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We started on Champney Falls Trail, off the Kancamagus Highway in the White Mountains, New Hampshire is very busy and popular. Not a difficult hike - everyone had their dogs along, and some of them went to the top of Mt. Chocorua. I even saw a Pomeranian on the bottom part of the trail on our way down, though his people didn't look as though they were going to go to the top. The weather was absolutely perfect - not a cloud in the sky, warm, but not so warm that we really died in our 'beat the mosquitoes' gear: long, lightweight trousers, long-sleeved button up shirt, broad hats with bug nets. We got a ton of compliments on our hats from people who were envyous of the bug nets.
We took Champney Falls Trail to it's end, and Piper Trail to the top of Chocorua, where it was open rock up above tree line and an amazing view. A few dogs and people, but everyone being as quiet as possible, staying as far away from each other as possible, and not looking at each other, in very polite New England manner. Everyone gets to experience being at the top as if they were the only person there. You go up and get your picture of the U.S. Geological Survey Marker and then you move away to some hidden nook where you can eat your lunch and look at the view.
On the way back, if I remember correctly, I think there's almost a 3-way intersection between Champney Falls, Piper Trail and Middle Sister Trail. We followed Middle Sister Trail across First Sister (hill? mountain? I'm not sure how it's categorized. First Sister is not huge) and then to the top of Middle Sister, where there's the remains of a cool old fire watch tower. (Little Sister is really just the shoulder of Middle Sister. We didn't bother to go there.) We had to follow the Middle Sister Trail back a little way until we could catch the Champney Falls Cutoff (which starts sort of in the dip between Middle and First Sisters) back to Champney Falls Trail. There were parts of that Cutoff trail that Eor characterized as "Peter Jackson gorgeous"; a narrow, leaf-litter covered track alongside a moss covered rock face well tucked away under the trees, hillside dropping steeply away on our right.
This took us from about 0645 to 1400. About 3 hours to get to the top of Chocorua. We got up at 0400 to make sure we'd have enough time, because even though other people seem to think it takes only 3 hours to get to the top AND back down from Chocorua, we are not that fast. The plan is that if we recover okay we'll find something a little more difficult to hit next Saturday, because we plan to do Katahdin on the 21st.
First Sister is furthest South and West of the Sisters. Middle Sister is a bit to the East of her, with the ruins of a fire tower on top. And Chocorua is almost due South of First Sister.
ETA: Now it's time for The Food Concept, the Bath Concept and the Getting To Bed Early Concept, because it's back to work tomorrow, and I work on my feet, now.
We took Champney Falls Trail to it's end, and Piper Trail to the top of Chocorua, where it was open rock up above tree line and an amazing view. A few dogs and people, but everyone being as quiet as possible, staying as far away from each other as possible, and not looking at each other, in very polite New England manner. Everyone gets to experience being at the top as if they were the only person there. You go up and get your picture of the U.S. Geological Survey Marker and then you move away to some hidden nook where you can eat your lunch and look at the view.
On the way back, if I remember correctly, I think there's almost a 3-way intersection between Champney Falls, Piper Trail and Middle Sister Trail. We followed Middle Sister Trail across First Sister (hill? mountain? I'm not sure how it's categorized. First Sister is not huge) and then to the top of Middle Sister, where there's the remains of a cool old fire watch tower. (Little Sister is really just the shoulder of Middle Sister. We didn't bother to go there.) We had to follow the Middle Sister Trail back a little way until we could catch the Champney Falls Cutoff (which starts sort of in the dip between Middle and First Sisters) back to Champney Falls Trail. There were parts of that Cutoff trail that Eor characterized as "Peter Jackson gorgeous"; a narrow, leaf-litter covered track alongside a moss covered rock face well tucked away under the trees, hillside dropping steeply away on our right.
This took us from about 0645 to 1400. About 3 hours to get to the top of Chocorua. We got up at 0400 to make sure we'd have enough time, because even though other people seem to think it takes only 3 hours to get to the top AND back down from Chocorua, we are not that fast. The plan is that if we recover okay we'll find something a little more difficult to hit next Saturday, because we plan to do Katahdin on the 21st.
First Sister is furthest South and West of the Sisters. Middle Sister is a bit to the East of her, with the ruins of a fire tower on top. And Chocorua is almost due South of First Sister.
ETA: Now it's time for The Food Concept, the Bath Concept and the Getting To Bed Early Concept, because it's back to work tomorrow, and I work on my feet, now.
