Speckled Mountain 7-15-20
Speckled Mountain 2906'
Evergreen Link Trail/Cold Brook Trail
6.8 Miles 2400' Elevation gain
Kevin, Judy & Wicket
i've loved Speckled Mountain since the first time we hiked it many years ago. It seems to get overlooked, like most of the hikes in Kevin's Notch, as they are not 4000 Footers, but this is a good thing.
It seems the Baldies and Caribou Mountain draw the crowds, and even more so in this Covid year where the mountains are being over run with people who are not necessarily hikers, they just need to get outside for some fresh air, and I get that, but it has brought a new breed of "people" into areas that were once our "Sacred Grounds".
These "People" have not learned to respect the land, the trails and the mountains that has become over the years our "Church." They leave trash, they spray paint trail signs, rocks and trees, and probably most egregious of all, they defecate without burying their waste, sometimes, and we have seen this more than once, right in the middle of the trails.
The people who need to learn better trail manners and etiquette will not be reading this, so I am basically "Preaching to the Choir", so I will not dwell on these negatives.
Let me just say that yes, we were all beginners and needed to learn at one time, but it seems that many of them are unable to, or are just too dumb and uncaring to take the time to learn a few things before heading into the mountains.
I categorize hikers in my own way, though I steal these thoughts from the writings of JRR Tolkien. It goes like this:
1) There are the Elves. They can run up and down mountains. They can even run from one end of the mountains to the other. They can run both day and night, they can even run on top of the snow where the rest of us would sink in up to our knees. They can go these great distances on very little food and water, and they come out of it fine.
2) There are the Dwarves. They move a little slower than the Elves, but they can go just as far, and they can carry heavy loads while doing so. They can wear shorts and tank tops when it's 5 degrees out, and only put on warmer clothes when they are standing too long in one place. They need more food and water than the Elves, but are just as tough in every way.
3) There are the Men and Women. They are out because they know they need fresh air and sunshine. They are out because they think the mountains are beautiful and it gives them a respite from their boring, tedious lives. They go at a much slower pace and need much more food and water, sometimes they make it, sometimes they don't, but they are always willing to try.
4) There are the Hobbits. They go because something deep down inside of them tells them they should be ashamed for ignoring the opportunity. They love the outdoors, but prefer milder walks nearer to home. Often while they are struggling through a particularly difficult bit of trail on some mountainside many miles from home they are dreaming of bacon and eggs in their own kitchen, with a roaring fire and a whistling teakettle.
5) Then there are the Orcs. They are loud and uncouth, obnoxious really, thumping their chests to tell the world that they have "Conquered" a mountain, when in reality the Mountain itself has granted them safe passage. They think the mountains are there as a disposable resource for their abuse. They think it is nobody's business if they leave their trash behind, spray paint a rock or tree, defecate in the trail, or whatever other vile and despicable act they can think of while they are there.
The Orcs have become a major problem in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Social Media has emboldened them, and they seek to defile what was once Sacred Ground to the Elves, Dwarves, Men, Women and Hobbits.
I don't know if this new threat to the mountains can be stopped, but it is our duty as Elves, Dwarves, Men, Women and Hobbits to call them out if we catch them in the process of their despicable acts. Fear not, for the Mountain gods are on your side!
In the meantime it is our duty to report abuse, clean up the mess that is left in their wake, and to hope that one day the tide will be turned and that we can once again enter the mountains as if we were walking into our "Church" to tread again the Sacred Ground that once was ours...
PS: I'm a Hobbit...
Read MoreEvergreen Link Trail/Cold Brook Trail
6.8 Miles 2400' Elevation gain
Kevin, Judy & Wicket
i've loved Speckled Mountain since the first time we hiked it many years ago. It seems to get overlooked, like most of the hikes in Kevin's Notch, as they are not 4000 Footers, but this is a good thing.
It seems the Baldies and Caribou Mountain draw the crowds, and even more so in this Covid year where the mountains are being over run with people who are not necessarily hikers, they just need to get outside for some fresh air, and I get that, but it has brought a new breed of "people" into areas that were once our "Sacred Grounds".
These "People" have not learned to respect the land, the trails and the mountains that has become over the years our "Church." They leave trash, they spray paint trail signs, rocks and trees, and probably most egregious of all, they defecate without burying their waste, sometimes, and we have seen this more than once, right in the middle of the trails.
The people who need to learn better trail manners and etiquette will not be reading this, so I am basically "Preaching to the Choir", so I will not dwell on these negatives.
Let me just say that yes, we were all beginners and needed to learn at one time, but it seems that many of them are unable to, or are just too dumb and uncaring to take the time to learn a few things before heading into the mountains.
I categorize hikers in my own way, though I steal these thoughts from the writings of JRR Tolkien. It goes like this:
1) There are the Elves. They can run up and down mountains. They can even run from one end of the mountains to the other. They can run both day and night, they can even run on top of the snow where the rest of us would sink in up to our knees. They can go these great distances on very little food and water, and they come out of it fine.
2) There are the Dwarves. They move a little slower than the Elves, but they can go just as far, and they can carry heavy loads while doing so. They can wear shorts and tank tops when it's 5 degrees out, and only put on warmer clothes when they are standing too long in one place. They need more food and water than the Elves, but are just as tough in every way.
3) There are the Men and Women. They are out because they know they need fresh air and sunshine. They are out because they think the mountains are beautiful and it gives them a respite from their boring, tedious lives. They go at a much slower pace and need much more food and water, sometimes they make it, sometimes they don't, but they are always willing to try.
4) There are the Hobbits. They go because something deep down inside of them tells them they should be ashamed for ignoring the opportunity. They love the outdoors, but prefer milder walks nearer to home. Often while they are struggling through a particularly difficult bit of trail on some mountainside many miles from home they are dreaming of bacon and eggs in their own kitchen, with a roaring fire and a whistling teakettle.
5) Then there are the Orcs. They are loud and uncouth, obnoxious really, thumping their chests to tell the world that they have "Conquered" a mountain, when in reality the Mountain itself has granted them safe passage. They think the mountains are there as a disposable resource for their abuse. They think it is nobody's business if they leave their trash behind, spray paint a rock or tree, defecate in the trail, or whatever other vile and despicable act they can think of while they are there.
The Orcs have become a major problem in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Social Media has emboldened them, and they seek to defile what was once Sacred Ground to the Elves, Dwarves, Men, Women and Hobbits.
I don't know if this new threat to the mountains can be stopped, but it is our duty as Elves, Dwarves, Men, Women and Hobbits to call them out if we catch them in the process of their despicable acts. Fear not, for the Mountain gods are on your side!
In the meantime it is our duty to report abuse, clean up the mess that is left in their wake, and to hope that one day the tide will be turned and that we can once again enter the mountains as if we were walking into our "Church" to tread again the Sacred Ground that once was ours...
PS: I'm a Hobbit...
