Reservoir & Skyline Loop via Long Pond Parking (Middlesex Fells Reservation)

Reservoir & Skyline Loop via Long Pond Parking (Middlesex Fells Reservation)

Hike Type: Double Lollipop Loop

Distance: 3.56 miles

Elevation: 308 feet

Time: 1 hour, 25 minutes
Hiking Challenges: N/A

The Hike

Picture it! Wednesday, September 25th. Gloomy outside. A mundane department meeting just ended and I have two hours to kill before Back to School Night...

I went for a nice walk in the fells on a gloomy afternoon without much of a plan. I parked at the Long Pond parking area and hiked in along Molly's Spring Road (which was fully dry, paying hommage to my dry Blue Hills hikes of recent), and then turned to follow the Reservoir Trail for an unspecified amount of time. It was 68 degrees with a breeze and light humidity (and heavy cloud cover) - very fall spooky out.

I continued over a few mountain biking bridges and eventually left the reservoir trail momentarily as it turned off the road bed, but it soon rejoined not far away. I came close to the reservoirs, where the water level was looking low, and continued my aimless saunter up and over some low hills.

The Reservoir Trail joined and eventually left a coincidence with the Skyline Trail and Mountain Bike Loop, coming near the reservoir again with very partial views through the trees. West Dam Road and South Dam Road were in view for much of this hike, but I believe they are not legal to walk on? People definitely were walking on them, so its always unclear what the rules are.

The Reservoir Loop followed what felt like a relocation before coming near a reservoir dam, providing one of the only actual views of the water. Middle Road was easy walking and I was officially on the return trip, closing the first of the lollipops of my double lollipop loop adventure!

I reentered the coincidence, completing a lollipop stem, and then followed the Skyline Trail all the way back to Molly's Spring Road (while playing some Pokemon Go), completing the second lollipop pop. The Skyline Trail was more rugged than the Reservoir Trail, but nothing too crazy.

My hike ended by following Molly's Spring Road back to the car, completing the second lollipop stem. I had just a moment to sit and compress, then it was two hours of schmoozing with parents!

Step-By-Step

- Park at Long Pond Parking area. 

- Follow footpath to Molly's Spring Road.

- At B4-3, hike along Molly's Spring Road.

- At B4-6, turn right onto Reservoir Trail (orange).

- After B5-3, continue straight onto Mountain Bike Loop (green).

- At B5-4, continue straight onto Reservoir/Skyline/Mountain Bike (orange/white/green).

- At B5-9, turn left onto Reservoir Trail.

- At C5-2, turn right onto Middle Road.

- At C5-7, continue on Middle Road/Mountain Bike Loop.

- At C5-14, turn right onto Mountain Bike Loop/Cross-Fells Trail (green/blue).

- At B5-9, continue onto Reservoir Trail.

- At B5-4, turn left onto Skyline Trail (white).

- At B4-4, turn left onto Molly's Spring Road.

- Return to car.

Map of Middlesex Fells Reservation

Photo Album

Appalachian Trail via South Ridge & Ambassador Whitehouse Trail (Sky Meadows State Park)

Appalachian Trail via South Ridge & Ambassador Whitehouse Trail (Sky Meadows State Park)

Hike Type: Lollipop Loop

Distance: 6.13 miles

Elevation: 1,112 feet

Time: 2 hours, 7 minutes
Hiking Challenges: N/A

The Hike

I was in Virginia for a friend's wedding and had a few hours to kill, so naturally I found a state park and went on a little adventure! I dropped the bridesmaids off at the wedding venue in the morning, unforunately had to drive to a Walmart to buy socks (oops), and then I was off! It was a cloudy day, but no rain was in the forecast. When I pulled into Sky Meadows State Park, I paid the $10 fee and parked on a grassy lot near the Historic Area (the woman at the entry gate said "you'll know where to park when you're there" - she was right). The park was relatively busy, but it was late morning on a decently nice Saturday. I parked just after 11 and got myself ready for my adventure! It was 74 degrees, humid, and very buggy (it was wild being back in summer when I've been fully enjoying New England fall!). 

"Sky Meadows State Park"

https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/sky-meadows

Rich in history, this park provides recreational offerings that engage visitors and help connect them with farming practices that formed its unique pastoral landscape. This 1,860-acre park has scenic views, woodlands and the rolling pastures of a historic farm that captures the colonial through modern life of the Crooked Run Valley. Nature and history programs are offered year-round. Hiking, picnicking, fishing and primitive hike-in camping for families and groups are favorite activities in this peaceful getaway on the eastern side of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The park has 10.5 miles of bridle trails, 22 miles of hiking trails, 9 miles of bike trails and Appalachian Trail access.

I found a loop on AllTrails that linked with the Appalachian Trail (we were north of Shenandoah National Park) through the "Blue Ridge Backcountry" section of the state park, so that became my goal. I walked along the remainder of the road before getting to the actual trailhead, and had to stop at the bathrooms (real bathrooms and porta-potties) on the way. The main Historic Area has a cute little homestead with farmlands surrounding - it was really pretty!

"History Gone Wild at Sky Meadow State Park: Boston Mill Road"

https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/document/SK-History-Gone-Wild-Handout-Info.pdf

As you walk along what is today Boston Mill Road Trail, imagine it as it once was, a thriving corridor, along which farmers would transport harvested grains and crops to the nearby mills, and to the town of Paris. Established in 1823, the road was named after nearby Bosetyn’s Mill.

"Boston Mill Road Trail"

from trailside kiosk.

Imagine farmers transporting harvested crops along this cooridoor, once the Boston Mill Road, established in 1823. The road, named after Bosetyn's Mill, connected the village of Paris and surrounding farms to the local mills in this valley, the Crooked Run Valley.

Now continuing along the road toward the trails, I noticed the upper ridge was still in the clouds - what else is new! Soon enough, I turned left onto the first "trail" (farm road), the green-blazed and memorably-named Boston Hill Road. Boston Hill Road was a beautiful road lined with trees and covered with Eastern Black Walnuts. There were lovely views out to the surrounding farmland and forward on the undulating road. I made an executive decision to take the planned loop in reverse due to a large party going the way AllTrails suggested (AllTrails suggested counter-clockwise, I decided to go clockwise). 

"Restoring the American Chestnut"

from trailside kiosk.

For thousands of years the American Chestnut was the most dominant tree in a forest that stretched from Florida to Maine and from the Ohio Valley to the Carolina Piedmont. Imagine a wooded landscape in which one of every four trees could grow to more than 10 feet across and well over 100 feet tall.

The American chestnut tree was a particularly useful tree. Native people made use of the nuts as a food staple and bark and roots to make medicine.

European settlers used the light, strong, rot resistant wood for cribs to coffins and about everything in between and the nuts were not only a valuable livestock food but were often gathered by the wagonload and sold by street vendors freshly roasted. The chestnuts were also a primary food source for wildlife such as turkey, squirrels, bear and deer.

