Mount Martha & Owlshead 9-7-21
Cherry Mountain Trail/ Cherry Mountain Spur Trail/ Martha's Mile
5.4 Miles 2350' Elevation gain
Kevin, Judy & Wicket
It seemed hard to believe, but we had not been on this sweet little mountain in 8 years, our last visit being in March of 2013, just short weeks before we lost our little girl Emma. As we began to ascend the trail recollections of our previous trips and especially the last one I mentioned began to flood my memory...
Emma was such a tough little scrapper, and even at 13 years old I can remember her ascending this trail in what to her was deep, sticky snow, following in the snowshoe track Judy was making and sucking it up as though that was what she was put here on Earth to do...
So now, 8 years later we have returned with Wicket who has become our steadfast trail companion. While she will probably never reach as many summits as her predecessor, she has her 48 4ks and has been chipping away at her 52WAV of which she has more than half. Judy & I each need 2 to finish that list and will try to work it out so that we all finish together...
Ascending from the west through mixed forest. There is very little in the way of color to be seen yet above the Notches except in the low wetlands where swamp maples are ablaze...
Mixed forest will soon give way to conifers as we ascend...
Incredibly thick stands of conifers in a Boreal Forest...
And the ever-present Hobblebush and it's brilliant fall fruit...
Cherry MountainHobblebush Viburnum lantanoidesMount MarthaOwls HeadSummerhikingwildflowers
Reaching the old jeep road that served as access to the long gone Firetower which once graced the summit. The road now caters to snowmobiles...
Clouds were hanging low over the Northern Presidentials as we reached the summit of Martha...
The site of the former fire tower is now heavily overgrown...
Heading off to the north is Martha's Mile...
Looks like it will stay socked in...
Wicket wants to know, "We eat now, right?"
Concrete and steel pilings of the former fire tower...
View southwest from a ledge a short way beyond the site of the fire tower...
Looking south towards Mount Carrigain- Crawford Notch and the Willey Range left, Mount Hale in shadow and The Twins with their heads in the clouds right...
Zoom to Mount Carrigain up the Zealand Valley. Rosebrooks and Bretton Woods mid-center...
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Zoom to Crawford Notch, Mount Webster (L) & Willey Range (R) Moats & Chocorua on horizon...
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Hale & the Sugarloafs...
South through Zealand Valley...
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I think Liberty center...
Tough winters and year round strong winds...
VIDEO:
Walking north along Martha's Mile. Such a beautiful trail!
She is really almost as at home here as Emma was. She has become such a great trail dog, I think she must have a little bit of Emma's heart & soul in her...
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Still along Martha's Mile...
Cherry MountainMartha's MileMount MarthaOwls HeadSummerhiking
Section along Martha's Mile facing east that allows a view. I imagine the ice and wind of various cruel storms over the years were the culprits that flattened the trees to allow this view...
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Just such a lovely forest on this ridge...
Cherry MountainMartha's MileMount MarthaOwls HeadSummerhiking
Wicket waits at a tricky scramble up to Owlshead...
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First view from Owlshead...
VIDEO:
View from Owlshead ledges...
Looking south through Crawford Notch again from a slightly different perspective...
Clouds continue to hang low on the Northern Presidentials...
