Cow Mountain (NH) - Aziscohos Mountain (ME): 6/13/2015

We had one planned hike (Aziscohos) and from there we would plan out the rest of what we would do. Sometimes even when we have plans set, they can get changed at the last minute. We still managed to do Aziscohos Mountain but it was a comedy of errors for the better part of the day.  

We knew the woods would be wet from the rain the night before but I don't think either one of us was prepared for just how wet the woods, logging roads, and logging cuts really were. The bugs also posed a problem for the better part of the day as well. I managed to pick up five more ticks and we found two more on Brian's side of the car, that could still have come from me.

Cow Mountain

Mileage: 3.8

Elevation gain: 735 feet

Trails used: none. ATV trail, logging cuts, bushwhack.
Highlight(s): logging road/ATV road hiking, views from the summit.


We decided to do this one first instead of Aziscohos Mountain for a number of reasons. First, it was along the way to Azischohos Mountain and second, Brian had checked out Google Earth the night before and thought he saw a road that went somewhat close to the summit of Cow Mountain. We would just have to navigate up Neville Brook Road to see how close we could get and if this road truly existed.  I managed to get my car as far as the junction of Neville Brook Road and Grass Road. From there on out, it would be a road walk and bushwhack through wet woods and recent logging cuts.

Cow Mountain is located in Dummer, New Hampshire and is the highest point in Dummer. There are no trails that reach its summit so it was a mixture of ATV trails, old logging cuts and a short bushwhack. There are decent views from the summit of Cow Mountain, as well as from the logging cuts leading to and from the summit area.

We got some views from this old logging landing of the lower string of wind turbines from the Granite Reliable Wind Farm in Millsfield, New Hampshire.

Brian checking out a map at an ATV junction and the Cow Mountain Trail.  While we were hopping this is the tracks he saw going up to the summit of Cow Mountain, it turned out not to be the case.  So we had to bushwhack after a brief road walk.

We ended up taking a few recent logging cuts up towards the summit of Cow Mountain.

Looking to the Whitcomb Mountains from the summit of Cow Mountain (elevation: 2289 feet).

Views of the Long Mountain Range from the summit of Cow Mountain.

We could even see the Presidential Range and Mount Washington from the summit of Cow Mountain.  It's nice when they have done logging on summits.

On the way back down to the car, we found this moose skull as well as several pieces of bone. A neat find for sure.

As we were walking down a logging cut back down to the ATV trail, we got views of Mount Patient, Mount Metalak and Signal Mountain.

Heading back down to the car, and the last shot of Grass Road which is an ATV trail.

It turns out the tracks Brian saw on Google Earth were there; they were just buried under the vegetation that has grown over it the last year or two.  While it wasn't a total loss since we made the summit, it delayed us quite a bit.  We even got some nice views which we weren't expecting.

Once we were done with this hike, we bypassed doing anymore peaks in the area so we could head over to Aziscohos Mountain to do a trailed hike now.

Aziscohos Mountain

Mileage: 5.5

Elevation gain: 1885 feet

Trails used: Northeast Trail, bushwhack, North Trail.
Highlight(s): 360 degree views, old fire tower remains on the summit.

After our first hike with mixed results (we did summit so that counts for something, the route finding? not so much) the only hike Brian wanted to do, since we were pretty much near by, was Aziscohos Mountain.  The reason being is that it once held a fire tower (removed in 2004) but it still has almost 360 degree views from its lower summit.

Apparently the "trail" mentioned in the old Maine Mountain Guide that Brian had with him used to be there and with a little digging online, it looked to me that it was not maintained anymore as it is not listed in the most recent edition of the AMC Maine Mountain Guide.

Aziscohos Mountain is located in Lincoln Plantation, Maine.  There was a fire tower on Low Aziscohos Mountain but it was taken down in 2004.  There are still numerous good 360 degree views from its bald summit that was burned in a wild fire years ago.  There is a trail that comes up to the lower summit but to reach the other summit it requires a pretty gnarly bushwhack across the ridge.