In 1904 an asiatic fungus known as the Chestnut Blight (Cryphonectria parasitica) was identified in New York's Bronx Zoo. By 1950 the chestnut blight had spread across the entire native range, killing an estimated 4 billion chestnut trees. The blight kills the tree by feeding on the cambium under the bark restricting the flow of nutrients within the tree.

In 1983 the American Chestnut Foundation was founded with the mission to restore the American Chestnut. Blight resistant hybrids have been grown that are 93.75% American Chestnut and 6.25% Chinese Chestnut. Sky Meadows State Park has joined with ACF and planned 4 acres of these trees in the park, giving hope that one day we can walk among these giants again. For more information or to become involved, visit: acf.org/va.

The trail signs were large posts in the ground with color-coded plaques indicating where certain trails were. There were a couple informational kiosks along the road, and I was delighted to discover that the bugs were only bad when I stopped moving. At a low-point in the road, I turned right onto my new temporary home, the South Ridge Trail.

"Natural Buffer"

from trailside kiosk.

The streamside trees before you are some of the hardest working plants in the park. In 2009 park staff and volunteers planted over 8,000 native trees consisting of hickory, walnut, beech, poplar; and different species of oak. This barrier of natural vegetation between the pasture and Gap Run, a tributary of the Chesepeake Bay, is a riparian buffer. This natural barrier keeps agricultural waste from pollution the stream and, ultimately, the Bay by blocking and absorbing animal waste, pesticides, herbicides, sediments, and excessive nutrients. The buffer also provides shelter and food for wildlife. Its shade keeps the water cool, promoting more aquatic wildlife. 

All park waterways are now protected, but at a cost. Farmland is reduced by 28 acres, descreasing food production. The future holds many of these difficult decision for us and our farmers.

For all these efforts, Sky Meadows State Park received the 2010 John Marshall Soil and Water Conservation District Award.

Relocation of fence lines separated cattle from their natural drinking source. To resolve this, the Department of Corrections' Agribusiness Program, which manages the park's cattle and haying operations, partnered in this project by installing wells, pipes, and troughs to supply water for the cows.

The wide road grade continued through a flowery meadow before turning again onto a smaller road, still covered in walnuts. Here is where I passed the first and only people of this stretch of the hike - it appeared that I had left the majority of folks back at the main area, which was a delight. 

The South Ridge Trail entered the woods temporarily and began to climb at easy to moderate grades through lush vegetation going through various stages of reforestation. I more or less power hiked through this stretch in order to get ahead of the group behind me, so I was SWEATING. I know fall had only just begun in New England, but I forgot how intense this humidity felt!

A couple of switchbacks led to a great overlook of the Historic Area, not to be confused with the "Historic Area Overlook," which was just a bit further up trail off of a spur path (worth a visit, too!). I noticed a very blue berry (not a blueberry, though), that apparealy grows on the mile-a-minute weed, which was fun to see.

The next landmark was the Snowden Ruins - some stone foundations just off-trail. There's a neat Washington Post Article about the site from 2003.

"History Gone Wild at Sky Meadows State Park: Snowden Entrance Gate"

https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/document/SK-History-Gone-Wild-Handout-Info.pdf

Here we can see the remnants of the entrance gate to the Snowden Manor. If it were still standing today, Snowden would be the oldest structure in that park. However, today it exists only in ruins. The Snowden farm, established by George Ayre, once incorporated approximately 500 acres. The home burned down in 1931. You may explore the Snowden ruins for yourself along South Ridge Trail.  

Continuing to follow the South Ridge Trail, which was now back on a wide road, past some bear poop, I arrived at an open grassy, flowery meadow where the George's Overlook spur trail branches off.

The George's Overlook spur was a less-traveled wide-mowed pathway through the grassy meadow. The path was super pretty, winding around the grasses and flowers, eventually opening up to an overlook area. I also noticed that the sun and sky were beginning to come out!

Once back on the South Ridge Trail, the climbing continued with good footing and a mostly open canopy. I was really enjoying my time outside in relative solitude, and to no surprise, I was also glad that I decided to make the drive instead of sitting in the hotel room all day. I hit the two-mile mark at 42 minutes and realized that I was cruising. The grades here are similar to those of the Castle in the Clouds Conservation Area in the Ossipee Mountains of New Hampshire, which allow for big miles with only medium exertion. After this two-mile mark, the South Ridge Trail begins to gradually enter the forest, ascend to a bench, and then continues along a nice walking break.

I passed the largest gray squirrel that I had ever seen as the walking break continued, with just a few gentle ups and downs. I passed what appeared to be a burnt tree that was harboring at least 100 spotted lantern flies, which was wild to see (I'm so glad they haven't found their way to New England yet). 

Shortly after the lantern fly tree, the South Ridge Trail terminates at the North Ridge Trail, which followed a footpath more steeply to the actual ridge. I crossed paths with two larger groups, noticed the clear blue skies above, and soon made it to the Appalachian Trail! I was soaked in sweat, but there was a delightful breeze. I was so pleasantly surprised with my adventure so far.

I continued my hike on the Appalachian Trail northbound, past some truly gigantic trees, and came up to a gate and a beautiful meadow. I'm guessing the gate is a property boundary, as it truly was not blocking anything. Up here, I truly understood how the name "Sky Meadows" came to be - it was beautiful! The sensational breeze continued, as well.

After the first meadow, the AT dipped back into the woods, where I passed a group discussing the politics of the Supreme Court (the first of many political conversations I overheard - that's what I get for being relatively close to DC!). I crossed paths with a few more groups as the trail easily descended into a much larger meadow-y area with beautiful views into the Virginia Piedmont valley.

I turned onto the Ambassador Whitehouse Trail, which followed a mowed path through the beautiful meadows. There were partial views but the area was wide open - still really beautiful. Only downside was that I had officially found all of the Spotted Lanterflies. You could really see little red specks flying all around the meadow, some of which enjoyed gently flying onto my body, which I did NOT like. I did enjoy stomping on the ones crawling on the ground, though!

The Paris View/Piedmont Overlook was at a turn in the trail, which provided a beautiful view down into the valley, albeit hazy. More Lanternflies were enjoying this view, so I didn't stay too long. 

"Welcome to the Piedmont Memorial Overlook"

from view kiosk.

You are looking out at the heart of the northern Virginia Piedmont, a verdant agricultural landscape stretching 17 miles between the Bull Run Mountains to the east and the Blue Ridge Mountains to the west, where you are now standing here in Fauquier County. To the south lies the Crooked Run Valley, extending toward Delaplane. To the north lies Clarke and Loudoun counties.

The rolling green hills of field and forest, dotted by historic towns and villages, and criss-crossed by gravel roads have earned the area a well-deserved reputation for its scenic beauty and historic significance, from pre-colonial times to European settlement, through the Civil War and development of moderan agriculture.

