On Sept. 4, the Friday Walkers hiked the Dot Banks trail to Lost Lake.

John, Jane, Kathie, Robyn, Neng, Ricky, Li   photographer:  Ann

 On Aug. 25, the Turtles hiked the appropriately-named Boulder Loop.

Monty, Irena, Denise, Karen, Tracy, Jeff, Lorraine

 It might have been raining in other parts of NH on Sept. 1, but it was a lovely day in Bartlett where the Turtles hiked Black Cap.

Karen, Lorraine, Jane, Nancy, Irena, John   Photographer:  Ricky

Mt Madison and Adams - August 31, 2026

There was a lot of interest in this hike. Twelve of us (!) hiked up Valley Way on a perfect late summer day, with clear skies and cool, dry air. High up on the trail, Steve M cut over to the Airline trail, then on up to bag Adams (5799'), while the rest of us continued to Madison Hut. After a brief stop at the hut to snack, we did the half mile scramble up over boulders to the top of Mt Madison (5367'). On the way up, we encountered two more of us, Larry and Andy, who had decided separately to do the hike also but left earlier. They connected atop Madison and were on their way down. "Small world," amid a much larger one! The view up there is 360 degrees, from looking across the Great Gulf at Mt Washington, part of the Auto Road, across the notch at the Wildcat ski area, sweeping around past the Carter Range, northward to the Kilkenny Range. It seems odd that we couldn't see Mt Adams itself, just a mile and a half to our west, but that was hidden behind Mt Quincy Adams, looming above the hut. Back down at the hut, we took our time having lunch and snacking on the hut's "front porch." Below are Ginger (front), David, Marie, Barbara, Michele, Mary, Jane, Katherine, Dick, Charlie, and Leanne.

 

Our photographer, Lynn:

 

Another group hiked Adams and Madison from a different direction. Pam, Chris, Doug and Steve started from Rt 16 at the Great Gulf Wilderness Trailhead and ascended to Adams on the Great Gulf, Madison Gulf and Star Lake trails. Great Gulf and Madison Gulf are on the NH Terrifying 25 list. At the top of Adams, they met up with Andy and Larry. Upon leaving Adams, the group of 4 headed to Madison Hut and the summit of Madison before descending to Appalachia. Andy and Larry descended partly on Airline and then took the cutoff to Valley Way.

The views and the weather were absolutely tremendous.

Below are Pam, Steve and Doug on the trail. Pic by Chris.

Below are Larry, Pam, Andy, Steve and Doug on the Adams summit. Pic by Chris.

Below are Steve, Doug, Pam and Chris on the Madison summit with Mt Washington to the right.

 On Aug. 28, the Friday Walkers hiked around Knights Pond in Wolfeboro (though perhaps it is in Alton...).  A lovely trail which allows one to see the pond from many different vantage points.

Jane, John, Ricky, Lisa, Kathie, David   Photographer:  Ann

B group hike, Rogers Ledge

 On the third attempt to hike to Roger’s Ledge, we finally made it! The weather cooperated (after two cancellations due to heat and rain), and Michele, John, and I (Mary) enjoyed the good views and wonderful breeze.  Chris, after being waylaid with car troubles, was also able to complete the hike.

B group hike, Mt Percival & Morgan, Aug 21, 2026

Four hikers went in a counterclockwise direction heading up Mount Percival first. Steve and Carol went through the caves to reach the summit. Katherine and Brenda went to the summit via the cliffs route. Great views and snacks at the summit looking out over Squam lake. After a 1 mile traverse to Mount Morgan, another stop for more views, pictures and snacks. Carol, Steve and Katherine descended via the ladders as Brenda went around to meet them.

5.3 miles, 1512 feet, with some fun adventures along the way.

Mt Cabot - August 26, 2026

 We had a very good weather day for our trip up Mt Cabot, the northernmost of the NH 48 4K. The route from near the hatchery on York Pond Rd took us up Bunnell Notch to the Kilkenny Ridge trail. From there it was on and up, first to the cabin near the top, and finally up the last couple tenths of a mile to the wooded, viewless summit. Steve and Brenda decided to continue on, going over the Bulge and to the Horn (a 52WAV peak), down past Unknown Pond, and out via the southern half of the Unknown Pond Trail. Meanwhile, Pam and Chris did that loop counterclockwise. At the end, we all arrived back at the cars over about a half hour or so. Here we are, the hike done, and ready for the long ride home. Front: Katherine, Brenda, Dick; rear: Steve, Chris, Pam, Michele.

