Ayers Pond Peak * Ayers Pond Peak-Northwest Peak: 3/13/2016

Mileage: 3.60 miles
Elevation gain: 1295 feet
Trails used: none. road walk, bushwhack.
Highlight(s): register on the summit of Ayers Pond Peak, register on the summit of Ayers Pond Peak-Northwest Peak.


I did a three peak hike the day before on Saturday but Sunday was supposed to be nice, so I asked Desi if she wanted to go for a hike somewhat nearby to the house. Well, maybe not a hike per say, but a hike in to where we would bushwhack to two or three peaks in the area. I figured the woods wouldn't be too bad if we ended up having to bushwhack for more than a mile (I had been up in this area several times before so I knew there was extensive logging in the recent past). It is about a 20-30 minute drive from the house to where we would start the road walk and then the bushwhack, and the weather was sunny and seasonably comfortable for a March winter hike.

Ayers Pond Peak is located in Bradford, New Hampshire. Ayers Pond Peak is also the highest point in Bradford. Ayers Pond Peak-Northwest Peak is located in Washington, New Hampshire. There are no trails that go to the wooded, view-less summits of Ayers Pond Peak and Ayers Pond Peak-Northwest Peak so it requires a bushwhack to reach their high points. 

We parked on the side of the Old Mountain Road and walked up the road, looking for a good spot to begin the bushwhack up to Ayers Pond Peak.

Open woods down low as we continue the road walk along Old Mountain Road.

We took this old logging road up to the col in between Ayers Pond Peak and Ayers Pond Peak-Northwest Peak.

As we climbed along the old logging road, I looked back to get a picture of Mount Kearsarge through the tree's.

Still heading up towards the summit of Ayers Pond Peak as we look for a good spot to start the bushwhack to the summit area.

I am disappearing into the trees as we head up to the summit area of Ayers Pond Peak.

The open woods between Ayers Pond Peak and Ayers Pond Peak-Northwest Peak.

Walking along the summit area of Ayers Pond Peak checking for the high point and register.

The jar register on the summit of Ayers Pond Peak (elevation: 2096 feet).

Once back in the col, we make the somewhat steep climb through open woods towards the summit of Ayers Pond Peak-Northwest Peak.

As we climbed higher, I looked back to this view of Ayers Pond Peak. 

This would be as thick as the woods would get as we neared the summit of Ayers Pond Peak-Northwest Peak.

Here I am signing the register on the summit of Ayers Pond Peak-Northwest Peak (elevation: 2087 feet). 

The open woods as we begin our descent back towards the old logging road, and then back down to the car to end the day.

This one wasn't as bad as I expected it to be, as we were able to use one central old logging road to access both peaks plus the woods were open enough not to be a problem. Thus, we found the high points for both peaks relatively easily. Once we were back on the old logging road it was a quick road walk back to the car.

Indian Pond Mountain * Lake Constance Mountain: 3/4/2016

I took Friday off to do a few hikes and once again, I had a few peaks picked out to do but I had very little ambition to do more than one or  two today. When I pick my hikes, I try to find peaks that are close by. Sometimes it works out; sometimes I strike out and have to find a back up plan. I do spend a lot of time driving around looking for good legal ways to access certain peaks and hikes so if I do one or two a day, it's a win in my book. I brought just enough cold weather gear to get by for the day, and I did not bring my backpack on either hike as they were on the shorter side and used roads for a majority of both.

Indian Pond Mountain

Mileage: 2.75 miles

Elevation gain: 790 feet

Trails used: none. road walk, bushwhack.

Highlight(s): none.

My first hike was a bit of a drive and I lucked out on access for this one as it would be a road walk and shorter bushwhack through open woods. I was able to drive in a ways to a junction, where the road turned into a class V or VI type road which usually means unless you have an 4wd vehicle, you probably can't get down the road very far or its not maintained in winter. I was able to Microspike my way down the ice covered road to where I wanted to start my bushwhack, passing several houses along the way (that were occupied, even in winter).

Indian Pond Mountain is located in Orford and Piermont, New Hampshire (the actual summit is in Piermont). There are no trails that go to the wooded, view-less summit of Indian Pond Mountain so it requires a bushwhack to reach its high point.

I walked up Piermont Heights Road, which one can only drive in the summer season. There are a few houses up this road, hence the tire tracks.

I headed off the road steeply up to this recent logging cut, with views looking towards nearby Piermont Mountain.

This is as thick as the woods would get for this hike as I near the flat summit area of Indian Pond Mountain.

The high point of Indian Pond Mountain (elevation: 1975 feet). There were several bumps on this rather flat summit that could potentially be the highest point.

This is the area coming off the summit of Indian Pond Mountain where I found a moose antler. I walked almost the same route out and back to the car.

I reversed course and headed back down the way I came up. On the way down, I found a decent sized moose antler so I decided to haul it out since it wasn't that heavy so I could give it to my friend Keith. I got back to the car, threw my pack in the back and began the drive to the next hike which was a fair distance from my first hike.

Lake Constance Mountain

Mileage: 3.30 miles

Elevation gain: 900 feet

Trails used: none. road walk, bushwhack.

Highlight(s): views from the cabin and ledges below the summit of Lake Constance Mountain.

I want to say the drive to my next peak was right around the corner (and maybe it looked that way on the map) but it still took me about 30 minutes to get from the first hike to this one. I have passed the road I would use to take up to my next peak and I know hunter's use it during hunting season, as well as people who go up to Lake Constance to possibly fish (I saw tracks heading towards that direction). When I arrived and parked at my target destination, I threw on my Microspikes and headed up the road towards the summit.

Lake Constance Mountain is located in Piermont and Haverhill, New Hampshire (the actual summit is in Haverhill). There are various old logging roads that you can use, as well as a trail that I found out about after the fact (John Wolter Trail), that goes to the summit area of Lake Constance Mountain. There are views from the cabin just below the summit of Lake Constance Mountain.

I parked on the side of the road off of Route 25C and took this logging road/forest road up towards the summit of Lake Constance Mountain.

The views looking towards the summit of Lake Constance Mountain. It was around here that I turned onto an old logging road and began my climb to the summit.

I would use a few old logging cuts to head up to the summit of Lake Constance Mountain.

This little section of semi thick woods is roughly the high point of Lake Constance Mountain (elevation: 2053 feet).

The views from just below the summit of Lake Constance Mountain looking towards Piermont Mountain, with Smarts Mountain behind it.

The views from the hunters cabin below the summit of Lake Constance Mountain looking towards Mount Moosilauke, Mount Jeffers and Owls Head.

This is the little hunters cabin is just below the summit of Lake Constance Mountain.

I followed the road from the summit of Lake Constance Mountain but unsure of where it went exactly, I ended up bushwhacking back down to almost where I first started heading up to the summit. Apparently there is a trail of some sort that comes up to the summit but I am not sure exactly where it originates from. I'll have to research this one so I can return here as it was a pleasant enough surprise with the views and relative ease of the hike. Indian Pond Mountain was a nice walk in the woods made better with the moose antler find on the way back to the car.