This view is no accident. For decades, private landowners have worked together with land trusts to permanently protect their property. The result is one of the largest blocks of conservation easements found anywhere in the eastern United States, ensuring that future generations will enjoy the benefits of clean air and clean water, local food, wildlife habitat, and abundant natural, scenic, and cultural resources.

The Overlook sits on top of Paris Mountain. Several freshwater springs can be found on this property which feed Gap Run, a mountain stream that flows into Goose Creek, a source of public drinking water for northern Virginia residents and an important tributary to the Potomac River.

This mountain is also part of the Crooked Run Valley Rural Historic District, which includes Ashby Gap, a historically important route to the Shenandoah Valley along what is now Rt. 50/Rt. 17.

The Preservation Alliance of Virginia once nominated the view from Ashby Gap toward Paris as one of the most endangered, calling it "the quintessential Virginia vista."

"A Demonstration of Habitat Restoration"

from view kiosk.

The Piedmont Memorial Overlook sits within a large block of privately and publicly protected land along the Blue Ridge Mountains that is a patchwork of forest, livestock pasture and mountainous fields. The land was actively farmed from the late 18th century until the recent past, and heavily grazed by cattle.

In 2012, The Piedmont Environmental Council began an extensive restoration effort on the 50-acre parcel you are standing on, first eliminating fescue and other non-native plants from the pasture, and then seeding native grasses and wildflowers. The property now serves as an active demonstration site for landowners who are interested in viewing habitat restoration practices. It hosts a native meadow, tree and shrub plantings, and a small pine savannah.

Grasslands are declining worldwide, and are one of the most endangered ecosystems on the planet. In Virginia, native grassland is being lost to land use changes like development, farming, and forest regeneration. Grassland dependent bird species are also declining rapidly as their habitat is lost. Restored meadows, like the one at the Overlook, offer refuge for these species in a changing landscape.

The native meadow is the jewel of the property, and is home to songbirds, butterflies, raptors, bees, and black bears. It was planted with 16 native wildflower species that provide forage for pollinators and habitat for grassland birds. 

PEC manages teh meadow using prescribed fire and routinely performs biodiversity surveys with out partners at Virginia Working Landscapes, a program of the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute.

Learn more at www.pecva.org/overlook.

"A Conservation Success Story"

from view kiosk.

The Piedmont Memorial Overlook sits on 50 acres owned by the Piedmonst Environmental Council, and is part of a corridor of the Blue Ridge Mountains that is permanently protected by Sky Meadows State Park, the G. Richard Thompson Wildlife Management Area, teh Appalachian National Scenic Trail, and private land under conservation easement.

In the late 1900s, this property and surrounding area was threatened by several development projects, including mountaisde housing developments and a proposed golf course. Fortunately, in 2000, PEC was able to purchase 1,235 acres with assistance from local families and foundations who support conservation in the Piedmont, including the Prince Charitable Trusts, Jacqueline B. Mars, Catherine Mellon Conover, Marie Ridder, the Ohrstrom family, the Mills family, the Whitehouse family, the Frout family, Phillip and Patricia Thomas, and many more.

Soon after purchasing the land, nearly 450 acres were transferred to the United States Department of the Interior to realign and improve the Appalachian National Scenic Trail and provide public access to this exceptional viewshed thanks to the vision and leadership of then Virginia Senator John Warner and Congressman Frank Wolf.

Over the past decade The Piedmont Environmental Council has protected nearly all of the 1,235 acres purchased in 2000, and now retains this 50-acre holding on top of Paris Mountain.

The Piedmont Memorial Overlook is now a place of reflection, where we can remember community members who spent their lives working to protect this landscape. This memorial site, conceived by William M. Backer and supported by The Piedmont Foundation, is dedicated to those friends and supporters!

"About the Piedmont Environmental Council"

from view kiosk.

Since 1972, the Piedmont Environmental Council has worked to promote and protect the natural resources, rural economy, history and beauty of the Virginia Piedmont.

As a grassroots nonprofit organization, we work hand-in-hand with local residents to conserve what they care about and improve quality of life. Rather than leave change to chance, we believe that citizens have the power to shape the future of this region for the better.

This property is a demonstration of that commitment. We hope you enjoy your visit to the Piedmont Memorial Overlook and come back often!

PEC's service territory includes nine counties and one city in the northern Piedmont of Virginia. In addition to statewide and federal policy works, we also serve as fiscal sponsor of the Coalition for Smarter Growth, an organization that focuses on land use and policy in the greater Washington D.C. area.

After the view, the trail continued back into the woods and descended more moderately to its terminus at the North Ridge Trail (I also passed a family in a deep discussion about animal poop, which made me giggle).

I followed the North Ridge Trail again for just a moment, and then I turned onto the Piedmont Overlook Trail, which initially ascended again to a stunning open meadow. I crushed some more Lanternflies and saw the group that I passed early on in the hike - fun! The view here was panoramic, and I could see my car! I was very grateful for the breeze.

From here, the trail moderately descended through the beautiful, view-filled open meadow. I passed a backpacking group with all matching gear (I assume they were renting, in a non-deragatory way). I was missing my good socks on this descent, as I could feel every step, but I was surviving okay. 

The trail crossed another gate down low, went over a bridge, and then terminated back on Boston Mill Road. I was back on the pavement just over two hours after starting my hike, and I was thrilled with my little adventure! I stopped back at the bathroom and then went into the gift shop, where I treated myself to an ice cream sandwich! It was like a whole new park down here without all of the clouds.

Epilogue...

Another fun post-hike adventure... After my ice cream, I got lunch at Sheetz, showered, and took a lovely nap! When I woke up, I had a little headache so I took three Advil - two for the headache and a third for "later" (I planned to have fun and wanted to prepare!). I then had a Celcius (200mg caffeine). When I was almost done with the Celcius, I noticed that my Advil didn't actually say "Advil." It didn't even say "Ibuprofen" - it said "Sleeping Aid." I had a brief panic, and then I simply had to accept that it would be a weird night... (Note: I have been taking these not-Advils as Advil for the past month as needed, and the bottle lived in my car...). I think I watched the wedding ceremony from the etherial plane. I could feel the atoms in my body vibrating. It was WILD. After a few drinks and dinner, I began to turn normal again, but man, I felt insane.

Step-By-Step

- Park at Sky Meadows State Park main parking area (Historical Area).

- Start hike toward Boston Mill Road.

- Turn left onto Boston Mill Road (green).

- At third junction, turn right onto South Ridge Trail (yellow).

- Hike spurs to Historic Area Overlook, Snowden Ruins, and George's Overlook.

- At terminus, turn left onto North Ridge Trail (blue).

- At terminus, turn right onto Appalachian Trail (white).

- At second jct., turn right onto Ambassador Whitehouse Trail (light blue).

- At terminus, turn left onto North Ridge Trail (blue).

