Vacation Plan B (Part B)

 We've often met up with Vermont friends to hike while in the Whites, but this year we were able to convince Tii and Kyle to spend a night at the lodge with us and then hike.  Gail had dinner ready for them when they arrived after work, and I insisted they walk down to the road for the million dollar view of the Presidentials before dark.

The morning dawned crystal clear, again (we have great luck with this when we're in Jefferson).  I did my usual walk to try to spot a bear or moose, but as always, didn't see either, however, I got to the horse farm just as the beagles were getting breakfast.

We went back to Crawford Notch for our hike, this time to hike the east side to two 4000' summits in the Presidentials: Pierce and Jackson.  We went up the Crawford Path to Pierce first.

These aren't even from the summit!  But it was a fine spot for a snack and do some birding.  Kyle is an avid birder and has shared his passion with Tii.  She's a forester/botanist so hiking with the two of them was an added pleasure for identifying what we were seeing and hearing more than usual.

Crossing the top of Pierce on the way to Jackson.

 The final scramble to the summit of Jackson.

 

The larger white spot just down from the top of Pierce is the AMC Mizpah Hut.  We stopped there for lunch and were witnesses to a merlin chasing a swallow right in front of us. 

 Jackson might have been an asshole of a president, but he got a nice mountain named after him.  And those $20 bills come in handy sometimes.

 Some of the greenery along the way on that glorious day.

Just before getting down to Rt. 302, we stopped at this outcrop for another look at Willey, Tom and Field across the notch.

Google says 7.25 miles.

 What?  Just another cloudless morning.

Also another day to avoid driving.  We decided to try to bike Pond of Safety Rd. to visit said pond, and do a hike in the Randolph Mountains.  I was told by a local the road was too rough to ride but we thought we'd see how far we could go and then walk the rest.  They have replaced some bridges which has allowed more maintenance and we rode all the way to the pond before starting the hike.

 The overlook from Crescent Mountain.  I had a notion to hike that range (the lodge sits at the base of the mountain on the left), but a trail was closed a few years ago so instead of a bike ride of less than 10 miles to start, it would take a drive of over 30.  I'll be fine.

Randolph Mountain has two summits, and I was happy to stop at the closer one when I got to Lafayette View.  That's King Ravine in the bottom picture.  The Subway Trail is in the boulders at the bottom, the RMC Crag Hut is on the top right.  Three trails go up the headwall.

The Pond of Safety.  Back in the day, it was a safe place for Revolutionary War soldiers to hang out when they were falsely accused of desertion.  Today, it is a safe place for leeches to hang out.  No swimming.  Gail got there before me and encountered some folks who drove their car without the fob, so when they turned it off, they had no way to start it.  Someone came and rescued them.  When I was biking out, a NH state trooper drove in looking for them.  I wish I got a picture of a safety officer at Pond of Safety but didn't think of it in time and he drove away.

 An incredible view of Castle Ravine headwall from the road.

 Also on my ride home, I encountered a neighbor from just up the road who told me lots of local history and invited us up to his place to see the view of the whole Presidential Range (top) and I was able to get a close-up of Pierce/Jackson/Webster.  I was able to tell him about Lafayette View, something he never visited in his 50 years of hiking in the Whites.

At the lodge: Pond of Refreshment.

Fun banjo playing/pictures.

The view on our last morning.  It was getting cloudy with rain expected so we left after doing a few more chores around the lodge.  When we ask you to go with us next time, don't say you're too busy.

To break up the long drive home, we decided to visit Chips and Ann in Piseco.  Gail got there earlier this summer when Kristi, Harper and Dusty were visiting, but I hadn't been since a brief overnight stop last summer.  Chips and I thinned some trees along the driveway and we had breakfast on the beach.

Gail had a swim in Piseco when she got up.  I decided to depart by bike around the west side before the drive home and have her pick me up by Rt. 8.  I went past the airport just as someone was leaving the fly-in breakfast, and I stopped to admire the view of the hills on the east side of the lake from one of the state campground beaches.