NH MSG Section 2b: Brown Rd to Route 9

Brook crossing near Iron Nail Road

Another year, another fall hiking adventure! After completing the NET/M-M Trail last year at the top of Mt Monadnock and getting a taste of the Monadnock-Sunapee Greenway on the way down, I spent the winter pondering over whether to continue north along this next trail. Why not? Who doesn't need an excuse to spend some time in New Hampshire?

Seaver Road (road walk)

So we booked a room at the Hummingbird Hill Bed & Breakfast (right on the trail!), drove up from Connecticut, and continued with the he-golfs while she-hikes routine.

Seaver Reservoir. Not Beaver, Seaver. 

This blog post covers most of what the M-S Greenway guidebook labels Section 2, with the exception of the Eliza Adams Gorge, completed earlier. This is a very easy section. Between Brown Road, where I got dropped off, and Route 9, the pick up point, the trail mostly follows unpaved roads of various types.

The turn towards Rosemary Trail (road walk)

Some of the roads are improved gravel roads open to general traffic, so you pass by occasional homes and cottages. Other roads are 4WD only. And some are closed to vehicular traffic. It's fast and easy along all of them.

Childs Bog along Rosemary Trail (roadway)

The trail passes by a number of scenic water features, including Childs Bog, which is clearly not a bog, but presumably was at one point.

South of Cabot Road

There was one good long stretch of non-road woodland trail north of Cabot Road. This was just full of Red Efts. It took a lot of focus to not step on them. I actually did step on one's tail. I'm so sorry. We both jumped.

Red Eft, one of dozens on the trail

The trail was well marked and easy to follow through the woods.

"Confidence blazes" along the roadways are spaced pretty far apart. After some periods of daydreaming, I had a few episodes of, "Did I miss a turn??" Going forward, looking back, no blazes in sight. Consult the map. Am I really on the road I think I'm on? Yes. Right? This must be correct. But what if there was a reroute not reflected in the map? Continue forward. And eventually I'd see a white blaze and all was good.

Cabot Road (road walk)

You definitely want a the trail map for this section with the long road walks so you know you're going to be following a particular road for half a mile and don't keep looking for the trail to suddenly turn off the road.

View along Cabot Road

With one exception, where the roads are open to traffic, they're nice, quiet strolls through the countryside, and cars rarely pass by. The scenery is woods and fields and ponds and bogs and mountains.

Field along Cabot Road

The exception is upon the approach to Nelson Center, when the trail follows paved Nelson Road for a spell. Still good scenery, but the cars are whizzing by. Trucks mostly. Construction equipment. Winter is coming.

Nelson Road (roadwalk)

Nelson Center is one of those attractive town centers full of history. There were no shops, just a collection of quaint white buildings including a church, town hall, and library. The parking lot in front of the town hall was empty and no one was about. Every so often someone drove up to a big line of mailboxes to get their mail. And then they would drive away and the town center would be silent again.

Nelson Center

They do a nice job marking the turns with arrows, including some nice ones printed on metal.

Nelson Center turn onto Log Cabin Road

Heading north from Nelson Center, you again are following a road, then a 4WD road labeled "Log Cabin Road" on the map, and then the road is blocked and it's foot traffic only on an old roadbed.

"Log Cabin Road" 

It's an easy, pleasant stroll through the woods. Another scenic pond, this one with an impressive beaver dam and bridge over the brook.

Beaver Dam along Log Cabin Road

Nice job along the trail keeping the blowdowns cleared. No idea how someone managed to cut a huge tree that was suspended about five feet above the trail. Looks like a job for professionals. And the tree trunk swung back up after it was cut, hopefully with no one standing on it at the time.

How did someone cut this??

At Route 9, the trail comes out onto a big parking lot with a sign indicating hikers can park there. That was my pickup point, but while I was waiting, I decided to cross the highway so I could start on that side the next morning. Didn't realize the trail actually goes under the highway until later that night when the innkeeper mentioned it. Almost missed one of the more unique trail features I've ever encountered hiking. I'd go back the next morning and check it out.

Route 9. 

After checking into the Hummingbird Hill B&B and going out to eat, we arrived back at the B&B and checked out their beach area on Center Pond. It was gorgeous.

Center Pond from the Hummingbird Hill B&B

It's a bit of a walk down to the shore, across a small golf course. They have a pair of kayaks that guests can use.

Checking out the beach area

Then we headed back up and watched the sunset. Nice.

Sunset over Center Pond