- At next jct., turn right onto Piedmont Overlook Trail (red).

- At terminus, turn right onto Boston Mill Road (green).

- Return to car.

Map of Sky Meadows State Park

Photo Album

Mt. Success, Mt. Carlo, & Goose Eye Mountain (Appalachian National Scenic Trail/Mahoosuc Public Lands)

Mt. Success, Mt. Carlo, & Goose Eye Mountain (Appalachian National Scenic Trail/Mahoosuc Public Lands)

Hike Type: Point-to-Point

Distance: 11.62 miles

Elevation: 3,684 feet

Time: 10 hours, 28 minutes (8 hours, 16 minutes)
Hiking Challenges: 52 With-a-View, Operation Alaska Benchmark Challenge

The Hike

Friday, September 13th, 2024

This adventure actually starts the night doing something I haven't done before - camping! I've been wanting to explore my last two non-finishing 52 With-a-View peaks before winter (Roger's Ledge and Mt. Success), and I figured the best way to make that happen while maintaining a decent quality of life was to drive up after school Friday afternoon, spend the night on Saturday, hike Saturday morning, and then do the drive back Saturday night (ideally I could have spent two days, but I have a concert of T-Pain and Pitbull to see on Sunday!). I mentioned this to Sarah, and she was in!

I went to Sierra to hopefully get a cheap tent just to play with - I still don't think I want to get into backpacking, but it would be nice to have a tent for situations like this. Sadly, they only had ridiculous and/or expensive options. Sarah has a sleeping platform for her SUV, so she offered that for me - yay! I left school around 2:45 and my adventure had begun! Traffic was as expected, but not as bad as I was mentally prepared for. I was super sleepy early on after the first full weel of school, but an underwhelming piece of pizza from Hooksett did help revive me. I stopped in Plymouth to get some snacks at Walmart and did find a three-person tent for $20, so now its mine! I ran into Market Basket to get some dinner (a super glamorous piece of cold chicken broccoli alfredo calzone and store-brand Pirate Booty), and then I was back on the road!

I watched an incredible sunset from Plymouth, through Franconia Notch, and over the north country in the last part of my drive. The Presidential Peaks were fully illuminated in the golden glow, and it was truly spectacular. I made it to the Moose Brook State Park office, got my map, and was parked just before 7:00pm. The site was the perfect size for two people, featuring a picnic table and fire pit, and it was located on a high bank above the Moose Brook, which provided a beautiful white noise all night. Sarah was a little over an hour behind me, so I used this time to take a walk, find the bathrooms, inflate my sleeping pad, get my stuff for tomorrow all put together, crack a Downeast Cider Doughnut hard cider, and read some of the book I've been working on (Critical Hours: Search and Rescue in the White Mountains by Sandy Stott. I found a little light that I got in an adventure-themed subscription box years ago, and it still worked!

Sarah landed around 8:10 and we spent some time getting our sleeping arrangements put together. We then enjoyed some ciders, played some cards (Rummy and Gin Rummy - we decided we both like Gin Rummy more becuase there's more tension), and headed to bed around 9:30. The car platform was nice! Not too much room above, but enough room to roll over without hitting the ceiling. I got up a few times to use the bathroom throughout the night, and did something weird resulting in some early-morning neck pain, but overall it was a solid sleep. I did have some crazy dreams, the most insane of which took place in Gorham, NH. People were "excavating the underground oceanside boardwalk land" under the town. I went to investigate, I found a random people that I had met before, but we stumbled upon a supernatural being named "Storm" who, more or less, froze time, and used some magical powers to try and remove the "shadow creatures" from us, which was apparently a painful process? Thankfully, I was the strongest out of the group, so I held onto my "shadow creature." Also, the drag queen Evie Oddly was her sidekick.... ANYWAY. I was up at 5:55am and getting ready for our adventure!

Saturday, September 14th, 2024

We were up and out of Moose Brook State Park around 6:30am and made it to the Gorham McDonalds just after 7:00am, where I devoured a couple Egg McMuffins. The drive up NH-16 was nice, and then immediately rough once on Success Pond Road. Overall, the road conditions weren't bad, but they were very slow-going, especially the stretch from the Success Trail to the Carlo Col Trail trailheads. I was surprised to see that the small, three-car parking area at the Carlo Col Trail trailhead was full. I started up the road, and asked a really kind woman who was unpacking her car if she knows if the road is to more parking, or if its the trail. She didn't know, but she did point out one last spot ~10 feet away in a little alcove, so I took (I did hit one small tree, but that's it!). From there, Sarah drove us to the Mt. Success Trail trailhead. I had to IMMEDIATELY run and christen the woods, we got fully suited up, and our adventure in the Mahoosuc Range began promptly at 7:58am!

[7:58am - Success Trail]

The Success Trail starts by following a logging road in good condition and very easy to follow. The trees are still mostly green but with a few touches of yellow and fewer of orange and red. Fall is coming! Morning temperatures were in the upper 40s but would quickly be climbing. I quickly realized that I forgot my PeakDesign clip on my smaller daypack and I was LIVID. Sarah saved the day by offering her carabiner, which was a fine solution for the day. I've been flirting with buying a second clip just to avoid this exact issue, and this might be the deciding moment. 

After a nice walk on the wide logging road (which, before 2017, used to be drive-able and led to more trailhead parking, but in 2017 a storm came along and washed out part of the road, which is still visible), we came to a sign pointing right, which led to a narrower road (but still wide and easy to follow). We noticed that some Eastern White Pines were yellowing - which I just learned from Google that that happens when they are dry or waterlogged, and it has been a relatively dry summer, so that makes sense.

The trail continues its meander and slowly begins to climb. Mushrooms were abundant and soon we arrived at some mossy slabs which were, in fact, slippery (a theme for this hike!). From this point, the trail entered a beautiful mossy forest, where it lived for most of the day. 

The trail steepened with decent footing through the beautiful greens, ultimately reaching the Outlook Loop trail.

[9:02am - Outlook Loop start]

The Outlook Loop reminded me a bit of the Bald Peak spur off of the Mt. Kinsman Trail. Yellow-blazed, it follows a narrower footbed at an undulating grade. We followed moose tracks the whole way!

The views from the Outlook were, as described, fantastic. The air was very hazy, but we could make out a good amount of peaks. On the left was our first goal of the day, Mt. Success, followed by a deep notch and then the cliffs of the trailless North Bald Cap, with the Presidential peaks behind. We could see the Kilkenny Ridge and the Percy Peaks in the hazy distance. There were some nice reds down low, too. We took some time for a snack and sit, and at this point, we had only seen one other person.

The second half of the Outlook Loop appeared to be less-traveled, and was a little less clear to follow. It continued to skirt the cliff with great views toward Mt. Success, and then reentered the woods, following some more moose tracks (at one point we saw some poop and then I heard a terrifying sound - I was SURE we were about to be demolished by a moose, but it was just an overhead airplane...). 

