Wapack Trail through Windblown

A dull photo except for one detail: no footprints. I got to make the day's first trip on this section of the Wapack.

The Wapack Trail in New Ipswich was rerouted a few months ago out of respect for a landowner's wishes, so no more views of Boston from little Stony Top. The Jenks family, owners of Windblown cross-country ski area, graciously worked with the Friends of the Wapack on a re-route through their property so that there's no break in the 21-mile trail.
Windblown has done good business since the blizzard a few days ago. Our area got less snow than forecast, but 10" was still enough reason to get the trails groomed. I could hardly wait to bring my husband & my snowshoes out there. Skiers far outnumbered snowshoers today, and the farther I got from the lodge, the less company I had. Not surprisingly, the best conditions as far as I was concerned came once the Wapack Trail left the maintained ski trails. Out there, I didn't have to worry about staying out of the skiers' set tracks, and I could plod along through the powder to my heart's content.

Note that when there's snow, Windblown charges a trail fee, which for snowshoers is a mere $10. (Skiers are charged $17.) Snowshoe & ski rentals are available there. No bareboot hiking in the snow. There's a base lodge for refreshments and warming-up.
http://windblownxc.com

Pawtuckaway without Crowds

I spent a couple of hours at Pawtuckaway State Park in Raymond yesterday, still waiting on southern NH's first snowfall of the season. Great time for a visit. I came in the "back" way, via Reservation Road in Deerfield, parking at the Round Pond Trailhead alongside a couple of other vehicles. I had no company on my walk to Tower Road and the fire tower. I'd never been to the tower without finding dozens of other hikers there, and I rather liked having the view to myself.

Lots of sunshine, though there was too much haze to see Boston.

Easy hike to Oak Hill fire tower

City of Concord NH hiking trails

 One of my favorite little guidebooks is "A Field Guide to New Hampshire Firetowers" (privately published, 2005 edition), but sometimes the notes on access to the towers are out of date or otherwise unhelpful. So it is with the book's directions to Loudon's Oak Hill, which direct me to an Oak Hill Road trailhead with no parking. The city of Concord and its conservation commission provide a useful alternative: the Tower Trail, with a 10-vehicle parking area on Shaker Road about 2.4 miles from Rt. 132 in northeastern Concord. Look for the sign for Oak Hill city forest. This trail approaches the fire tower from the west.

Stop at the city's web site (link above) to see descriptions of this trail and over a dozen others within the city limits.  Print out a map of your chosen trail from the web. Tower Trail is part of a network on Oak Hill, and while the trail itself is well-blazed and easy to follow, having a map at hand is always a good idea.

All intersections are signed, and the trail is free of obstructions. The few bridges are intact. Oak Hill is still snowless, and the trail itself is ice-free except for a few small areas in the last few hundred yards leading to the tower. The frozen ground is covered with leaves that can be a bit slippery, and the surface is a bit uneven with rocks and roots. (In other words, this is a typical woods walk.) Some of the side trails lead to vistas, according to the map, but I stayed on Tower Trail, where the views are all of the surrounding forest. Not a bad view at that.

The last quarter-mile or so follows a power line straight to the fire tower, which is dwarfed by a pair of cell towers. The cab is unstaffed this time of year, of course, and locked up for the season. I was able to climb to the platform just below the cab, stopping at each landing to wonder just what the fire warden was supposed to survey. I had to get to the platform before the view and the breeze really opened up.  Warner's Mt. Kearsarge dominated the view to the west-northwest. There are hills in all directions, none of them snowcapped yet, though my view was limited by distant haze.

It's about 500 feet of vertical rise from the trailhead to the tower, with a gentle grade.  The hike took me 50 minutes each way, and a more fit walker could undoubtedly cut that time considerably.  The full trail network on the hill covers about 7 miles, so a hiker could easily spend a day exploring the area. There are no facilities at the trailhead.

The trailhead is less than 15 minutes' drive from the State House, and the trail is in great shape. I'll be back.

Good week to visit Horse Hill

http://hhnp.org

A  flexible work schedule is nice while it lasts. Ninety minutes in Horse Hill Nature Preserve in Merrimack this morning made for a good start to the week. The preserve is a five-minute drive from my house, and I'd rather drive to the trailhead than walk there. That gives me more time on the trails and less on pavement.

Today had ideal late-fall conditions, with the temp around 30 degrees, light breeze, and a few flurries. Ground is pretty much frozen, though the streams are still flowing. Bridges are intact.  A golden retriever and her owner were the only other creatures I saw. The trailhead kiosk on Amherst Road reminded me that it's still hunting season, so blaze orange was the fashion accessory of the day. I'm looking forward to coming back with snowshoes in the coming months.

As usual, the map box at the trailhead was empty. Go online (web site listed above) to download one before coming here.