Expedition: Retirement

 Our final day was a bit of a clean up, where we tried to do hikes that didn't fit into agenda on any of the previous days. With that in mind, we started with five mile round trip hike out to Nancy Cascade and back. This was a pretty strenuous hike, almost continuously uphill for the entre hike out to the waterfall. By the time we returned to the car, my knee was beginning to bother me again.That hike took most of the morning, so we again stopped at the picnic area at the Willey Historic Site in Crawford Notch State Park for lunch. While we were having lunch, we got to watch A-10 Thunderbolts (also known as "Warthogs") fly combat training maneuvers at surprisingly low altitudes over the valley and ridges, sometimes virtually at treetop levels. A little scary but also quite exhilarating to watch.After lunch we drove the rest of the way over to the north end of Franconia Notch, where we parked across from the Cannon Mountain ski area to do a two mile loop hike that would take us to the Artist's Bluff overlook and to the top of Bald Mountain. The first part of this hike, up from the parking lot to Artist's Bluff was crowded, with people having to take turns going up and down on the steeper portions. The views from Artist's Bluff were impressive, and included gorgeous views of the other Echo Lake, but there were a LOT of people trying to enjoy these views, so we continued on around the loop and up to the top of Bald Mountain. The final part of the climb to Bald Mountain required some significant rock scrambling, which would prove to be intimidating on the return down from the top. But the panoramic views from the top were worth the effort. By this point the foliage had reached is peak colors and everywhere we looked the forest was ablaze in reds, oranges, and yellows. After working our way back down the mountain to the parking lot, it was time to return to our accommodations and begin packing for the trip home.

 The Kancamagus Highway runs east-west across the southern portion of the White Mountain National Forest, connecting the towns of Lincoln and Conway. The highway takes its name from a prominent local Native American chief from the 17th century, and follows the Swift River valley on the east side of the Kancamagus Pass. My research suggested that we could easily spend a day exploring various locations along the highway, so that became our plan for our fourth day here. In the morning, we drove up and over Bear Notch from the Saco River valley to the Swift River valley, and began our explorations roughly in the middle of the highway, working our way east over the course of the day.

Our first stop was Sabbaday Falls, the western-most point we reached on the highway this particular day. The trail from the parking lot to the falls was relatively smooth, without rocks or tree roots, and while it wasn't flat, it wasn't steep either. A tour bus arrived just about the same time as we did, off-loading a crowd of senior citizens on a package tour, some of whom probably found the walk to the falls challenging. But for us, it was an easy walk. The falls here were dramatic, but equally fascinating were the signs describing the geology of the site. These falls were carving a gorge in the underlying bedrock (granite), along a seam or dike of basalt that had been forced up into a crack in the granite. With the information from the signs it was easy to see the remnants of the basalt along the gorge walls.Our next stop was the Russell-Colbath Historic Site, which preserves one of the original homesteads in this valley. The house was open, and we stepped inside to listen to the historic interpreter talk about the history of the house and its residents. We also walked through the adjacent cemetery, and walked the loop trail on the site, where we learned more of the history of the logging industry in the area.A short drive down the highway brought us to the Rocky Gorge Scenic Area. Here, the Swift River drops down a small little gorge with small waterfall. There is a footbridge across the river just below the falls, and on the other side of the river is a loop trail around the nearby Falls Pond. We hiked around the pond, which was a short, pleasant hike, although there really wasn't any significant scenery beyond the Rocky Gorge Falls. Just a little further down the road was the Lower Falls Recreation Area, where we found a picnic table near the river to eat our lunch before checking out the set of small waterfalls here.Our last hike of the day was on the Boulder Loop trail that took us on a three and a half mile hike that included two spectacular overlooks where we could enjoy the breathtaking views. This trail was also an interpretive trail that had periodic markers that corresponded to stops on a self-guided tour. They had the pamphlet for the tour posted at the trailhead, with a note encouraging hikers to take a photo of it to use along the way. This allowed us to supplement our hike with additional information about the local geology and ecology. At the end of our hike, we took a short walk to take photos of the Albany Covered Bridge, which we had driven across to get to the trailhead parking.Our final two stops for the day were the two covered bridges in Conway that we had skipped the day before. The first one crosses the Saco River, and carries the traffic of East Side Road over the river. There was a public park along the river next to the bridge, so we were able to park and walk to the riverbank for photos of the bridge. The other bridge crosses the Swift River, just above where it empties into the Saco River. The road here was diverted onto a modern bridge adjacent to the covered bridge, which is now only open to pedestrian traffic. We parked on the remnants of the old road, and walked across the bridge where I was able to get photos from the adjacent modern bridge. There was another couple that we saw at both of these bridges and we spoke with them for a few minutes before we headed back to our accommodations for the night.