[9:35am - Success Trail]

Back on the Success Trail, the steepest parts were now behind us and we continued our hike through some beautiful, mossy fairytale forest. We passed an old logging camp with a couple old buckets and a... something!

After the camp was a wet, boggy area that was a bit sketchy, but the mud was avoidable. Soon enough we were at our next landmark - the Mahoosuc Trail!

[10:00am - Mahoosuc Trail]

Now on the infamous Mahoosuc Trail, we turned right to make the short but steady climb to the open summit of Mt. Success. The trail was rugged, but never insanely steep. We did get one disrespectful view toward Mt. Success about halfway up, though.

There was a small chimney-like scramble that required an uncomfortable straddle of a sharp rock into a sag before the final climb up. Tedious, but really fun hiking! We crossed some more boardwalks, ascend some sketchy, slippery slabs, and soon made it to the summit! That is 52 With-a-View #50 for me!

[10:30am - Mt. Success Summit]

We made the decision to blast through the summit, find the plane crash, and then take our break on the return. We did take a few photos of the summit disc and beautiful views. The nearby (and faraway) peaks were incredibly hazy, but the near views of the meadows and bogs were absolutely stunning. Up here, we got our first taste of the distain Appalachian Thru-Hikers have for the Appalachian Mountain Club, which is intersesting to me. Sarah explained the frustration as stemming from how hiking through the Whites is the first time thru-hikers need to pay to use tentsites, which, I guess I get? I'm always under the impression that I do not mind paying use-fees since they go toward protecting the resources that I love, especially in NH where the mountains are HEAVILY used (the Mahoosuc Trail sign at the summit had "Appalachian MONEY club" etched in under "AMC"). 

Continuing on, we had some fun, but very sketchy boardwalks to traverse. I truly believe that my trip to the Ponkapoag Bog was training for this! Stakes were higher up here, only because we had 1-3 feet deep mud that we could fall into here (and I've heard reports of the mud being even deeper in parts). There was one section that was fully in the mud with a herd path around, which felt like walking on a pool float.

The jungle-gym of mud and boardwalks continued, eventually leading to an AT thru-hiker (the second of the day), who watched us try to figure out which herd path led to the plane crash (the AllTrails track is 100% correct, and it only hits one muddy spot). She asked if we were looking for the AT and then we both haphazardly explained the plane crash, and she gave us a very timid "okay....". 

[10:45am - Plane Crash Herd Path]

The herd path followed a narrow footbed at first, before coming to a three-way split. The AllTrails track follows the left into a muddy spot, so we took the middle, which was... a choice. The middle route was basically a bushwhack torso-up with a footbed hips-down. Either way, we made it through, eventually reaching the main herd path again at the Appalchain National Scenic Trail land border (heavily blazed in yellow). 

[10:53am - Plane Crash Site]

The herd path continues on with decent footing, the blazes exactly, eventually leading to the site of the plane crash, which was MUCH larger than I originally anticipated. I made it first, let out an insane amount of "holy ****s," and Sarah was like "what on Earth are you doing?" - then she arrived a few seconds later and she reiterated everything I had just said. It was very eerie, somber, but also incredible.

Some information from a few different sources on the plane crash:

"Mount Success" from Wikipedia 

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Success)

"In 1936, the peak, then known as "Ingalls Mountain", was renamed "Mount Success" to distinguish it from the nearby Mount Ingalls in Shelburne, New Hampshire. On November 30, 1954, Northeast Airlines flight 792 took off from Laconia Municipal Airport with the hopes of landing at Berlin Regional Airport. With little visibility due to poor weather, the Douglas DC-3, carrying four crew members and three passengers, crashed near the summit of Mount Success. All the passengers survived the initial impact, but two later died while awaiting rescue." 

"Mt. Success, N.H. – November 30, 1954" from New England Aviation History

(https://newenglandaviationhistory.com/mt-success-n-h-november-30-1954/)

"On November 30, 1954, Northeast Airlines Flight 792 departed from Boston’s Logan Airport bound for Berlin, New Hampshire, with stops at Concord and Laconia, New Hampshire.  The aircraft was a DC-3, (registration N17891).

Just after 11:00 a.m. the flight contacted the air traffic controller at Berlin Airport and requested weather information.  The crew was advised that the weather was 3,000 feet overcast, with 2.5 mile visibility, and light snow showers.

As the plane was making a wide circle in preparation for landing it suddenly encountered turbulent weather and a severe downdraft, which caused it to loose 500 feet of altitude and crash into the summit of Mt. Success.  Although the plane suffered heavy damage, the fuselage remained largely intact.

There were seven people aboard; three passengers and a crew of four.  Two of the crew, the co-pilot, George McCormick, 37, and flight superintendent John McNulty, 39, both of Boston, were unconscious and died of injuries about two hours later. The pilot, Peter Carey, 37, was seriously injured.  The three passengers, James W. Harvey, William Miller, and Daniel Hall, as well as the flight attendant, Mary McEttrick, 23, each suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

The aircraft’s left engine was discovered to be burning, and for the next two hours the passengers carried snow on food trays to douse the flames.

At 11:28 a.m. the air traffic controller in Berlin tried to contact Flight 792 and received no reply.   A search and rescue operation was initiated, but deteriorating weather conditions hampered efforts.

The crash site was at 3,440 feet, and it was initially concealed by low cloud cover that extended down to 2,500 feet, and therefore wasn’t spotted from the air until December 2nd.

For 45 hours the survivors battled cold and hunger.  The pilot, although seriously injured, supervised survival measures.  It was snowing, and the temperature dropped below freezing.  Survivors wrapped themselves with anything available including cabin insulation, curtains, and soundproofing material to stay warm.  The passengers opened their suitcases and distributed extra clothing to the crew.

There was nothing to eat but a few crackers, cookies, and tea.  After collecting some wood, a small fire was built for warmth and to brew the tea.  Miss McEttrick was credited by the passengers for keeping everyone’s spirits up while waiting for rescue, and they gave her the nickname, “Merry Mack”.

After the wreckage was seen from the air on December 2nd, an Air Force helicopter was dispatched to the site from Grenier Air Force Base in Manchester, New Hampshire, and lowered a doctor to treat the survivors.  All were flown one at a time to Berlin Airport.

The wreckage of Flight 792 was left were it fell, and today is visited and photographed by hikers."

"Mount Success, Douglas DC-3 Plane Crash" from Scenic NH Photography (https://www.scenicnh.com/blog/2010/08/mount-success-douglas-dc-3-plane-crash/)

Read the story on his website.

We spent some time carefully exploring, being mindful of the artifacts, and also tetanus. The wreckage spanned a large footprint, with a good chunk of the main body and a wing fairly intact still (almost 70 years later!). This was a crazy, but amazing side trip - I can't recommend it enough!

