NH Cohos Trail: Jefferson Road Walk

Some early fog over the former Lake Coos.
Pretend the fog is lake water.

A four-mile road walk would not normally deserve its own post, but the sky had finally cleared to reveal the surrounding mountains and the scenery was spectacular.  I had saved this little walk for the morning of my departure so I could stretch my legs before the long drive back to Connecticut. We did see some alarming fog down in the valley on the drive over, but it dissipated quickly in the sun and wasn't a problem.

Back at the Colonel Whipple Trailhead on Whipple Road

This broad plain was once the bottom of a glacial lake called Lake Coos (pronounced COE-oss), which was a finger of the vast glacial Lake Hitchcock.  I'm used to hearing about Lake Hitchcock within the context of Connecticut glacial history and was surprised to be reminded that the lake extended this far north. The glacial sediments filled in the lake bottom and left it pretty flat.

Walking along the bottom of old Lake Coos was a reminder that my journey up from Long Island Sound was veering back to the Connecticut Valley. The New England Trail had followed the trap rock ridges that cut through the Connecticut Valley in Connecticut and southern Massachusetts, then had climbed out of the narrowing valley and headed into the eastern uplands. After traveling over Mt. Monadnock, Sunapee, and the White Mountains, I was back in the Connecticut River Valley. The river had never been that far away.

The Cohos Trail would eventually arrive at the First Connecticut Lake, the source of the Connecticut River. From the Sound to the Source.

Geese below the Kilkenny

It was a gorgeous walk along Whipple Road. The fog was rapidly lifting and dissipating. In the fields where turkey were feeding the previous day, there were now geese.

Mt. Washington (right) with Mt. Jefferson to the left

The Presidential Range was in the clear finally.  The peaks of the Killkenny were up ahead. And nearby Cherry Mountain was in the rearview mirror, so to speak.

Israel River

The Cohos route takes a left and heads north along Rt 115A. It's a nice walk. Traffic was light.

Hundreds of brave Amber Snails

In the lowest area there were hundreds of land snails covering the road shoulder. And many smashed shells. I believe these are Ambersnails, which like damp fields and can become very abundant.

Hello.

After a good walk through the farmland and a smattering of homes, I came to Waumbek Golf Course. My husband was playing there, but I couldn't see him. We originally had tried to get a room in a nearby Bed & Breakfast that bordered both the Cohos Trail and the golf course, but they were full. That's OK, we liked our room in Twin Mountain with the view of Mt. Garfield.

Waumbek Golf Course

The land rose up a bit here, offering excellent views south past Cherry Mountain. I could see Mt. Garfield and Lafayette, and even the Kinsman Range. Maybe Moosilauke, not sure. All the mountains I had just crossed over.

L to R: Cherry Mtn, Garfield & Lafayette, then the Kinsman Range

I had been to the general store the previous day and had no need to walk along Route 2, so I took right onto a narrow gravel road opposite a small cemetery. We had driven down the road (which appears on Google Maps as Pool Road) while spotting my car.

There's a shortcut at the cemetery

Pool Road turned out to be a very good option if you don't need to stop at the General Store. It completely eliminated the walk along busy Rt. 2 because it comes out opposite Starr King Road, which the Cohos follows. There was a parking pulloff about halfway up Pool Road, which I think this is the parking referred to by the signs at the trailhead up ahead that say something like "additional parking across Rt 2."

Waumbak Golf Course and Cherry Mountain from Pool Road

The main entrance to the golf course is via Pool Road, and I ducked in to see if I could spot my husband playing, but he was on some other part of the course. A quick walk across Rt 2 and up Starr King Road, and there was a designated parking lot in the woods for hiker parking. It was just about full and it was only 9:30 am. This was something to think about for the next trip up, since I would be backpacking and arriving from Connecticut later in the morning.