Champney Falls.
A vista at the top over half the visible terrain shows white Mt. Washington in among the many peaks.
On the trail looking north through birches.
Up from the trailhaed 1.5 miles is Champney Falls, a destination for two ice climbers we saw and a trailside picture of winter wonder for us hikers. Our destination was Mt. Chocorua, not a 4000'er but a rocky peak that has long been a favorite of hikers. In Nicholas Howe's book entitled Not Without Peril: 150 Years of Misadventure on the Presidential Range of New Hampshire, the chapter concerning the fate of Joe Caggiano describes how Joe and his friends used this hike as a tune-up for their hike across the Presidentials in 1938. Unfortunately, their attempted Presidential traverse ended in catastrophe, even though it was in August. Our little hike was not a tune-up, but a nice daytime adventure that turned out fine. Unlike the forecast, the wind was calm and the temperature rose to a balmy 18 deg F by the time we returned.
One more point on caution for my wife, if she ever reads this. Before Champney Falls the path divides and reconnects above the Falls. On the way up, we used the left fork to get a good view of the Falls. The path above the Champney Falls becomes steeper, and rock steps available without snow were covered with snow with ice underneath. Even with my Microspikes, I lost my footing once and slid 6' down to the less steep portion---not a big deal but a warning that, even with good daytime conditions, the area requires caution. My second attempt, following Matt's choice to skirt the steps, got me up to the next less-steep part of the path. Even so, 2 hours later, I was more tired than the younsters, and I omitted the final scramble up the second part of Mt. Chocorua, which the nimble Matt and Lea navigated round-trip in 15 minutes. I waited in the rocks, took a panorama set of pictures, and drank from my Thermos until they rejoined me. We retraced our path, took an excursion up to the Middle Sisters (adding an extra mile), and followed the path fork away from Champney Falls on the return trip.
Total of 5.5 hours up and back. These three panoramas show some of the scenery. Sweet!
I like that party hat. Nearing Champney Falls, we got a short break for snacks and pics. |
Matt and Lea upward bound With the temperature increasing above 0, we climbed toward Champney Falls. |
Champney Falls Still in shadow frozen Champney Falls is both a destination for ice climbers and a trailside beauty for hikers. |
Tall and small Well, I was standing on a rock. |
Atop Mt. Chocorua looking somewhere ... and including an overlay of mist condensing on the lens |
Lea with Mt. Chocorua Looking toward rocky Mt. Chocorau in the bright noontime sun. |
Lea and Matt with Middle Sisters background Coming down at the trail junction, just after a snack. |