[11:08am - Mahoosuc Trail]

We followed the herd path back to the Mahoosuc Trail, where the same thru-hiker was sitting with a few more now. She asked "how was the plane crash?" and Sarah and I, yet again, started word vomiting at this poor woman. The return trip to the summit felt nice and quick, and then we took a seat for another sit and snack. We did a vibe check, and Sarah really wanted to push to Goose Eye, which would make this her longest hike post-surgery. After talking some more, we agree to continue to Carlo Col and then make a decision there.

[11:49am - Mahoosuc Trail]

We eventually got hiking again, taking in the last hazy views that we would see for a while. We took a pee break at the chimney, ascended up, and soon made it back to the Success Trail junction.

[12:17pm - Mahoosuc Trail/Success Trail Junction]

This next stretch of trail was stunning, fun, and VERY tiring. We had a long descent with a few climbs strewn between. We eventually reached an area with some sketchy, borderline ridiculous boulder scrambles. We were lucky enough to climb right back up the elevation we lost in the scrambles, too! Again, very fun, but very tiring.

After the scrambles, the trail enters a really lovely, soft plateau, and then plunges down to the NH-ME state line. At the top of the plunge, there was a peek-a-view toward the distant summit of Goose Eye Mountain. 

At the bottom of the wet, slippery plummet, the trail entered a neat area that was cool, mossy, and had some overhanging rocks, and then rose briefly on a mossy ladder to the NH-ME state line!

[1:18pm - New Hampshire - Maine State Line]

We took another break at the "international boundary" - as I jokingly called it. Sarah took some ibuprofen for her ankle and put on her brace. I was feeling beat up, and she also was feeling beat up. We talked strategy - we basically had three options from here. 1) continue to Carlo Col and descend via Carlo Col Trail, 2) continue to Carlo Col, out-and-back hike Mt. Carlo, and descend via Carlo Col Trail, or 3) continue our loop up and over Goose Eye Mountain. Both feeling tired, I had a brain-fart reading the map and thought we had many more miles to Goose Eye than I originally thought, but thankfully I would later reazlie I was wrong and my original math was correct. One thru-hiker did hike past us while we were sitting and he asked about the state line, which was right behind him, which gave us all a giggle. He was THIRLLED to be leaving Maine, and he told us he was flip-flopping the AT.

We took a few steps and stopped again to watch a catepillar munching on a leaf. We've seen a bunch of these fuzzy, spiky, black and white catepillars all day, but this one was yellow? We thought it was looking at us, but it actually pointed its butt directly at us and pooped... Anyway, we were curious about the difference between white and yellow and we learned that the white ones are Hickory Tussock Moth and the yellow is a Spotted Tussock Moth - both have little hairs/spikes that are venomous and can produce a rash if touched. 

The Mahoosuc Trail continues to moderately climb after the border before opening to a view down to Carlo Col and up to Mt. Carlo - this is when I realized my original math was right and my brain was just fried - we were so close to the Col! We also realized we finally had white blazes again, which were incredibly sparse in New Hampshire

[1:57pm - Carlo Col on Mahoosuc Trail]

We had a fun, slightly sketchy boulder scramble down into the col, and then we made it to the Carlo Col Junction. There were a coupel thru-hikers hanging out there and we chit-chatted for a bit, they expressed their excitement to be out of Maine, asked us how the Whites were, and when we told them we're just day hiking, they said "we should have known, you don't look nearly banged up enough." Then they had a the pleasure of watching Sarah and I making our "what to do now" decision. 

I was feeling very neutral - pointing out that if we went down now we get hot food sooner, and if we continue on we get good views. We eventually decided to climb Mt. Carlo, and then decide up there if we'd turn around and continue. 

The Mahoosuc Trail moderately climbed through more mossy wonderlands, soon revealing a tree view back toward Mt. Success. Behind Mt. Success was Mt. Adams, looking like a cloud through the haze.

[2:17pm - Mt. Carlo on Mahoosuc Trail]

Just after the view we made it to Mt. Carlo, which had a surprise USGS Disc! Yay! 

There were more standing views on Mt. Carlo, and we decided to push on to make the big loop happen, even with Goose Eye looking daunting in the (slightly nearer) distance.

 We traversed some more boardwalks and then started the long-feeling descent into the col between Carlo and Goose Eye, reaching a meadow partway down with another great view of Goose Eye. We could see the two meadows higher up on Goose Eye that would provide us great views, according to the guidebook.

The descent was very wet and slippery with some foot holes that were not incredibly helpful. We reached the col and chased a squirrel who was struggling to drag a pinecone to its dungeon, took a deep breath, and started our final climb of the day!

The trail climbed easily and moderately for a bit via switchbacks, but we were moving slow at this point of the hike. Eventually, the trail opens up at the first of two meadows that provide just fanstic views. We could see up to Goose Eye, back to Carlo and Success, and over to Sunday River on the right - I didn't realize how close we were to Sunday River!

The Mahoosuc Trail climbed up a steep slab after Meadow #1 and then opened up to the even more beautiful Meadow #2, with the same view, just higher up! The East Peak of Goose Eye was looking impressive and daunting from here (and we were thrilled that we weren't heading over there). A bunch of flying insects were awake now in the heat, which was a bummer, but we could see the upcoming ladder, which was exciting!

We dipped back into the woods, took a quick hydration and pee break, and made it to the fun part! This was our final push for the day, and it took some pushing! It started with some three-points-of-contact scrambling followed by the iron rungs, which were SUPER fun! We both had a 2-minute surge of energy during this bit. 

After the rungs was the wooden ladder with one sketchy step, followed by some more slabs, but soon reaching the Goose Eye Trail!

[3:48pm - Goosey Eye Trail]

We were back in the land of 1,000 views and fully exhaused. The view towards Old Speck was absolutely stunning from here, which was nice to stare at as we let our heart rates lower. 

From here, I more or less blasted off to get to the summit of Goose Eye Mountain, stopping to gawk at the views every few steps. 

[3:53pm - Goose Eye Mountain Summit]

Finally on the summit a few minutes later, I had an overwhelming sense of relief, pride, and distain for the SWARMS of bugs hanging out where I wanted to sit! The summit was marked by a trail sign and a small American flag that someone left. The views were still hazy but just beautiful, which those fall colors continuing their progression. I'd say 10-14ish days until peak foliage. It was now a toasty 73 degrees in mostly full sun.

We took a nice break just past the summit - the trail absolutely plunges just afterward, so we had a fantastic view toward Success Pond and the north country. We had the rest of our snacks and laid down for a bit. I refilled a Nalgene with water for another electrolyte boost, but I accidentally put three tabs in instead of two, which resulted in a... less than pleasant taste. 

I thought I'd go back to the summit for a few more photos, but I could visibly see the swarm of bugs hovering about, which quickly deterred me. We decided to cut our break short so we could get to dinner sooner (plus we had a 3+ hour drive home after dinner... ew). We slowly and painfully packed up, stretched out our legs that have basically turned to stone at this point, and then continued on!

