Mt Eisenhower - August 4, 2026

 A good group of us OTHH hiked up Mt Eisenhower (4,760 ft), "just down the street" from Mt Washington, on a clear, dry summer day. The trail was generally wet, from a soaker the previous day and into the evening, but the air was dry and cool for August. As we got up higher, the breeze became more and more noticeable, and once out of the trees we had to layer up for comfort. The breeze got even stronger as we made our way the last few tenths of a mile to the summit, where there were gusts perhaps to 50 mph. We took our photos, provided by that 360-degree view from the top, then beat it back down to shelter behind a rocky ridge for lunch. Below, at the top, are (front) Chris, (mid) Brenda, Ginger, (rear) Katherine, Dick, and Pat.

 

 On Aug. 4, the Turtles hiked Fletcher's Cascade -- a new hike for us.  Thanks to the recent rain, there was enough water in the brook that we could hear it along much of the trail.

B group hike, July 23rd, 2026 Mt. Success

 As John Y stated, only one word can describe the B hike on July 23^rd.  And that is “Success”! 

Five hikers headed up to east of Berlin on a beautiful Thursday to tackle Mt Success.  The trail includes a little of everything, including a small chimney.  We met a few AT thru hikers along the way, including one from Spain. Trail magic cookies and bars were shared and much appreciated by the AT hikers (and B hikers at the end of the hike!) We took a side trip to visit the site of the 1954 plane crash.  While the trail to the crash site is not easy to find, it was well worth the time to find it.  Just Wow!

 

At the top of Mt Success are John, Katherine, Pam, Michele and Bernie

 

Heading up the Chimney at Pam, Katherine and Bernie

 

 On July 28, the Turtles hiked Mt. Israel on a cloudy day, but before the rain started.

The Hancocks - July 27, 2026

 A small group of us OTHH left our cars at the hairpin turn view site on the Kancamagus Highway and went for a relatively easy hike for about 3.5 miles into the wilderness. Then it was time to get serious about ascent and get ourselves up the very steep "trail," in places covered with loose rock, to the top of North Hancock. A short detour of 100 ft or so off the top took us to the very nice view ledge, where we had lunch. Below, at that point, are Chris, Andrea, Dick, and Pat.

After a relatively easy 1.4 mile hike through the woods along the ridge, we came to South Hancock, with its own little view ledge just off the summit. Below, at the summit signs, are Dick, Chris, Pat, and Andrea.

 On July 24, the Friday Walkers had a real treat:  a mushroom walk on the Brook Path in Wonalancet, led by Chris Neefus, professor of biology at UNH.  Chris' specialty is mushrooms, and he showed us samples of several different kinds of mushroom as we ambled along by the brook.

Anne, Ann, John, Betsy, Lisa, Chris, Lea, Ginny, Jane, Irena

Cannon Mtn - July 20, 2026

Four of us OTHH did a clockwise loop hike in great weather, taking in Lonesome Lake and Cannon Mountain. The day was cool, dry, and sunny, with a gentle breeze at times. From the Lafayette Place Campground area, we took the Lonesome Lake trail up to the lake, around to the north end of that, and upward to its end at the Kinsman Ridge trail. Then it was up, steeply up, over boulders and ledges for a few tenths of a mile, until we topped out at the intersection with the top of the Hi-Cannon trail. From there, the hiking was easy by comparison the rest of the way to the tower atop Cannon. Below, with the Franconia Ridge above us and across the notch, are Chris, Pat, Donna, and Dick.

After lunch at the tower, our descent took us back to the top of the Hi-Cannon trail, which we followed down to to the Lonesome Lake trail for the short walk the rest of the way to the cars. Hi up on Hi-Cannon there is an interesting feature - a steep ladder descending a ledge. Below, coming down this, are Donna, Pat, and Chris.