We parked at this gate off of Route 16, which is where the old Northeast Trail is located.

The lupines were in bloom as we walked along the Northeast Trail, which was more logging road than trail but it would get worse.

The guide was pretty spot on to this point as we crossed this old rotted bridge along the Northeast Trail.  The grass was starting to get overgrown but there was still a distinct trail.

Another water crossing but a harder one to cross as the water was flowing nicely.  We still managed to cross and only getting slightly wet.

Yes, Brian is reading the guide book but this is where the book failed us.  Since it was almost ten years old, what once held a fire wardens trail was now reduced to old logging cuts.  We picked the wrong one to go up.

We headed up towards the higher of the two summits of Aziscohos Mountain through mostly open woods down low, and then things got interesting as we approached the summit.

The summit of Aziscohos Mountain (elevation: 3180 feet) has this mysterious sign as well as a jar.  It was thick getting here and since we expected a trailed hike, we were wearing shorts.  

We signed into the register quickly as the mosquitoes were pretty thick and we were still about a half mile from the other summit, Low Aziscohos Mountain.  Our legs were pretty much shredded worse than when we did The Captain (also done in shorts).

Some general information on the history of the fire tower on Aziscohos Mountain.  I think this sign has seen better days.

Funny, the signs elevation is incorrect.   Both summits of Azischohos Mountain are roughly about 3180 feet tall.

The old fire tower concrete footings on Low Aziscohos Mountain (elevation: 3180 feet).  The fire tower was removed in 2004 but there are still really nice views without it.

We could see Mount Washington, Carter Dome, The Mahoosuc Range and the Baldpates looking to the south from the summit of Low Aziscohos Mountain.

Black Mountain, East Kennebago, the Bigelow Range, Crocker Mountain, Mount Redington, Sugarloaf Mountain, and Saddleback Mountain/The Horn could all be seen to the east from the summit of Low Aziscohos Mountain.

Looking into western Maine at Jackson Mountain/Little Jackson, Tumbledown Mountain, Bemis Mountain and Elephant Mountain from the summit of Low Aziscohos Mountain.

Looking northwest towards Magalloway Mountain, Stub Hill and Rump Mountain from the summit of Low Aziscohos Mountain.

Looking into northeast Maine from the summit of Aziscohos.  I can't even begin to name all the peaks that are in most of these photos.  They say (on a good day) that you can see fifteen lakes from this summit. 

The wooded summit of Aziscohos Mountain, which is a half mile away.

Heading down the North Trail, which heads back down to Route 16.  It was like a flowing river in some spots as we made our way down.

Another view of Magalloway Mountain from the North Trail and the site of an old logging cut.

In some spots along the North Trail, especially the lower we got, seemed like it was grown in and extremely muddy.  I would imagine it would be a nicer snowshoe hike.

Once back down to Route 16, we had to make an almost one mile road walk back to the car.  Funny thing is, where the Aziscohos Mountain Trail sign is right where we turned around to go back to the old trail head.  Lessons learned.  The bugs were kept at bay as we sat on the summit and enjoyed the views but were back to being pretty fierce as we hiked back down and out to the car.  I would have enjoyed this one more with better information and less bugs but you can't win them all.

This concluded our days hike.  We still had a roughly 2.5 hour drive to get back to the park n' ride so we bypassed anymore hikes so we could get home at a decent time.

Attleboro Mountain - Scott Mountain - Meetinghouse Mountain - Willard Mountain: 6/7/2015

Al was in New Hampshire doing some hiking and he asked if I wanted to join him for a few peaks all the way to the southwest in the Richmond and Winchester areas in New Hampshire.  He was up early hiking so I was to meet him at the first planned peak at 930 a.m.

