Local Fun: Bauneg Beg Mountain

On Saturday (1/23/22), we found a reprieve from the ice by checking out Bauneg Beg Mountain Conservation Area (BB), a Great Works Regional Land Trust property that is comprised of a two-ish mile trail system featuring the three-peaked 866' Bauneg Beg Mountain. 

Before jumping in to our report, may I introduce the third member of our pack of blondies - Jinx!! She's the sweetest Mississippi girl, maybe a herder/Malinois mix, who we've been fostering since September and became embedded in our weird little pack faster than she could be adopted out!

So the ladies and I started up the trail around 11:00AM. The small lot (room for 5-6 cars) was full so we tucked in on the side. There are two entrances for BB: the main lot on Fox Farm Hill Road and a pull off with space for about two cars on Bauneg Beg Hill Road. 

After a short and avoidable section of boiler plate ice at the beginning, the Bauneg Beg Trail hooks left and wanders gently upwards along a wide path through open woods. While less that 25 minutes from home, where all of the trails are covered in ice, I was stoked to learn BB offered perfect packed powder conditions. 

Beginning of Bauneg Beg Trail

Bauneg Beg Trail

We took the right onto North Peak Loop and reached the summit in just a few minutes after walking through a small pine stand, a stone fence, and into a small clearing with a cairn.

 

From there, we followed the trail as it zigged and zagged to the next intersection where we kept (slight) right onto Linny's Way and scaled a very short but rocky ascent to Middle Peak. It's a nice spot for a break and limited view. The trail description states the Whites can be seen on a clear day. 

A nice view of where we're heading

Up!

And the top

Just past the lookout is the next intersection, where one can choose to head down Tom's Way towards the secondary entrance or loop back towards the main entrance via Ginny's Way. 

We ran down Tom's for the sake of exploration. It was fun, less travelled, and similar to the other trails in the way it twisted through the woods.

Once we finished backtracking Tom's, we took Ginny's Way down the hill. We hit one giant frozen puddle but it was otherwise smooth sailing.

Ginny's Way after descending Middle Peak

Ice patch ahead

Ginny's Way meeting back up with Bauneg Beg Trail

Overall Impressions

The girls were all about this one! There's only two miles of trails so we covered them all and only ran into two other parties. They may have been the curviest trails I've ever been on; rarely did one go where I expected it to and there were only a few straightaways. All of the trails and junctions were very well marked and the scenery was beautiful, especially around Middle Peak. It was very fun but I'm thinking when the leaves come in on the trees, it might be a little too unpredictable for Miss Reactive; we'll see! For being 25 minutes from home, I'm stoked to have learned there's a nearby trail system other than Blue Job (which we love but is icy and busy) that offers a little hilliness. 

Trail Map

https://www.facebook.com/GWRLT/photos/a.2999083100142280/2999083270142263

FMI:

https://www.mainetrailfinder.com/trails/trail/bauneg-beg-mountain-conservation-area

https://baunegbeg.com/

https://mainebyfoot.com/bauneg-beg-mountain-conservation-area-north-berwick/

A Quiet Walk in Evan's Notch

Most walks & hikes in Evan's Notch are quiet! So which one did we take?* Probably a more well known one: Shell Pond Loop. 

*This is a mega flashback to the summer, my picture-taking efforts have been weak!

The trail lies almost entirely on private property but corteous hikers are permitted. Parking is down Stone House Road off of Rt 113 in Evan's Notch and there are a few spots just before the gate - though as we left, vans were lining up along the side of the road as well.  We didn't see a soul until the end of our walk but the lot was full when we returned, though I suspect many were there for other hikes: the property also offers access to Blueberry Mountain, a great little hike with a gorgeous view. 

With the heat, I opted for the much flatter option. All hikers begin by passing the gate and beginning their walk up the dirt road. Shell Pond Loop Trail diverges to the right shortly afterwards. It weaves and winds; my first time almost losing the trail was where it seemed to hook left but there was a bridge straight ahead. Continue over the bridge and then to the left to stick with it. The trail then climbs a bit but there were a few small drinking holes for the girls. The trail follows the shoreline of the pond - but not in the manner I'd hoped. It's never reachable on the south side, as the trail climbs into the woods, creating a steep slide to the water. 

 

The water: so close, yet so far!

As we came around the east side of the pond and started traveling north, we finally got some good wallowing spots, much to the girls' excitement. It also looked like it could get very muddy (it does shortly afterwards)! There is one spot with a nice view of the pond and a stone bench but no easy access. The girls found where wildlife have parted the brush and enjoyed their last dip in the pond before we continued.

