Oct 21 2014
Scouting the Cohos Trail
Yesterday I drove to New Hampshire to scout the trailheads and exit points of the Cohos Trail in anticipation of hiking it next year. I took my dog Matika with me even though the trip was more about driving than hiking. She didn’t complain.
With temps in the 40s, snow in the higher elevations, and all the leaves on the ground, it felt more like November than October in the White Mountains. No matter. I was able to get a good feel for the landscape. There is plenty of rugged, remote country north of the ever-popular Presidential Range. I look forward to immersing myself in it.
Halfway through my scouting trip, I grabbed my rucksack and headed south along a yellow-blazed trail hugging South Pond for a short while. Both Matika and I needed to stretch our legs and South Pond seemed like a good place to do that. The recreation area where I parked the car was completely abandoned and the shoreline trail looked very inviting. I’m sure South Pond will look completely different to me when I’m trekking through here with a full load on my back, finishing a leg of the CT next year. The terrain always looks different when I’m making tracks.
After finding the exit point at Dixville Notch, thus completing my scouting trip, I marveled at how new the Cohos Trail is. Aside from the yellow blazes, one wouldn’t know that such a trail even exists. It’s definitely a work in progress, and not for those who like to plod mindlessly along a well-beaten path. But northern New Hampshire seethes wildness, which is why I am drawn to it. And soon enough I’ll be following those yellow blazes for days on end.
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