Bald Knob & Turtleback Mountain 11-17-20
Turtleback Mountain 2203'/ Bald Knob 1801'
Shannon Trail/ Bald Knob Trail/Turtleback Mountain Trail/Brook Walk Trail
8.3 Miles 1729' Elevation gain
Cath & Hank, Kevin, Judy & Wicket
Always an enjoyable experience when we hike with Hank & Cath. The howling & squealing that starts in the parking lot when the two dogs realize who is in the other car is comical.
The greeting between the two dogs goes way beyond fun and funny. The bumping, pouncing, friendly growls and mouthing is a glad sight every time. Hank may have more than one girlfriend, but he definitely loves Wicket.
It is plainly evident that he loves Cath as well, and realizes his life is better because of her. The Vet says his spine is fused, but there is little evidence of it when he is on the trail.
He bombs around like a young dog, and everything is new to him. Judy and I love him very much as well. Cath has done a great job with her Dobie Rescues, taking several over the years, and giving hard to place dogs a good and loving home.
Hank is our favorite, but only because we have been fortunate enough to have spent a lot of time with him., and of course, because Wicket swoons when she sees him.
It seems when we visit the Ossipee Range that it is almost consistently gray and brown, the views across Lake Winnepesaukee are gray/blue/silver and there is always a chill in the air.
No bugs, no humidity, our kind of hiking! The bare trees allow distant views, and there is always something new to see. We are pelted with graupel, (soft hail, or snow pellets) as we hike along.
There are always interesting stories to share, and there are always lots of laughs as we rise through the woods. We stop at Bald Knob and can see the squalls crossing Winnepesaukee. The sun reflects silver gray off of different parts of the huge lake. It reminds me of the scene in the movie version of The Lord of the Rings:
"“PIPPIN: I didn't think it would end this way.
GANDALF: End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path, one that we all must take. The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all turns to silver glass, and then you see it.
PIPPIN: What? Gandalf? See what?
GANDALF: White shores, and beyond, a far green country under a swift sunrise.
PIPPIN: Well, that isn't so bad.
GANDALF: No. No, it isn't.”
Tolkien never put those words in Gandalf's mouth, in the books they came from Galadriel, and were not spoken to Pippin. I vastly enjoy the books more, but I enjoy that scene in the movie as well...
We have a quick snack and move along, now on our way to Turtleback. Judy & I haven't been since 2011, when Emma still trotted ahead of us. This time Wicket helped Hank lead the way.
We stopped to marvel at the rock formations know as "Columnar Jointing" along the way. The cooling process of the lava creates polygonal shapes in the rock. It is incredible to think that we are hiking on the crumbling cone of an ancient volcano!
We soon find ourselves at the summit of Turtleback, where the ravenous hounds cannot wait for us to remove our backpacks to see what treats we might have.
Some rummaging around in the woods at the summit brings us to an adjoining ledge where it is evident that this is where Turtleback gets its name.
The ledge is cracked into many shapes similar to the polygonal shapes we saw below, and very much resembling the carapace of a turtle. The dogs are unimpressed as they search for more treats.
On our descent we took a slightly different route and came down along the Brook walk Trail, stopping at the beautiful "Falls of Song" along the way. Thanks Ossipees, you always delight!
Read MoreShannon Trail/ Bald Knob Trail/Turtleback Mountain Trail/Brook Walk Trail
8.3 Miles 1729' Elevation gain
Cath & Hank, Kevin, Judy & Wicket
Always an enjoyable experience when we hike with Hank & Cath. The howling & squealing that starts in the parking lot when the two dogs realize who is in the other car is comical.
The greeting between the two dogs goes way beyond fun and funny. The bumping, pouncing, friendly growls and mouthing is a glad sight every time. Hank may have more than one girlfriend, but he definitely loves Wicket.
It is plainly evident that he loves Cath as well, and realizes his life is better because of her. The Vet says his spine is fused, but there is little evidence of it when he is on the trail.
He bombs around like a young dog, and everything is new to him. Judy and I love him very much as well. Cath has done a great job with her Dobie Rescues, taking several over the years, and giving hard to place dogs a good and loving home.
Hank is our favorite, but only because we have been fortunate enough to have spent a lot of time with him., and of course, because Wicket swoons when she sees him.
It seems when we visit the Ossipee Range that it is almost consistently gray and brown, the views across Lake Winnepesaukee are gray/blue/silver and there is always a chill in the air.
No bugs, no humidity, our kind of hiking! The bare trees allow distant views, and there is always something new to see. We are pelted with graupel, (soft hail, or snow pellets) as we hike along.
There are always interesting stories to share, and there are always lots of laughs as we rise through the woods. We stop at Bald Knob and can see the squalls crossing Winnepesaukee. The sun reflects silver gray off of different parts of the huge lake. It reminds me of the scene in the movie version of The Lord of the Rings:
"“PIPPIN: I didn't think it would end this way.
GANDALF: End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path, one that we all must take. The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all turns to silver glass, and then you see it.
PIPPIN: What? Gandalf? See what?
GANDALF: White shores, and beyond, a far green country under a swift sunrise.
PIPPIN: Well, that isn't so bad.
GANDALF: No. No, it isn't.”
Tolkien never put those words in Gandalf's mouth, in the books they came from Galadriel, and were not spoken to Pippin. I vastly enjoy the books more, but I enjoy that scene in the movie as well...
We have a quick snack and move along, now on our way to Turtleback. Judy & I haven't been since 2011, when Emma still trotted ahead of us. This time Wicket helped Hank lead the way.
We stopped to marvel at the rock formations know as "Columnar Jointing" along the way. The cooling process of the lava creates polygonal shapes in the rock. It is incredible to think that we are hiking on the crumbling cone of an ancient volcano!
We soon find ourselves at the summit of Turtleback, where the ravenous hounds cannot wait for us to remove our backpacks to see what treats we might have.
Some rummaging around in the woods at the summit brings us to an adjoining ledge where it is evident that this is where Turtleback gets its name.
The ledge is cracked into many shapes similar to the polygonal shapes we saw below, and very much resembling the carapace of a turtle. The dogs are unimpressed as they search for more treats.
On our descent we took a slightly different route and came down along the Brook walk Trail, stopping at the beautiful "Falls of Song" along the way. Thanks Ossipees, you always delight!