Everything was going fine and I was a few minutes late already, but after I left Keene, New Hampshire and continued driving down Route 10 I had a minor accident involving a deer.  I managed to see it as it was running full tilt out of  the woods but not soon enough.  I hit the brakes and swerved a bit to the right but it hit right around my drivers side light and skidded across the hood and landed on the pavement.  It got back up and ran down the road a bit and then into the woods.  So hopefully it was okay; my car suffered a small dent in the hood and I am still picking deer hair out of it.

Attleboro Mountain

Mileage: 1.65

Elevation gain: 475 feet

Trails used: road walk, bushwhack.

Al had already started hiking earlier in the day so I met him at a road that heads into the Quint Preserve and runs along side Attleboro Mountain which was right off of Lang Road.  He is working on hiking in different area's and hiking all peaks with three hundred feet of prominence or higher (in New Hampshire).  It is a rather ambitious goal but if anyone can do it, it will be him.

Attleboro Mountain is located in Richmond, New Hampshire and also in the Quint Preserve.  I couldn't find much information on the Quint Preserve, other than a few website and a facebook page that are trying to prevent the Preserve from falling into the natural gas pipeline that is being proposed.  Just what we need, more wind turbines, pipelines and solar farms.

There are no trails that reach the wooded, view-less summit of Attleboro Mountain so it requires a short, steep bushwhack.

We started off on a snowmobile trail off of Land Road and then started bushwhacking, rather steeply, towards the summit of Attleboro Mountain.

One of two potential high points for Attleboro Mountain (elevation: 1418 feet).  The other possible high point is in the picture below.

Walking back down the snowmobile trail and back to the car.

Once we were done, we hopped back in our cars and headed down the road for the next hike.  Reaching the end of the driveable road on Scott Mountain Road, we parked and Al went in search of the owner of the property to ask permission to use his land to hike up to the summit.  We were given the green light to proceed so up we went.

Scott Mountain

Mileage: 1.45

Elevation gain: 635 feet

Trails used: none.  old logging cut, bushwhack.

This peak is to the west of Attleboro Mountain and we asked for permission from the home owner to use his property to access the summit.  The heat of the day started making its presence known as we headed into the woods, via his yard.

Scott Mountain is located in Richmond, New Hampshire.  There are no trails to reach the summit of Scott Mountain, although we found a possible ATV trail and used logging cuts to reach the summit which is wooded but had one view point.

We started off bushwhacking and eventually came upon some old logging cuts as well as a possible ATV trail, which we would take to the summit of Scott Mountain.

This is pretty much the only view point from the summit of Scott Mountain looking towards nearby Mount Monadnock.

The high point of Scott Mountain (elevation: 1396 feet) which looked, surprisingly, like it had been mowed recently.

Al heading back down to the car through the thickest woods we would see on this hike.

Another peak done and on to the next one.  We stopped in Winchester to get something to drink and eat before we continued on.  The next peak looked to be quick, depending on how we could get access to it.

Meetinghouse Mountain

Mileage: 0.8

Elevation gain: 300 feet

Trails used: none. service road.

We had to find a good spot to access this peak as it is surrounded by houses and would be a longer walk in the woods coming from the east.  So Al parked near a Private Drive sign and ran to ask the homeowners if we could use it to access the peak.  Another go ahead from the property owner and we were on our way up the road.

Meetinghouse Mountain is located in Winchester, New Hampshire.  It is located almost in the middle of town and has an access road that goes up to its wooded, view-less summit.  There is a communications tower on the summit.

We walked up the access road to the summit area of Meetinghouse Mountain where there was a communications tower on the summit.

Al on the high point for Meetinghouse Mountain (elevation: 886 feet) which had these three wooden stumps but we weren't sure what they were for.

We walked this dirt service road up to and down from the summit of Meetinghouse Mountain.

Because of the time of day and it being a Sunday, I had time to do one more peak before I made the long drive home.  The next peak would be back in Richmond, New Hampshire and a short drive away.