Where the loop turns west, there is an intersection with a trail that leads out to Evergreen Valley/Shell Pond Rd - we kept left but apparently there's a fabulous emerald green swimming hole to the right before the road. From here to the grassy fields, I found some difficulty navigating the trail proper, as it was overtaken with water and the grasses had grown wildly tall. Nevertheless, we linked together the obvious sections until we crossed a bridge and arrived in the field where the trail signs eventually picked back up.  

This is where I reeled the girls in from their long lines, as the trail passed by the residences and I wondered if I had erred again. Looking back over the photos, we were on the right track... which also serves as an air strip.  All's well that ends well!

After the pretty but scorching walk through the field, we enjoyed the partial shade of the road and final small stream/water opportunity for the girls before returning to the car, which was no longer alone in the lot; the early bird gets the empty trails - again!. 

Summary

While there's nothing particularly outstanding about Shell Pond, it is an undeniably enjoyable walk in the woods. Different sites put it at 3.4-4.0 miles in length. The trail is wide and easy to maneuver, the girls found ample water to stay hydrated, and there was an intriguingly wild element to navigating the flooded north side of the trail. I recall thinking the loop would be a very nice snowshoeing location - if the road is open in the winter. In the moment, it was also perfect for walking with Arya, who continues to improve in her reactivity but sometimes it's nice for all to simply walk without any triggers or training! Others may use the beginning of the trail as a means to an end (Blueberry Mountain); we were more than satisfied with our walk around the pond and its limited but very Maine-y views. 

Avoiding the crowds on Gunstock

We recently had the great fortune to take a weekday hike with our friends, beginning under cloud covered skies and ending with sunshine, summiting Rowe and Gunstock in Gilford.  

Route: (loosely) Access Rd to Rowe summit (1680') - Belknap Range Trail - Access Rd/ski trails - Gunstock summit (2244'), Access roads/ski trails to the base.
Mileage: appx 4.3 miles

Favorite features: great footing, variety of open meadow and wooded environments, blueberry bushes, ledgey ridge walking without the crowds. 

Another not-so-precise trip report!  From the parking lot for the ski area, follow the road that skirts behind the main building, towards the playground and take a left - up the hill.  Here begins the unpaved access road that we took all the way to the summit of Rowe.  It begins fairly steep but easily navigable, even for clumsy feet, over gravel and packed earth.  There are bypasses that go through the woods but we opted to stick with the road.  It's a nice treat to be able to talk with your hiking companion without having to crane your neck back or have your doggo on a long line without constantly untangling yourself from trees!  

The summit of Rowe has some cell tower equipment but is otherwise, no offense Rowe, unremarkable.  However, upon re-entering the woods (watch for the post and blazing), we began a pretty, low ridge walk that eventually opened onto blueberry ledges. They were perfectly ripe and it was very difficult to avoid lingering!  After some nice views of our target summit and the lake, we re-entered the woods but again, were repeatedly treated to blueberries and smooth ledge walking surfaces.

Eventually - probably earlier than intended by trail managers - we popped out onto the ski trails, which we took for the remainder of the hike.  We were lucky and some of the water bars had just enough to re-hydrate the dogs.  This is a brutal section under sunny skies but we were protected by the clouds this time.  As the chair lifts come into sight, the grade steepens and the thought "oh yeah, 'up!'" comes to mind. To be sure, there are short breaks in the grade that are just as appreciated going up on foot as they are for novice skiers like me going down!  

We bailed shortly before the lodge, following the road around to the right and stopping for a snack, before opting to head down the ski trail in front of us (looking down the mountain - left of the one we took up).  It looks like we followed the dotted blue line on the map below but I can't be certain.  This one was a little less gravel road and a little more meadow-y.  The upper 2/3 or so are mostly packed dirt and grass with some slick ledgy rocks - and narrower than the trail up.  We noticed flagging in a couple of places that indicated small footpaths that led back to the wooded trail.  Eventually, Hannah noticed the large sign to the left that notifies hiker of the Belknap Range trail system but we decided to stick with the pretty, open meadow walk with the lake views that eventually curved around to the access road to finish our descent to the base - further center and closer to the parking lot than where we embarked from.  

 

It was the perfect afternoon hike for our crew!  

