NH Cohos Trail: Crossing the Kilkenny Part 2

Heading down Mt. Weeks with hobblebush crowding the trail

Day two hiking the Kilkenny and no rain! Everything started out pretty wet though (it's surprising how much heavier a wet tent is) and I took my time walking down Mt. Weeks. The trail wasn't particularly difficult, but the overgrowth and wet rocks and roots (which you sometimes couldn't see) could be deceptively hazardous.

Spinulose Woodfern covers many areas

It was a pleasant walk descending the Pliny Range in the fog. I was just about out of water and expecting a stream at the bottom in Willard Notch. Nothing. Hmmm. There was no way I could continue along the ridge without water. I needed something down here at the low point before continuing.  York Pond Trail went along the bottom of the notch and it looked like that trail might take me to a stream if I followed it down the ridge, but how far? I dug out my copied pages of the Cohos Trail  Data book, and saw I had written some notes in there from the Cohos Trail guidebook: "Cross a narrow but healthy stream in all seasons right after leaving notch." Ahh. The stream was not at the lowest point in the notch. I continued up toward Terrace Mountain and almost immediately came upon the stream.

Oh thank goodness

Nothing showed up on the trail map or the databook for this important water source up on the ridge. Good thing I jotted down those notes from the guidebook. At any rate, after my close call with water, and the bad state of important springs up on the ridge, I stocked my pack with 3.5 liters (8 lbs) and spent the rest of the day lugging that up mountains. There was supposed to be a source at Mt Cabot, but that could be dry, leaving Unknown Pond the next water source.

Terrace Mountain

Terrace Mountain was up next, part of the Pilot Range. There's a good rise of about 1000 feet, then a series of three peaks. The heavy pack filled with water slowed me down quite a bit going up the hills but eventually I got there.

Birch Polypore

Terrace Mountain was full of wet moss, lichens, and mushrooms. The ridge undoubtedly gets lots of rain and fog. Birch Polypore was growing all over some of the dead birch trees. Bits of this mushroom in the form of a necklace were carried by the famous iceman Otzi, whose naturally mummified remains were found in the Italian Alps and found to be 5300 years old. They were probably for medicinal purposes.

Old Man's Beard

There was lots of a lichen called Old Man's Beard draped over the trees at the higher elevations, lending a certain mystery to the trail, especially when it was foggy.

North Terrace

While eating a sandwich on the last Terrace peak, I spent some time looking closely at the moss and lichens growing over just about everything up there. So many different kinds.  They carpeted the ground, the trees, even the trail sign.

Moss and lichen were everywhere

There was some bear poo up there, too. Not sure what they might be eating other than hobblebush berries. There were a lot of those all across the Kilkenny.

Bear poo. Hobblebush berries?

After Terrace Mountain came the Mt. Cabot, the tallest peak in the Kilkenny and another 4000-footer. The trail suddenly became wide and well traveled and mostly dry, so the footing was much more secure. But I still had close to eight pounds of water in my pack, so it was a haul up another 1200 feet or so. I passed a young peak-bagger practically running up the trail. First person I'd seen in about 24 hours.

View heading up Mt. Cabot

I stopped at the deserted cabin near the top and hung my wet gear all about to dry in the wind while I cooked up a meal. That wet gear was heavy.

Mt. Cabot Cabin

The cabin was not locked, so I was able to check it out. Dry, but a bit musty. A few crumbs left by the last inhabitants.

Cabot Cabin

As I was heating up some water down below the cabin, a pair of bold Gray Jays, aka Canadian Jays, got in real close, hoping to find food. Yet another exotic northern species. They were adorable.  According to the Internet, Canadian Jays will eat just about anything and have been seen pulling ticks off of winter moose and tearing baby bats away from their mothers. Separating treats from humans would seem pretty simple compared to that.

Canadian Jay examines boiling water

After a good long break at the Cabin, my wet gear had dried out quite a bit, so I repacked and was on my way, continuing a bit further to the top, where the peak-baggers go. There was a good view in a couple direction. The view towards the north was a bit startling. Other than some windmills, it was green forest as far as the eye could see. This was the first time I'd been able to see north beyond Mt. Cabot.

View from Mt Cabot

My best wildlife encounter of the trip was near the top of Cabot. A grouse was on the trail just ahead, not too eager to leave the trail. It finally few up into a tree only a few feet away and patiently allowed me to take a photo with my cell phone. This bird was not like any grouse I had ever seen. I grew up seeing a lot of ruffed grouse and they didn't have a bright red patch near their eyes. This was a Spruce Grouse, the first I'd ever seen. Very cool. I noticed it wasn't very loud when it flew up startled. Ruffed Grouse explode and just about give you a heart attack. These were much quieter. Over the trip I startled up more grouse of the quieter variety, so I assume they were Spruce Grouse.

Spruce Grouse

After descending Mt. Cabot, the Kilkenny Ridge Trail climbs up over a minor peak called the Bulge, then passes a sign for a spur trail to the top of the Horn. The guidebook raved about the views at the top. What the heck. I stashed my pack and scurried (so much lighter!) up the mountain to a large boulder at the top. I was supposed to climb up the boulder to get these 360° view, but there was no way. The boulder was big and smooth and round, and at the bottom was a deep crevice so that if you slipped and fell, you would be injured and trapped in the crevice. I was hiking alone and had seen a grand total of three people in two days. Climbing the boulder alone in this isolated area would just be reckless. I pictured myself stuck in the crevice for a week. I would be like that guy who had to cut off his arm. Nope. Not gonna do it. There was still a great view from the base of the boulder, so I took some photos and started back down the mountain. Almost immediately I passed a thru-hiker coming up the hill. So maybe I wouldn't have been stuck there for a week after all.

From The Horn: Looking back at the Bulge and Mt. Cabot

After the Horn, the day was getting late. I had been hoping to make it to Rogers Ledge, but that wasn't going to happen and I stopped at the Unknown Pond campsite instead. This is said to be a popular tenting site, but it was empty except for one couple.

Unknown Pond looking at the Horn

I had expected a crowded camping area next to a pond. But the tent sites were up on a ridge and I was able to watch the sun set on Mt. Washington in the distance. It was perfect.

Sunset at the campground.