 On Aug. 21, the Friday Walkers hiked the Center Harbor Woods and Proctor Wildlife Preserve.  The lack of rain this summer meant that there were no mosquitoes, but also that several of the streams were entirely dry, as were the wetland areas.

Ann, Lisa, John, Lea, Jane, Mary, Kathie, Jorge

North Twin, South Twin - August 19, 2026

Four of us OTHH made a loop hike out of the trip to the Twins, going up the North Twin Trail, down the Twinway to the AMC Galehead hut, and out via the Gale River Trail. The first part of the trip is a fairly easy two miles in from the end of Haystack Road, following the Little River for much of the way. The river crossing wasn't too hard, as water flows were less than at other times. Then we got down to business, over a steeper and generally rocky two more miles, topping out at a very nice view ledge. Five minutes later we were at the top of North Twin. There is no view at all from the actual summit, but a couple hundred feet past that leads to an open ledge. This was a nice place to regroup, have a snack, and take photos. Below is part of the view from there, with South Twin (4902') on the left , looming over "little" Galehead (4204') to its right. Beyond Galehead is first the long humped ridge that is Owls Head, and beyond that the two pointy peaks of Flume and Liberty. Part of the Franconia Ridge is shown to the right, all of which, plus Garfield, were easily identified from where we stood. If you look closely, the roof of Galehead Hut is visible as that small white dot in the col between South Twin and Galehead.

From North Twin, we took the spur trail down, over, and up to the top of South Twin, which has its own grand view of the Pemigewasset Wilderness. That makes a great place to stop for lunch. Below, at the top, are the four of us (L-R), Brenda, Dick, Chris, and Pam.

Next was the mile long, steep descent from South Twin to the hut, dropping around 1,000 ft in elevation. Pam and Chris dropped packs at the hut and made the short hike up to bag viewless Galehead, since it's "right there." Meanwhile Brenda and I decided that an 11-mile day would be long enough, left Galehead for another day, and went on ahead. It wasn't long before Pam and Chris caught up. After the rocky first two miles of descent, the trail got a lot easier to cover, but the rest of it, while fairly easy walking, seemed to go on forever. Chris gave us a ride back to Haystack Road, where we began the long day.

 

On Aug. 18, the Turtles hiked to the first viewpoint on Mt. Roberts.  In spite of forecasts for rain, the weather turned out to be just fine.

Monty, Ann, John, Tracy, Jeff, Lacey, Ricky, Lorraine, Mary, Lea, Jorge

A few of the hikers then continued on to the top of Mt. Roberts

Lorraine, Lacey, Jeff  photographer:  Tracy

 On Aug. 14, the Friday Walkers hiked the Cooks Pond Trail in the Ossipee Pine Barrens.  We departed from the blazed trail, hiking an unmarked trail that brought us closer to the river that connects Cooks Pond and Silver Lake -- a much more interesting option.

Jorge, Lisa, Ann, John, Mary, Kathie, Lea

Aug 13th, B group, Mt. Hedgehog

 7 hikers climbed up and around Mt Hedgehog after a rainy night and before more rain arrived later in the day. 

Great hike with beautiful views along the way!

 On Aug. 11, the Turtles hiked Cardigan on a beautiful day.

Mary Lou, Irena, Tracy, Monica, Brian

Middle Carter, South Carter - August 10, 2026

A good size group of us took a long walk in the woods and uphill to the ridge that comprises the Carter Range, on the east side of Pinkham Notch. We did a clockwise loop, starting with a half mile road walk, then uphill for a few miles to the ridge, at the junction of the North Carter Trail and Carter-Moriah Trail. Turning south, we hiked 0.6 miles along the ridge to Middle Carter, the high point on the loop for most of us. There were nice views along the way, both west across the notch to the northern presidentials and east over to the Baldfaces and beyond into Maine.

Moving on southward, we came next to South Carter, and finally down to what's called Zeta Pass, the col between South Carter and Carter Dome. Some of the faster hikers had gone on ahead, to do the out-and-back to include Carter Dome. Several went up to Carter Dome via Mt Hight, known for its great 360-degree views.

For those of us who did just the two Carter loop, the return to the cars was the end of an 11-mile, nine-hour hike. For those who also did Carter Dome, add another 2-1/2 miles and close to two hours. That's all, folks!

