quick walk around North Woodstock and started the long drive home. We listened to two episodes of Normal Gossip and I stopped a couple times - once for an energy drink and once for some popcorn. 

That night, I would have the best sleep I would have since the family issue of August 10th!

Step-by-Step

- Start hike on Zealand Trail.

- At terminus, continue onto Ethan Pond Trail (AT).

- At jct., turn left onto Zeacliff Trail.

- At terminus, turn left onto Twinway (AT).

- At jct., turn left onto Zeacliff Pond Spur.

- At terminus, turn around.

- At terminus, turn left onto Twinway (AT).

- At jct., turn right onto Zealand Mtn. Spur.

- Summit Zealand Mountain.

- Turn around and retrace steps on Zealand Mtn. Spur.

- At terminus, turn left onto Twinway (AT).

- At third jct., turn right onto Zeacliff Spur.

- At Zeacliff, turn around and retrace steps.

- At terminus, turn right onto Twinway (AT).

- At terminus, turn left onto Zealand Trail.

- Return to car.

Map

Photo Album