Green-Black (Jackson)-Cathedral Ledge/White Horse Ledge: 7/5/2014

Mileage: 10.1
Elevation gain: 4158'
Trails used: High Watch-Black Mountain Ski-Bryce Path-Cathedral Ledge-White Horde Ledge


For Saturdays hike, we had a few options available to us: head up into northern New Hampshire for the bulk of the fire tower's we have left to finish or stick to the southern White Mountains to pick off a few stragglers.  We opted for the closer option.

Our first hike would be Green Mountain in Effingham, New Hampshire.  The fire tower is part of the Green Mountain State Forest and is also part of the High Watch Preserve.  For information on this hike: http://www.forestsociety.org/ourproperties/guide/?block=100

Greg at the start of the High Watch Trail which leads up to the summit of Green.

Lots of pine trees makes for a soft trail underfoot.

There are about three spots that are somewhat steep and rocky, but nothing too difficult for this roughly 1.5 mile trek to the summit and the fire tower.

The fire tower.  Alas it was closed due to structural damage so we didn't get to climb it to get the nice views it supposedly has.

We decided to head over to Hanson Top to see what the view's would be like.

The summit of Hanson Top.  There were blueberry patches up here which were almost ripe.

The only views we would get from this hike from a ledge just past the summit.

Our second hike was Black Mountain in Jackson, New Hampshire.  Greg visited this peak several winter's ago but Brian had never been there so since it's on the fire tower list, off we went. 

Black mountain not only has several trails that lead up to a minor summit, it is also home to the oldest ski area in New Hampshire http://www.newenglandskihistory.com/NewHampshire/blackmtn.php.  The actual summit of Black is over 3000 feet and requires a bushwhack to reach it.  The tower that sat on this mountain was a wooden observation tower.

Greg at the start of the Black Mountain Ski Trail which heads up Black Mountain.  Do not block this section as it actually leads to someones house.

Here we go up the actual trail, which is about 1.7 miles to the summit.

A nice little waterfall that we crossed along the way.

 The trail up is very nice with not really any steepness to it, until you get up past the cabin.

 Views from the summit of Black (elevation 2757') towards the Baldfaces.

Also views of the Wildcats from the summit.

The Black Mountain cabin that you can rent to stay in.  There were a few people in residence at the time as evidenced by the fire burning inside.

Pretty much the only view from the cabin you can get looking towards Boott Spur.

We had time for one more quick hike really as driving around Conway and Jackson was time consuming because, well, it is summer and it's madness on the roads.  Since neither one of us had ever really been to these two peaks, and we always see them from the road driving through Conway, we decided to head over and give them a whirl. 

Cathedral Ledge and White Horse Ledge are located in Echo Lake State Park located in North Conway, New Hampshire. There is a mile long auto road that climbs up to summit of Cathedral Ledge (but what's the fun in driving up!).  Both ledges are very popular with rock climbing enthusiasts, and it's not uncommon to see people going up and rappelling down the steep slopes on the west side.

Heading out at the start of the Bryce Path Trail heading to the junction in between Cathedral Ledge and White Horse Ledge.  We parked directly across from where this trail starts.

The trail starts off pretty level until you reach another junction, where you can head straight for a loop hike up White Horse Ledge or continue on the Bryce Path.

From here it was a very short, but extremely steep hike up into the col between Cathedral and White Horse Ledge.

It was kind of odd to almost reach the summit of Cathedral Ledge and see car's through the tree's.

Panorama from just below the summit of Cathedral Ledge (elevation 1159'). It was pretty crowded up here today.

We hiked back down into the col and then headed up to White Horse Ledge.

Some of the ledges on White Horse Ledge.

Panorama from a ledge just below the summit.  This as it turns out has a better view than the same view from the summit.

Almost the same view from just below the summit of White Horse Ledge (elevation 1450').

Overall, a nice day to be out.  Nice temperature's, low humidity and almost no bugs due to a steady wind from a passing hurricane/tropical storm almost made this hike a fall-like feel.  These turned to to be some really easy miles to nonetheless.

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