[4:17pm - Descent via Goose Eye Trail]

Goose Eye Trail immediately hurdled into the depts of the Earth via slabs (with good grip). The guidebook describes three sets of slabs, from bottom to top: the bypassed very difficult slabs, the less difficult slabs, and the open slabs near the summit. We weren't sure if we were on the open slabs or the less difficult slabs at this point, but either way, we descended into the scrub, basically walking off of the Earth.

The next stretch of slabs were more difficult, but we couldn't tell if they were very difficult or less difficult (this conversation had us fully descend into madness). Afterward, the Goose Eye Trail gives a short walking break before steeply descending with soft, dirt footing. We think that the flat spot was the bypass past the "very difficult ledge," the more difficult ledge for us was actually the "less difficult ledge," and up top was the "open ledges?" A very silly conversation, but it definitely helped us pass time!

At this point, the trail was something that dreams were made of. We were both delighted at how beautiful the trail was, how soft the ground was, and how it felt like we were the only ones out there.

There were a few steep/slippery pitches and areas of narrower footbeds, but again, really beautiful. There was a blowdown patch with a few views, and then the trail continued a steep descent, followed by a moderate descent, followed by an easy descent. Really an excellent way to end a hike!

There was one more steeper descent at the end of the ridge's shoulder, and around there was where some hardwoods began to mix in, and it slowly eased into a beautiful, open, green forest.

[5:50pm - Maine/New Hampshire Border]

The real start of the "final stretch" was hitting the border. The forest immediately switched to a regenerating forest once back into New Hampshire, with more logging evidence about. We were also welcomed back into the "Live Free or Die" state by a rufted grouse screaming at us... The first one I'd seen all summer, somehow!

By now, we were absolutely cruising. Beside a few wet spots, the trail was fully flat with nothing in our way. We passed a dried-up baby moose poop and enjoyed the changing leaves above.

The trail leaves the woods onto a grassy logging road that was signed and easy to follow, and then reenters the woods to easily cross two brooks with a lovely straight-a-way in between. The sun was beautiful as it was setting through the trees.

[6:20pm - Goose Eye Trail Terminus/Carlo Col Trail Junction]

After hours of being absolutely delusional, questioning the origins of life on Earth (how the HECK did the first amoeba come to be... this discussion actually started by pondering how dirt is just dead things, but alive things need dirt to grow to become dirt, so what was the first dirt?), we made it to the end of the Goose Eye Trail, which I cannot recommend enough, and we had a final, short stretch of walking along the Carlo Col Trail.

Soon enough we could see my car in its little alcove (and were VERY grateful I didn't continue driving along this road looking for a parking spot this morning, I wonder how many people do?), and booped the trailhead sign to officially conclude our hike! This hike was beautiful, fun, challenging, rewarding, and hard. I would ABSOLUTELY recommend it (as long as you have two cars, a three-mile road walk after this would have been killer). 

[6:25pm - End of Hike]

I did a quick change and Sarah stretched, and then we had a not-long-but-feels-long drive back to her car a few miles away. It was just past golden hour, so now the mountains were illuminated in a stunning orange as the sun had its last moments above the horizon. One view in particular long Success Pond Road had a fantastic view of the Overlook. I dropped Sarah off, and then we continued into Gorham for dinner! The drive on Success Pond Road was still slow, but just beautiful in the evening light - a really nice bookend to a fun hike.

We planned to go to The Pub House, but they were closing in 30 minutes, and we didn't want to feel rushed and/or be "those people" who don't let the staff leave. We opted to go a bit furhter down the road to Road Hawg BBQ, which was just an excellent post-hike decision. Sarah got a pulled pork sandwich and I got a BBQ mac and cheese with onion rings - the perfect post-hike meal! A little after 8:00pm it was finally time for our long drive home.

Epilogue

This was a brutal drive home. If I didn't have a concert to attend the next day I absolutely would have stayed another night. I stopped at the new Valero at the 3/302 junction to get my big Celcius, enjoyed that through Franconia Notch, and then started slowly munching on my Market Basket-branded Pirate Booty, one puff at a time, for next couple of hours.

I stopped at Sanbornton to walk a bit and oraganize my car (I needed mental stimulation - also this made getting home MUCH easier). I stopped at Hooksett for a walk, potty, and a lil' treat (chocolate!). I listened to a couple episode of Normal Gossip, which has become my new "you gotta stay awake!" podcast (highly recommend the pocket watch episode - I was screaming!). Eventually, I was back in Boston, but not home yet...

Right as I was driving past Fenway I noticed a leaf fluttering on my windshield right by my wiper... but... it was not a leaf, it was a fat mouse! It must have climbed under the hood of my car either at the trailhead or either rest stop. I SCREAMED. I turned on the wipers, but it climbed back under the hood. AH. I was suddenly terrified of it breaking into my car and causing me to crash. I kept thinking I was feeling things touching me. It was horrible.

Fast forward a few minutes, I had sent dozens of "Hey SIRI text _____" about this issue, and while on the Jamaica Way, it came back out. It crawled onto the hood this time, so I SLAMMED on the breaks, sending it sliding right off. Only issue is that I came to a red light, so it definitely had a chance to jump back in. Now I live my life in fear, and I have never been the same.

Step-By-Step

- Drop one car at Carlo Col Trail trailhead, park second car at Success Trail trailhead.

- Start hike on Success Trail.

- Follow signs carefully, continuing on Success Trail.

- At jct. with Outlook spur, turn right.

- Follow Outlook loop.

- At terminus, turn right to continue on Success Trail.

- At terminus, turn right onto Mahoosuc Trail (AT).

- Summit Mt. Success, continue on Mahoosuc Trail.

- At small cairn, turn right onto herd path to place wreckage.

- At plane wreckage, turn around.

- Summit Mt. Success again.

- At jct. with Success Trail, continue straight onto Mahoosuc Trail (AT).

- At jct. with Carlo Col Trail, continue straight onto Mahoosuc Trail (AT).

- Summit Mt. Carlo, continue on Mahoosuc Trail (AT).

- At jct. with Goose Eye Trail, turn right onto Goose Eye Trail.

- Summit Goose Eye Mountain.

- Continue along Goose Eye Trail, descending.

- At terminus, turn right onto Carlo Col Trail.

- Return to dropped car.

“Success Trail” from White Mountain Guide, 31st Ed. (2022) 

AMC This trail ascends to Mahoosuc Trail 0.6 mi. north of Mt. Success, starting on a gravel logging road (sign: “Success Trail”) off Success Pond Rd., 5.4 mi. from Hutchins St. in Berlin (and 16.2 mi. from ME 26). Parking (limited) is along the side of Success Pond Rd.; the logging road leading to the trail proper has been washed out and is no longer accessible to vehicles. (See Road Access, p. 535, for driving directions and access in winter.) Success Trail follows the logging road, bears right at a fork (sign) at 0.15 mi. and continues on the road, now narrower and rougher, to a large grassy clearing at 0.4 mi. The trail exits the upper right corner of the clearing as a footpath; a trail sign is located a short distance into the woods.

