Blueberry Mountain/Evans Notch 6/6/06
Blueberry Mountain, Evans Notch 1781'
5 Miles 1150' Elevation gain
Kevin, Judy and Emma
After climbing the Baldies, of course the clouds departed and the sun came out. Towards the end of day the sinking sun shone down into The Basin where we were camped. It was a nice ending to a very nice day. Next morning the sun shone in from its juxtaposed position and filled The Basin with light and warmth. We spent the early morning with our tea beside the water watching the Loons. The skies were beautiful and we needed to get in another hike before we left Kevin's Notch. We packed everything up, hooked up the camper and headed out. A mile or so south of The Basin Campground we turned onto Stone House Road and drove out to a parking area by a gate. We hiked along the road to the junction with the White Cairn Trail and began our climb of Blueberry Mountain.
This trail rises 1150 feet over a mile and a half to the ledges which make up the summit of Blueberry Mountain. There are beautiful views to the south and east, and some filtered views to the north and west. There is a very short loop around the summit which winds through the Low-Bush Blueberries which are dotted with Pink Lady Slippers at this time of year. The sun was hot and bright and it was a perfect June day. We hung around for a while taking in the scenery and soaking up the sun which felt so good after all the dampness the past few days.
Eventually we dragged ourselves away and made the descent by the Stone House Trail. A short spur path leads to The Rattlesnake Pool. It may not sound inviting, but on a hot day in June it was about the prettiest pool we have seen in our travels through the Whites. The water was as icy cold as it had been the day before at the Gem Pool as we came down from the Baldies, but today's warmth made it possible to at least make an attempt at jumping in. I made it in about up to my kidneys where I had to stop. When you go from the feeling of shock to one of numbness and you can no longer feel anything below your waist, you know you are in a mountain stream. If it was any colder I could have been ice fishing.
Jude stuck her feet in and didn't even attempt to go in, her feet were numb. Emma on the other hand, with her hot fur coat, thought it was wonderful. Again, we had to drag ourselves away. We walked slowly along the trail, then along the road back to the car with that "Why can't we stay here forever?" feeling we used to get as a kid when we left someplace that was great fun. We drove north through the Notch on our way home, stopping near Hastings to jump in the Wild River, which was no warmer than the Rattlesnake Pool. Why do we have to go home?
Read More5 Miles 1150' Elevation gain
Kevin, Judy and Emma
After climbing the Baldies, of course the clouds departed and the sun came out. Towards the end of day the sinking sun shone down into The Basin where we were camped. It was a nice ending to a very nice day. Next morning the sun shone in from its juxtaposed position and filled The Basin with light and warmth. We spent the early morning with our tea beside the water watching the Loons. The skies were beautiful and we needed to get in another hike before we left Kevin's Notch. We packed everything up, hooked up the camper and headed out. A mile or so south of The Basin Campground we turned onto Stone House Road and drove out to a parking area by a gate. We hiked along the road to the junction with the White Cairn Trail and began our climb of Blueberry Mountain.
This trail rises 1150 feet over a mile and a half to the ledges which make up the summit of Blueberry Mountain. There are beautiful views to the south and east, and some filtered views to the north and west. There is a very short loop around the summit which winds through the Low-Bush Blueberries which are dotted with Pink Lady Slippers at this time of year. The sun was hot and bright and it was a perfect June day. We hung around for a while taking in the scenery and soaking up the sun which felt so good after all the dampness the past few days.
Eventually we dragged ourselves away and made the descent by the Stone House Trail. A short spur path leads to The Rattlesnake Pool. It may not sound inviting, but on a hot day in June it was about the prettiest pool we have seen in our travels through the Whites. The water was as icy cold as it had been the day before at the Gem Pool as we came down from the Baldies, but today's warmth made it possible to at least make an attempt at jumping in. I made it in about up to my kidneys where I had to stop. When you go from the feeling of shock to one of numbness and you can no longer feel anything below your waist, you know you are in a mountain stream. If it was any colder I could have been ice fishing.
Jude stuck her feet in and didn't even attempt to go in, her feet were numb. Emma on the other hand, with her hot fur coat, thought it was wonderful. Again, we had to drag ourselves away. We walked slowly along the trail, then along the road back to the car with that "Why can't we stay here forever?" feeling we used to get as a kid when we left someplace that was great fun. We drove north through the Notch on our way home, stopping near Hastings to jump in the Wild River, which was no warmer than the Rattlesnake Pool. Why do we have to go home?
Afternoon sun at The Basin.