 The Friday Walkers hiked the Brook Walk at Castle in the Clouds on Aug. 7, a warm and muggy day.

Nancy, Lisa, Ann, Jorge, Kathie, Mary, Irena

B group hike, Mt Crawford, Aug 5, 2026

Three hikers went up to Mount Crawford then decided to add in Stairs Mountain. John also did Mount Resolution. Beautiful remote area with excellent views and great companionship. 10 miles 3100 ft elevation gain.

B group hike, South Moat, July 16, 2026

 5 Group B hikers went up the South Moat trail. 

It was hot and muggy on the ascent. 
At the top there was a welcome breeze with the great views. Perfect half day hike. Back to our cars before the afternoon rain.

July 30th, B group hike, East Rattlesnake

 On July 30 The over the hill Hikers, B group, enjoyed the Butterworth Trail to East rattlesnake, and then the Ridge Trail to West rattlesnake in an adjusted plan due to the weather. We were joined by two new Hikers and were lucky enough to have excellent weather in spite of the questionable forecast. In the end, we did 4 miles and had a great time.

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.

 

Turtles hike, Aug 4th

 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.

 On July 17, the Friday Walkers hiked at Castle in the Clouds, enjoying a lovely day with reasonable temperatures and no wildfire smoke!

Nancy, Irena, Lea, Lisa, Kathie, Monty; photographer:  Ann

 On July 14, the Turtles hiked to Bald Knob at Castle in the Clouds on a hazy day.

Chris, Lorraine, Jorge, Susan, Mary, Karen

A few of the hikers then went on to Turtleback.

Karen, Lorraine, Tracy

Tom, Field, & Willey - July 13, 2026

The A group hike for the week was a N-S traverse of the Willey Range, on the west side of Crawford Notch, bagging Mts Tom, Field, and Willey. Weather again made us move our hike up a day, to take advantage of fair skies and comfortably dry air. It was a warm day, but not all that bad for summer, and the following day would have been downright hot and humid. Doing the nine miles with around 3100 feet of elevation gain would have been downright unpleasant by hike's end.

We dropped a vehicle off at the end of Willey House Station Rd, where the hike would end. The hike began at the train depot at the top of the notch, near the AMC Highland Center. This is the starting point for hikes up Mts Willard, Avalon, Tom, and Field to the west as well as anything across the street, such as Jackson and Pierce. Up a way from the start on the Avalon trail, with a fair amount of elevation gain behind us, we took the right at the junction with the A-Z trail, which took us up another steep mile to where the Mt Tom spur trail begins at the col between Tom and Field. Ultimately, the A-Z trail would have taken us over the hill and down to the Zealand trail and the Zealand Falls hut, but that was not where we were headed.

After a quick snack, we made the half mile ascent to the top of Tom, which has no view at all. Pictured below is the group gathered at the cairn. L-R are Chris, Deb, Mary, Andrea, Andy, and Donna (pic by Dick).

After a quick return to the col, we followed the A-Z trail another 80 yards (so says the sign) to the north end of the Willey Range Trail, which we would follow over the next two peaks and down to its end at the Ethan Pond trail, which would take us the rest of the way out to the vehicle left earlier. But first it was the fairly easily hiked 0.9 miles up to Mt Field. This one has no view at the very top, but a few yards down a little side trail does have a nice view back at Mt Tom and down to the Mt Washington Hotel area. Here we had lunch or at least a snack.

It took around an hour to descend from Mt Field and make our way over and up to Mt Willey. This peak again has no view at all, but a few hundred feet of descent beyond the summit took us to the viewpoint ledge with a stunningly good view down Crawford Notch, across the notch to the famous Webster Cliff, and past there to the southern presidentials and Mt Washington off in the distance. Here is where we refueled for the descent. Pictured below, with the camera view somewhat distorted by the view upward from the bottom of the ledge, are Andrea, Dick, Chris, Mary, Deb, and Donna (pic by Andy). Below that is the view of Webster Cliff and beyond behind Donna.

 

 As a result of a cancellation due to rain, the Turtles scheduled hike of the Brooks Fisher trail, with an optional extension to Mt. Webster, occurred on two different days.  On June 24, a group hiked to Mt. Webster, with a stop to admire the view:

Robyn, Tracy, Brian

On July 7, the same hike was offered again.

 

Mary, Karen, Irena, Lea, Ann