        The blue-blazed trail ascends on an old woods road through a regenerating forest, crosses a small brook twice, swings right (southeast) at 0.9 mi. from Success Pond Rd., and begins to climb at a moderate grade. At 1.4 mi., the trail swings right and ascends steeply along an eroded streambed (take care due to slippery slabs). At 1.6 mi., a loop path 0.3 mi. long with a 100-ft. ascent diverges right (south) to a spectacular ledge known as the Outlook, with magnificent views of the Presidential Range and the mountains of the North Country. In a little more than 100 yd., the upper end of the loop path rejoins, and Success Trail ascends to a ridge crest, from which it descends to a brook (unreliable) at the site of an old logging camp. The trail soon enters a wet, boggy area, which has been improved with some bog bridges, climbs over a small ridge, passes through another short boggy area, and then makes a short, steep ascent to Mahoosuc Trail at the main ridge crest. Turn right for Mt. Success, reached in 0.6 mi., with one difficult scramble along the way.

"Mahoosuc Trail" from White Mountain Guide, 31st Ed. (2022) 

Part III: Gentian Pond to Carlo Col 

[...]., and finally comes out on the open summit of Mt. Success at 13.3 mi.

        Mahoosuc Trail turns sharply left here and descends through scrub, then forest - with one steep, difficult scramble up a chimney-like ledge - to the sag between Mt. Success and a northern subpeak, where Success Trail enters left at 13.9 mi. Mahoosuc Trail climbs slightly then descends moderately, with a rough boulder scramble at the bottom, to the main col between Mt. Success and Mt. Carlo at 14.6 mi. The trail then rises over a low hump and descends to a lesser col, where the trail turns right then left, passes the Maine-New Hampshire border signs, and ascends moderately again. At 15.7 mi., the trail passes a fine outlook ledge on the left and drops sharply over a difficult rocky pitch into the little box ravine called Carlo Col. Carlo Col Trail from Success Pond Rd. enters left here; Carlo Col Campsite is located on a spur path 0.2 mi. down Carlo Col Trail, at the head of a small brook.

Part IV: Carlo Col to Mahoosuc Notch 

From Carlo Col, Mahoosuc Trail ascends steadily to the bare southwest summit of Mt. Carlo at 16.1 mi., offering views over the trees. The trail descends briefly and climbs over a lower knob to the northeast, crosses a mountain meadow with a fine view of Goose Eye Mtn. ahead, descends steeply over many slippery ledge slabs, and reaches the col at 16.7 mi. From the col, the trail swings left and ascends moderately by switchbacks to a southern shoulder of Goose Eye Mtn., crosses an open meadow with excellent views, and then climbs a short and steep pitch to an open ledgy knoll below the summit of Goose Eye Mtn. The trail then passes through a sag and climbs a very steep pitch (with two sets of iron rungs and a large wooden ladder on the steepest ledges) to the narrow ridge on the main peak of Goose Eye Mtn. at 17.5 mi. (use care on this section).

        At the ridgetop, Goose Eye Trail branches sharply left, reaching the open summit and its spectacular views in 0.1 mi. and continuing to Success Pond Rd. [...].

"Mahoosuc Public Lands" from Maine Mountain Guide, 12th Ed. (2023)

Mahoosuc PL essentially surrounds Grafton Notch State Park. North of the park, Mahoosuc PL encompasses the entirety of Baldpate Mtn. South of the park, the unit extends to the Maine-New Hampshire border and includes the summits of Old Speck Mtn., Mahoosuc Arm, Fulling Mill Mtn., Goose Eye Mtn., and Mt. Carlo.

“Mt Carlo (3,576 ft.)” from Maine Mountain Guide, 12th Ed. (2023) 

Mt. Carlo in Roley Township is just east of the Maine - New Hampshire border, roughly in the middle of the Mahoosuc Range. Mt. Carlo can be climbed from the west via Carlo Col Trail and from the north via either Goose Eye Trail and Mahoosuc Trail or Wright Trail and Mahoosuc Trail.

"Goose Eye Mtn. (3,885 ft.) and Goose Eye Mtn., East Peak (3,801 ft.)" from Maine Mountain Guide, 31st Ed. (2022)

This striking mountain in Riley Township offers excellent panoramic views from its high, rocky summit, including the Presidential Range and the surrounding peaks in the heart of the Mahoosuc Range. Goose Eye Mtn. and its subsidiary East Peak can be reached from the east via Wright and Mahoosuc trails, from the north view Notch and Mahoosuc trails, from the west via Goose Eye Trail, and from the south via Carlo Col and Mahoosuc trails.

"Goose Eye Trail" from White Mountain Guide, 31st Ed. (2022)

AMC This blue-blazed trail ascends Goose Eye Mtn. from Carlo Col Trail, 0.2 mi. from Success Pond Rd., and ends at Mahoosuc Trail 0.1 mi. beyond the summit. Goose Eye Trail has easy to moderate grades for most of its length but then climbs very steeply, with some ledge scrambling, to the scenic summit. The lower section of the trail must be followed with care through logged areas.

        From the gravel logging road that Carlo Col Trail follows, Goose Eye Trail diverges left at a sign, drops down en embankment, follows a newer section of trail for 90 yd., and turns right onto the original route, an old logging road. Goose Eye Trail quickly crosses a brook, runs through a brushy and overgrown area, crosses another brook, and bears left onto a gravel road at 0.3 mi. from Carlo Col trail (descending, bear right into the woods here at a sign). Goose Eye Trail follows this road for 0.1 mi. and then diverges right (watch carefully for sign), passing through a clear-cut area where the footway may be very obscure in tall grass. The trail swings to the right (southeast) across a wet spot at 0.6 mi. and climbs gradually through woods between logged areas, crossing an overgrown skid road at an angle.

        At 1.2 mi., Goose Eye Trail reaches the Maine-New Hampshire state line and enters a fine hardwood forest. The trail swings right (southeast) at 1.7 mi. And angles up the south side of a ridge at a moderate grade, climbs more steeply uphill, and then becomes gradual at the crest of the ridge in dense conifers; at 2.4 mi., there is a glimpse of the peak of Goose Eye Mtn. ahead. The trail ascends moderately along the north side of the ridge and then climbs steeply, swinging left to bypass a very difficult ledge before scrambling up a somewhat less difficult ledge. Goose Eye Trail soon comes out on the open ledges below the summit, which is reached at 2.9 mi. and has magnificent panoramic views, Goose Eye Trail descends gradually over ledges 0.1 mi. to Mahoosuc Trail, which turns right (southbound) and runs straight ahead at the jct. (northbound).

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