July 18, 2010 Hike #1
This morning I decided on a New Hampshire 52-with-a-view peak that I needed, Mount Hayes. In order to avoid the long drive down the rough, dirt Hogan Road to the trailhead, I decided to see if I could get there another way. I parked on route 16 just north of Gorham at the old railroad bridge. The bridge has two levels. The upper level goes over the river and the highway while the lower level just goes over the river. Seeing I was already on the right side of the highway, I just needed to go across the lower level.
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If you looked down you could see through the grates.
Madison wasn't too crazy about this, but I got her across.
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Once across follow the AMC Trail signs. Do not turn right onto the road. It will lead to a hydroelectric dam with no way across.
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Looking down the upper level of the bridge.
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I went straight down the old railroad bed . . .
. . . and across another bridge.
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Immediately after the bridge I took a right onto a short trail/herdpath which led to another road where I took another right.
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It took me about 15 minutes to reach the trailhead. This was a much better route in my opinion than the long drive down Hogan Road.
Here's the track of how I reached the trailhead.
Mahoosuc Trailhead
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Crossing some powerlines
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I'll check out the pond on the way back.
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Crossing an old dirt road.
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About a quarter of a mile from the summit, I came out on a wide open ledge. I'm sure this is the reason this peak makes the 52-with-a-view list.
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I took a couple more pictures.
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I would take a long break here on the way back, but first I still needed to bag the summit.
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I briefly reentered the woods.
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Mount Hayes does not have a distinct summit. This spot looked the highest . . .
. . . but this spot had a cairn on it. Take your pick I guess.
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In the interest of redlining, I then walked .2 miles to the junction with the Centennial Trail.
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Limited view near the trail junction.
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I returned over the summit and down to my scenic view where I took a nice long break.
Overlooking Gorham
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Here's a zoomed in shot of Gorham
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Madison also thought this was a good spot for a break
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This is a zoomed in shot of the bridge where I started the hike.
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Madison and I headed back down the way we came.
Near the bottom, I turned onto the trail for Mascot Pond.
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Mascot Pond
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Behind me was Leadmine Cliff
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I decide to explore and began the climb up.
Overlooking Mascot Pond
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Cool, I found an old mine or could it be the Bat Cave???
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What do you know, it was the Bat Cave.
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I was expecting the Bat Mobile to come screeching around the corner.
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I carefully made my way back down.
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I finished in time for another hike. It would just be a small hike to Mount Crag.
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