Willard Mountain

Mileage: 1.8

Elevation gain: 725 feet

Trails used: bushwhack, old logging roads, snowmobile trail.

We drove to the northern end of Stone Mountain Road and pulled off on the side of the road at a spot that looked pretty good to start the bushwhack.  What we didn't realize is that only about 50 feet down the road is an old woods road that most likely also is a snowmobile trail in winter.  We did use it when we hiked down but it would've gone a bit quicker if we had known it was there.

Willard Mountain is located in Richmond, New Hampshire.  There are various old logging roads and even a snowmobile trail that go up towards the wooded, view-less summit, which requires a short bushwhack to reach.

We started off bushwhacking up towards the summit of Willard Mountain through open woods but then we found some old logging roads and a snowmobile trail and took those up.

The high point for Willard Mountain (elevation: 1365 feet) is wooded and view-less.

The snowmobile trail on the way down and back to the car.

While it is fun to explore in different areas in New Hampshire, I doubt I will ever have the ambition that Al has by trying to do all 600+ peaks in New Hampshire with 300 feet of prominence.  Maybe as the years pass by, I will pick away but I will reserve that for the more hardcore hikers.

It was a nice day of hiking, and other than the mishap before the hikes started, it was still nice to be out.  I wore long sleeves so the bugs weren't too bad but the weather was nice so having that extra protection was nice.

Shagback Mountain North - Shagback Mountain - Wilder Mountain - Willard Mountain (VT): 6/7/2015

I would be hiking solo today so it wasn't a tough decision that I wanted to do some hiking in Vermont.  It was just a matter of where and what to do, which is usually the case.  So many peaks to do so it shouldn't have been that hard to decide.  When I left the house, there was a light rain and it was mainly cloudy skies as I made my way into Vermont.

Shagback Mountain North - Shagback Mountain

Mileage: 1.90

Elevation gain: 675'

Trails used: none. Bushwhack.


I could find little information for this peak but there were lots of roads to the northeast of Killington Peak that I could try and use to reach both summits, the northern summit being the higher of the two.  I would have to do this one really quick as there was going to be a bike road race later that morning on East Mountain Road.  

Shagback Mountain is located in Sherburne (Killington), Vermont and is located in the Calvin Coolidge State Forest.  There are no trails that reach either summit so it requires a bushwhack to reach both peaks.  I did find some recent logging roads to the east of the peaks but I am not sure exactly where they start.  You could possibly use them and make reaching the south peak of Shagback Mountain easier, and then do a short bushwhack to Shagback Mountain North.

This was the views when I started bushwhacking up to the two summits of Shagback Mountain.  The woods were open and even being used for sugaring.  

The woods stayed nice and open and other being wet from the rain the night before, it wasn't too bad to hike through to either summit of Shagback Mountain.

A blurry view of the high point area for Shagback Mountain North (elevation 2704).  There were several bumps so I hit them all to be on the safe side.

I then made the short bushwhack over to the southern summit of Shagback Mountain (elevation 2688', and the lower of the two) through open woods.  I even managed to find a few recent logging roads.

With hike one done, and drenched from the wet woods, I hopped back in the car to hopefully dry out some while I made the drive to the next area I had multiple peaks to choose from.  The sun was trying to come out and by the time I drove through Ludlow, Vermont it was turning into a very nice day.

Wilder Mountain-Willard Mountain

Mileage: 3.15

Elevation gain: 1095'

Trails used: none.  Snowmobile trail, old woods roads, bushwhack.

To reach both of these peaks in one hike, I was going to utilize USFS 10 as it winds its way deep into the White Rocks National Recreation Area and then drive up FR60 to the end of the road and park at the roundabout.   I was worried USFS 10 wouldn't go all the way to where I wanted but I was pleasantly surprised when I made it all to the way to where the Appalachian Trail and Long Trail parking is.  I went that far more as a recon for future hikes in the area.  

