Great Hill-Black Snout: 5/26/2014

Mileage: 13.65
Elevation gain: 2886'
Trails used: Cold Spring, Faraway Mountain, High Ridge, Mount Roberts, bushwhack, roadwalk


On Monday (Memorial Day) we decided to finally finish up the last peak on our NH300 list (of which there is several different versions), the northernmost Black Snout in the Ossipee Range (there are actually two peaks named Black Snout in the area).  First we decided to grab an easy firetower peak by hitting Great Hill, just a few miles north of Black Snout.

Great Hill is located in (and owned by) the town of Tamworth, New Hampshire.

The route up was on a gated road that is also a snowmobile trail.

You could say it was a walk in the park!  It's that easy of a hike.

The fire tower on the summit of Great Hill (elevation 1270').

The cab (open year round) offers 360 degree views.   View of Mount Chocorua.

 

 

The old fire warden's log cabin just below the summit.

With Great Hill behind us, it was a short drive over to the Castle In The Clouds water bottling plant.  It is also the home for their horse stables and other various buildings.  It is a spot the know well as it is the third time for them in about a year and a half starting from this trailhead.

The stables. The horses were out grazing on this beautiful day.  You can do trail rides from here through some of the trails on the property.

We decided to try a slightly different route for variety over the last time we were here (Mount Roberts Trail).  The Cold Springs Road Trail actually starts out as a paved road.

 

 

Soon it turns into something more appropriate for hiking, and less road-like.

 

 

Eventually we find ourselves on the High Ridge trail.  From here we headed over to Faraway Mountain where we would start the long bushwhack over to Black Snout.

 

 

On the High Ridge Trail, you come to a cleared area with a nice view of Winnipisaukee complete with a log bench!

Here's Greg taking the spur path over towards the summit of Faraway.

And on one of its summits, is an antenna and generator building complete with solar panels.

Heading into the woods behind the antennas, it is a straight up bushwhack of about 1.6 miles one way to the summit of Black Snout.  Thankfully, the woods were not too bad and were open all the way across.

The summit, complete with a hideous yellow X grafitti on a tree, marks #300 for Brian and Greg on the NH300 list.

On the way back we used an old snowmobile trail/logging road we found to get us a little further along the ridge.  It made for easier walking.

We hiked back to the Faraway summit area, then bushwhacked back down to the trail. We also decided to bypass the actual summit of Mount Roberts and headed straight for its lower ledges for a well earned rest.  These one's overlook Lake Winnipesaukee and the Belknaps behind it.

Going down the trail, we saw this unusual on the side of the trail.

 

 

Does this fence make my butt look big!?

Despite the temperatues being a bit warmer than forecasted and buggy, the day was perfect for a list finish. but for a brief rain spurt on the Great Hill hike and a couple spattering drops toward the end of the last hike.  The views were great and there is little more that could have been asked for.  It was a long road to finishing the NH300 list, but now it is done it is time to move on to another!

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