Welch and Dickey Mountains (5/21/2014)

Welch Mountain
--2,605'--
--1.9 from trailhead--

Dickey Mountain
--2,734'--
--.5 from Welch--

--4.4 mi Loop--
--Book time 3-4 hrs--
--Personal time 2.5 hrs--

Trailhead
Orris Road in Thornton, NH - exit 28 off of I-93
Parking: $3

Don't let the size of these mountains fool you into thinking they're easy...because they're not! I'm not in my best hiking shape yet, but this certainly kicked my butt! I was not expecting a challenging hike, but the views were worth it!

The trail was very well maintained and marked. You are in the woods until the first view point (not yet to Welch) then from there you are in and out of tree coverage, hiking, scrambling, squeezing around boulders and climbing trees to follow the trail. It was fun!

Before the first view point. The beginning of the rock slab you hike for the rest of the trail.

Follow the yellow brick road **don't lose sight of these!!!**

This kind of shows you the steepness going up Welch Mountain. At times my ankles were hurting!

You may not be able to see the red at the top of the rock, but that's a person.

On top of Dickey Mountain where I met a couple who had completed the NH48 with their dog Sparky and were doing the 52 With a View list. 

Many stone stairs on this trail. Once you enter the woods at the end of Dickey Mtn., its a nice descent, great way to finish the loop! 

You will end up at this sign. Take a LEFT. It doesn't tell you where the parking lot is, but its that way! :)

The yellow markers were very important to watch for on this hike. Since the rock slab looked the same, at times I found myself looking around and realize I was going the wrong direction. At some parts, you need to look on trees or look up (some are hard to find). 

Zealand Falls #2 (5/20/2014)

Zealand Falls
via Zealand Trail
--5.4 mi RT--

Trailhead
3.5 miles from 302, on the Zealand Road
Parking: $3

A nice pre-work hike. Really easy to complete, flat trail until the last .2 miles

We climbed up the left side of the falls instead of taking the trail

View from the hut

The falls (white part in the trees) and Zealand hut (to the right) 

Everything is coming alive again :)

Middle Sugarloaf #3 (5/18/2014)

Middle Sugarloaf

via Sugarloaf Trail

--2.8 mi RT--

Trailhead

Zealand Rd, off of Rt 302. Follow the road up, past the two Sugarloaf campgrounds.

Parking: $3

This may be the third time I've hiked this small mountain, but its so worth it! Same view, different day! This is still one of my favorite short hikes in the White Mountains. We completed it within a couple hours.

Lonesome Lake (5/14/2014)

Lonesome Lake
via Lonesome Lake trail
--3.2 mi RT--

Trailhead
Off of I-93, Lafayette Place (campground) exit
Parking: FREE

This was a great afternoon hike. Book time is 2.5 hours, I think my friend and I completed it less than that. The trail is very well maintained. It was a nice day, we sat on the dock at the Lonesome Lake Hut for over an hour.

The parking lot is to my back. The trail goes through the campground, follow the signs.

Last time I hiked this, they were still building these stairs

Always be prepared when hiking in early-mid Spring, there was still some ice near the lake

Franconia Ridge under the clouds

We had to get off the dock so this helicopter could drop down. Crew members got off. It continued to pick up trash and drop off supplies for the hut. It was a neat thing to see!

Cannon Mt. in the background

Bridal Veil Falls (5/8/2014) #2

--4.2 mi RT--

This was my second time hiking the Coppermine Trail but a first for my two friends! It was fun telling them about the history and haunted story of the trail (read my other blog in June 2013 for a full story!). We picked a gorgeous day to go. The river wasn't as high this time around.

My friend Craig and myself!

Climbing up to get a better view of the falls.