Wilder Mountain is located in Wallingford, Vermont and Willard Mountain is located in Mount Tabor, Vermont.  Both peaks are located in the White Rocks National Recreation Area where one can do some camping and hiking as there are about 30 miles of the Appalachian Trail in the Recreation Area.  In winter, there are 50+ miles of snowmobile trails.  There are no trails that reach either Wilder Mountain or Willard Mountain so they require bushwhacks and short road walks (up snowmobile trails).

The hike up Wilder Mountain was short and very steep.  Combine that with the wet leaves in the woods still and it was a slow hike up to the summit of Wilder Mountain.

The woods on top were wide open and evidence of moose were everywhere.  I managed to find the summit jar of Wilder Mountain (elevation 2782'), which was in good condition.  So, I signed in and made my way back down towards the car to make the hike over to Willard Mountain.

I made my way back down to FR60 which continues into the woods as a snowmobile trail in winter and use it for about half a mile to make my way to the summit of Willard Mountain.

The snowmobile trail continued through as I made my way towards where I would start the bushwhack up to the summit of Willard Mountain.

It was a steady hike through nice woods and it wasn't as steep as it was to do Wilder Mountain.

The high point of Willard Mountain (elevation 2779').  The jar on the summit was missing its lid and had a hole in the side so the contents were ruined.

I spent half the day driving around to these three peaks and looking at approaches for other peaks than I did actually hiking.  Some hiking days it is like that.  While the weather started off rather bleak, it brightened up and once the sun was out it warmed up the woods nicely.  Surprisingly there were no bugs so it was a nice day in the woods traipsing around.

Thompson Hill (NH) *6/3/2015*

Thompson Hill

Location: Hillsborough, New Hampshire
Mileage: 2.3 Miles
Elevation Gain: 805 Feet
Trails Used: Wenny Baker Trail, Bushwhack
Views: Views from a ledge below the summit of Thompson Hill
Difficulty: Moderate

Hiking Lists: None

I got off work early on Wednesday for my birthday and headed home. Desi had taken the day off to go to Boston but came back earlier than expected. After three straight days of almost constant rain, I didn’t want to waste such a beautiful day, so I looked for a nearby, shorter hike. We’d never done this one before, and since it was close to where we lived, we set out and started our hike right after parking.

The Thompson Hill Trail and Wenny-Baker Forest parking area, located off County Road in Hillsborough, has space for a few cars near the trailhead.

The Thompson Hill Trail starts off easy, winding along an old woods road or possible snowmobile trail, before you pass through a rock wall and the climb suddenly gets steep and exciting.

A few interesting pots and a copper cup sit near one of the rare water crossings along the Thompson Hill Trail.

The Thompson Hill Trail stays fairly consistent and steep all the way up to the summit area of Thompson Hill.

The woods up here were beautiful, and on our way to the summit of Thompson Hill, we ended up startling a wild turkey.

Mount Monadnock as seen from the scenic overlook just below the summit of Thompson Hill.

Peeking through the trees from the vista just below Thompson Hill’s summit reveals nearby Craney Hill and the Pats Peak Ski Area.

Desi stands at the vista, gazing at Mount Monadnock. The cairn here isn’t the marker for the highest point.

This cairn marks the wooded summit of Thompson Hill, standing at 1,780 feet. A short herd path leads you right to it, and there’s even a geocache hidden nearby.

We spotted a trail leading down from the summit of Thompson Hill and decided to follow it. It connects back to the main trail, creating a short loop hike. I think it’s a gentler but slightly longer way to get back to the car.

It was a pleasant little birthday hike on a beautiful day. The bugs were out but not much of a bother, which was about the only real plus. The limited views below the summit didn’t do much to impress me. The Thompson Hill Trail is well-marked with plenty of cairns, making it easy to follow. Other than that, unless you simply enjoy peaceful walks in the woods, this hike might be your kind of thing.

Thompson Hill, the tallest spot in Hillsborough, New Hampshire, sits within the scenic Wenny-Baker Forest.