Based on our experiences the previous day, we abandoned any thought of trying to hike up Mt. Washington as entirely unrealistic. While we might have been able to make the ascent, all the information we could find suggested that we not attempt it unless we were confident we could do the round trip. While it is possible to descend either on the cog railway or by shuttle down the auto highway, both of which reach the summit, both of these options prioritize round trip riders, and the operations of both are subject to the weather, so that there is no guarantee that a seat would be available. And while we could use either for the ascent, I was certain that my knees were not up for the hike down the mountain.

With that decision made, we opted for a series of shorter hikes in the Pinkham Notch on the east side of Mount Washington. This pass is the location of the Pinkham Notch Visitor Center, operated by the Appalachian Mountain Club, and located on the Appalachian Trail. I picked two shorter hikes to waterfalls. The trailhead parking lot for the third waterfall I hoped to visit was closed, so we decided to see if we could hike there from the Visitor Center, using a section of the Appalachian Trail to get there. However, we would have to cross the Ellis River near the trailhead to the falls, and it wasn't clear from my research what that crossing would entail, so we were prepared to turn around at that point, if necessary. We would finish our day with a visit to Jackson, New Hampshire, which had a covered bridge and a set of waterfalls in town.

Our first stop took us to the Wildcat Mountain ski area for a short hike to Thompson Falls. We parked in the deserted ski area parking lot and walked to the base of the ski area. Our hike began along a self-guided nature trail at the base, before branching off into the forest and up to the falls. The signs along the nature trail described the local ecology and some of the history of the area, which was interesting. Much of this portion of the trail was originally used as a logging path to haul logs from the extensive timber industry that once dominated this region. The very existence of the White Mountain National Forest is a testament to the extent to which the trees of these mountains were harvested, ultimately leading to calls for conservation and the better resource management provided by the National Forest Service. The hike to the falls and back was not particularly taxing, and after we finished, we drove to the Pinkham Notch Visitor Center, where we would park for much of the day.

Our first hike from here was another short hike on a trail that ultimately would have taken us to the summit of Mt. Washington, had we continued, but our goal was the Crystal Cascade on the Ellis River, not very far above the visitor center. This waterfall included two smallish cascades, with the trail crossing the river on a footbridge between them. There was an extended family there taking family portraits on the rocks between the falls, so it took some creativity to get good shots without disturbing them.

After returning to the visitor center, we crossed the highway and started our hike to the Glen Ellis Falls. Our route began with a boardwalk through some wet lands behind what appeared to be very old beaver dams. We didn't see any evidence of any recent beaver activity, so it looks like these dams were long ago abandoned by the beaver. The trail (which served as a portion of the Appalachian Trail), turned south and ran parallel to the highway and worked its way around a quiet pond. As we worked our way around the pond, we came across a few sections of the trail that crossed some fields of giant boulders, requiring a little bit of rock scrambling to traverse. Eventually, we reached a trail junction where we could turn back towards the highway and the Glen Ellis Falls trailhead. But first, we had to traverse the Ellis River. At the Crystal Cascade, the river was still a relatively small stream, but by this point, it had grown significantly. But there were boulders scattered across the river, and it looked like they were close enough together for us to be able to cross the river by stepping from rock to rock. Luckily, the rocks were (mostly) dry and not very slippery, and we both were able to work our way across the river without getting wet.Back at the visitor center, we found a picnic table to eat our lunch and consider our options. Our hikes thus far that day hadn't taken as long as I had expected, so we decided to do one more hike from this location, a climb up to Square Ledge to take in the view across the valley to Mt. Washington. Again, we crossed the highway and used the boardwalk across the wetlands, but this time we turned up hill away from the highway and began to climb up to the ledge. When we reached the bottom of the cliff, there was a sizeable group of rock climbers preparing to ascend the cliff up to the ledge, but we continued past them and followed the trail around the side of the cliff and up through the boulders and rocks along the side of the outcropping, before circling back onto the top of the ledge from the rear. The views were stunning, and we could see that the colors of the foliage had brightened considerably from even the previous day. Mt. Washington dominated the view in front of us, even with the small clouds that lingered near the top. As we began to our descent, retracing our steps, the rock climbers were beginning their climbs up the cliff face.From the visitor center, we drove back down the valley to the town of Jackson. Here we parked across the street from the historic Wentworth Inn, which served tourists visiting the Jackson Falls in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As we walked up the river here, we took in the falls (two sets, the lower, which were a little harder to reach and see, and the upper, which were readily accessible with walkways and benches to enjoy them from) and learned more about the history here. Railroads made this area a popular tourist destination in the 19th century, and much like the Catskills, artists found much inspiration here in the White Mountains as well. After seeing the falls, we made one final stop to see the covered bridge over the Ellis River at the south end of Main Street before returning to our accommodations for the night.

