Hikes 'n Stuff: The Kilkenny Ridge Backpack: Cohos Trail Section Hike

A Section Hiking Adventure
Section #3, June 2014

View from The Horn

Our first AMC Cohos Section hike of the summer, on the summer solstice. It was quiet in some sections and busy (much to our surprise) in others. The backpack is moderate in gain, has some lovely views of the northern Presidentials, and goes through areas that hikers rarely visit. With each Cohos section hike we find ourselves further and further north, though this trip was an exception. We skipped this section last summer, so we backtracked south a little bit from where Mike and I last left off. Our two day backpack would take us over much of the Kilkenny Ridge on the northern stretches of the White Mountain National Forest, between Jefferson and York Pond Fish Hatchery near Stark, NH. Over the 21 miles and 7000ft of gain, we summited the peaks of Starr King, Waumbek, South, Middle and North Weeks, as well as Terrace Mtn, Mt. Cabot, The Bulge and The Horn.

Not fish eggs, but Maureen's Chia seeds!

Three of us from the Boston area (Mike, Vinny and I) gathered at the Fort Jefferson Campground which had private wooded campsites in the high 60s and 70s, though the rest of the campground was dominated with mostly seasonal RVs. We spotted a car at York Pond Fish Hatchery and later had dinner at the Mountain Fire wood grilled pizza in Gorham, NH. Our fourth hiker, Abid, met us late that night and by morning we were all headed up Starr King.

Packing Note: I used my Gossamer Gear Kumo for this backpack, which fit all my gear for 1 night and 2 days perfectly! I paired down a little by using Chris's 1 person Big Agnes UL 1 tent and his new Thermas Rest 3/4 length (which drove me a little crazy). I can say with confidence that the Kumo made my trip so light and comfortable, I will carry this little guy on as many 1-2 nighters as possible. Because I carry alot of food that doesn't squish down too well, and a real tent, it would be difficult for me to use it for more days than that - but I wish I could!

At the trailhead we were greeted by 15 or so hikers from the AMC Worcester Chapter bound for Starr King and Waumbek, along with a few other smaller groups. The lot was nearly full but we squeezed in the last 2 spots. We played a game of tag with the large group but eventually chatted with them on the top of both peaks before departing for the Weeks. This section was new to me, lovely and quiet, filled with waist high ferns, Bunchberry, Blue Beaded Lilies, Painted Trillium, Starflower, Gold Thread and the occasional toad. The ridgeline along the Weeks had many up, downs, and blow downs! So numerous were the obstacles that we humped over trees about every 10 min.

Team Kilkenny

Newly blooming Blue Beaded Lily

After 10 miles and ~6 hours, we came upon our campsite, which was a thing of beauty. Tucked away off trail and just over a running stream, it had a sweet tree for bear bag hanging, a fire ring with dry wood and a birch bark pile, and a few spaces for tents and a hammock. After some concern about Vinny's tent proximity, we lit a small fire to keep the bugs at bay and enjoy a some classic camping ambiance... thankfully no tents were melted in the process. We ate heartily and listened to everyone's stories before mashing out the fire and retiring to our tents.

Fern spores

The next morning we packed up and headed to the summit of Terrace Mtn, where someone had spent the night; their own person mtn top campsite. It's a tiny spot of a summit, just big enough for one two person tent. It has restricted views but still, a very nice idea! They were still sleeping inside so we spoke in hushed voices, took in the view and carried on. Sorry I didnt get a pic of that.

Hiking thru

Toad

My tentsite

Junction

We carried on to the view from Bunnell Rock, an open ledge viewpointn, perfect for lazing in the sun. We languished here for a while and continued on to Mt Cabot cabin and summit, where we passed 2 large backpacking groups of Boy Scouts and several other hiking groups, busy busy! We also said hello to the 3 gals we saw the day before on Waumbek. After the summit of Cabot, we didn't see another person all day.

Stopping briefly at the Bulge, we hiked on to the Horn, where Abid and I scrambled on top of the biggest bolder to be at the very tippity top. We stayed for a while to eat lunch and enjoy the amazing, nearly 360 views and later headed down to Unknown Pond (where all those poor hikers we saw on trail had stayed the night before, crowded!) Unknown Pond is a lovely little spot, but we didnt stay long...on we had to go, down the muddy, ferny, overground Unknown Pond Trail and to our spotted car. From there we drove to the start, exchanged belonging and had dinner at the Woodstock Inn. Another successful 21 mile section of the CT... done!