Summary and thoughts:

I love this hike; the Belknaps in general are a go-to that I best not take for granted.  While Gunstock is open for summer activities, it was easy enough to skirt around the families and head straight up. While I have been caught off guard by the number of other hikers encountered on a couple of occassions (still single digits), we passed exactly zero others today (not counting the handful of folks at the summit, many of whom took the chair lift, who we never interacted with).  Bonus feature: there are many other trails that start from Gunstock, allowing for on the fly target modifications, if needed.

The footing, even when damp as it was on Monday (and why we sought a hike with good footing), is as good as it gets for a hike in NH with elevation changes.  While the beginning of Rowe and summit of Gunstock are steep, they're not Tuckerman steep and could be compared to the Mt. Major Trail on its namesake trail (without the ledges) or Hedgehog.  I'd say this hike is one of the best as far as consistently good footing goes - while the gravel can be a little loose, there's no rocky sections, no scrambles, nothing my arthritic dogs can't do comfortably - and while I deeply miss Caps Ridge, it just doesn't get any better than Rowe/Gunstock these days.  The fact that there's some choice in when to pop on and off the wooded and ski trails is also nice, allowing us to be flexible without changing the overall plan - it all meets back together.  Whether it's to be able to make a quick bail or simply switch up the scenery, that's a feature I've come to love in a hike!

Online resources: 

Belknap Range Trail Tenders: https://belknaprangetrails.org/belknap-range-trail-map/

Gunstock trail map: https://www.gunstock.com/upload/photos/page_111_hiking-trail_map-8.5x11-compressed.pdf

Rambling in Blue Job State Forest

Blue Job (1356') is a well-loved and unbeatable "bang for your buck" small hike straddling Farmington and Strafford, NH.  The most popular loop covers Blue Job, with its climbable fire tower, and the ledgey, open Little Blue Job, with its distant but lovely view of the White Mountains.

Setting the scene: 54,* rainy kickoff to the Fourth of July weekend 
Route: Left onto the Fire Tower Loop to the summit - backtrack down to Little Blue Job Trail to the pond (no summit today). Pond Trail - Blue Job summit - northern arm of Fire Tower Loop back to the lot (right, if facing the sign at the summit).  
Miles: appx. 2.5
Duration: 1.5 hours
Max elevation gain: appx 400'

Favorite features: Blueberries (very close to ready 7/3/21!), mountain pond, environment of Little Blue Job with its open ledge + stone walls + dusty summit paths.

Description: The hike overall is a very pleasant and easy one.  There are still ascents to be had but for context, Blue Job is similar to the hikes around Pawtuckaway and Agamenticus.  Terrain is generally packed dirt, though there are heavily eroded sections with lots of roots and some looser gravel on Little Blue Job.  Closer to each summit are ledgey sections of smooth, exposed rock. At no point would I consider the described sections of trails rocky or steep.  Part of the northern section of the Fire Tower Loop is even an old, crumbling asphalt road.  There's a bunch of super helpful descriptions out there so mine will mostly be in picture format :) 

Section breakdown

Fire Tower Loop (taking a left from the lot) to the junction with Little Blue Job Trail: easy through open woods, usually a brook for the doggos (dry in 7/21, even with the rain).

 

Fire Tower Loop to summit: Mostly wide trail that weaves up the mountain past a couple of blocked, private trails and blueberry bushes.  Brook in non-summer months towards the bottom.

Little Blue Job to Pond Trail: Largely flat or rolling trail through open woods.  One large, fairly recent blowdown. Fun pond and unofficial trail around it, as well as many herd paths that cut up the side of Little Blue Job and meet back with the main trail.

Pond Trail to Blue Job Summit: This section had the most terrain variety during today's meander.  We went from smooth ledge to rolling dirt paths to some briefly steeper, exposed ledgy sections.  (These get super icy in winter.)

Summary and notes: On paper, it might not look like much but you can get in a little elevation, great views, and wonderful variety at Blue Job.  Everyone, from seasoned hiker dog Ty to less-outdoorsy friends, find Blue Job engaging and enjoyable year-round.  It's understandable why it's so popular and that's why I tend to go at off-hours (and still tend to encounter up to a dozen fellow visitors), especially where Arya is doing so well with her training and I don't want to take a step backwards with too many dog-dog interactions on one hike.  It's reasonably well marked, with off-limits trails being specified as such, but the numerous herd paths ascending Little Blue Job can throw off a new visitor - know that they all meet up where they should!  After finally looking at a map while writing, I realized that some of the trails that didn't seem 'official' actually are, so it appears we have some more exploring to do!  Someday, I'll report on those and the more standard loop over both peaks! (Although NHFH gives a great description of the latter here.)

Map credit to the Town of Farmington