Crawford Notch to Jefferson, NH - Cohos Trail Section Hike

A Section Hiking Adventure 
Section #2, May 2014

Crossing a farm field to the Presis

Spring has finally sprung in New England! While there is still much snow in the upper reaches of NH's White Mountains, Chris and I set out on a rainy Friday night for a 2 day section hike of the Cohos Trail, a 25 mi low valley jaunt we missed last summer. We camped at Zealand Falls where the rain fell hard, relentless. But I couldn't have been much happier listening to the rain. I was in the woods where it always feels like home away from home, a place I hadn't visited in several months due to catching a nasty cold, getting ready to move from my residence of nearly 12 years, and planning several hiking trips for the spring and summer.

Cherry Pond

While the rain continued, we decided to eat a leisurely breakfast and hike the shorter of the 2 sections, from Cherry Mtn Trailhead on Rt 115A to Jefferson Village. The rain ended by 1pm when we spotted my road bike in the village and drove the starting trailhead. We hiked along the old B&M train line and through the Pondicherry National Wildlife Refuge, where we saw many, many ticks (on us!), a diving snapping turtle, lots of frogs, a garter snake and had a surprisingly fantastic day on this little used section of trail. At a viewing spot on the pond you can find a little cache with a notebook for writing down your thoughts and a stamp and inkpad for your own notebook. We enjoyed a lovely stop on a farm's flatbed truck before walking a section of road to Jefferson to finish up the day. The weather was perfect and the day bright, a far cry from forecast and day before.

Red Roof Inn

Our second day consisited of 15mi, starting at the Edmunds Path Trailhead on Mt Clinton Rd. A new taxi/hiker shuttle, Notch Taxi Service, got us there that morning (friendly service, call to make your reservations in advance). We crossed through the trails of Bretton Woods XC Ski area and through the backyard of Mt Washington Hotel where we enjoyed a late breakfast on the veranda. We soon passed the gushing Upper Falls of the Ammonoosuc River, where we couldn't help but to stop and admire the sheer power of water as it bubbled in and out of the giant pothole known for it's swimming and sometimes tragic endings.

Upper Falls

Pushing on we walked along more old B&M rail trails to Old Cherry Mtn Rd which after a 3 mi slog  lead us to Cherry Mtn Trail up Mt Martha. The views of the Presi's from Mt Martha and Owl's Head are not to be missed, so quiet and lovely, we only shared it with one other for a brief moment. After a little nap, we made our way down to Rt 115A, tumbling past scores of wildflowers, included Red & Painted Trillium, Bluets, Star Flower, violets, and one of my favorites, Spring Beauties.

Sassy on Martha

For both hikes I carried a lightweight backpack from Gossamer Gear called the QuikSak. Review to follow.   

Thank you GG for sending this pack along, and thank you C. Osgood for sharing all your photos from the day!

Bluets