Our accommodations in New Hampshire were booked from Friday to Friday, so our original plan was to leave Thursday morning and spend the night somewhere along the way, leaving us time to do something both on Thursday and Friday. In the end, though, we didn't leave until the early afternoon on Thursday because my wife wanted to attend a retirement party for one of her former colleagues. That meant that it was after dark when we arrived at our motel in Kingston, NY, and we didn't stop to see or do anything on that portion of our drive.

Friday morning, we checked out of the motel and drove the short distance to the trail head above Kaaterskill Falls. Some sources cite these falls as the highest cascading waterfall in New York State. With two drops, these falls combine for a total drop of 260 feet, which is the highest drop in the state. But the highest single drop waterfall in New York is the Taughannock Falls, near Cayuga Lake in the central part of the state, with a drop of 215 feet. Which ever way you parse it, though, this was an impressively tall waterfall. And in the middle of the 19th century, the Kaaterskill Falls were one of the most popular tourist attractions in the nation. This waterfall and its surrounding landscape were made famous by the painters of the Hudson River School.  At its peak, this waterfall featured a hotel just steps away from the top of the falls and a series of wooden stairs that descended near the waterfalls. The owners installed a dam on the stream, allowing them to control the flow to turn the falls "on" and "off" for the amusement of visitors. All that remains today is some of the stone foundations of the hotel.

The trailhead is located at a parking lot at the end of Laurel House Road. When we arrived, there was a tour bus parked in the lot, which wasn't the most encouraging thing to find at the beginning of a hike. However, it was unlikely that the passengers were progressing beyond the upper viewing deck adjacent to the upper falls, an easy quarter mile walk from the parking lot. And, in fact, as we began our hike, we passed most of them on their way back to the parking lot. The observation deck provided a nice view of the upper falls, and a nice panoramic view of the surrounding mountains, which were just beginning to show their autumn colors. From here, it was an additional 2/3 of a mile hike down to the base of the falls. At this point we opted not to venture out to the ledge between the falls, with the idea of using it as a break on our return hike up to the parking lot. From the bottom of the falls, the trail continued for another half mile to the Bastion Falls, a smaller cascade right before the creek passes under NY route 23A. The cascade is visible from the road, on a switchback, but there is no parking here, so you can't get out an take pictures from the road. But the hike down wasn't too difficult, and it positioned us to get a good view of this smaller waterfall before we turned around to begin our return hike.

When we got back to Kaaterskill Falls, we took the short side trail out onto the wide ledge between the upper and lower falls. I'm not sure I would venture out here in the spring, or during other periods of high volume, but the water volume was low during our visit, and most of the rocks here were dry and not slippery, so we were able to enjoy close up view of the upper portion of the falls. Finally, it was time to climb the rest of the way back up to the car and continue our drive on to New Hampshire.

The remainder of our drive was largely uneventful. We stopped for a late lunch or early dinner in Vermont, and arrived at our accommodations just before dark. After checking in, we made a quick grocery run and then settled into our unit for the week.