Adventure with Alex

I’ve been a bit enamored with the whole southern area of Evans Notch lately driving up Rt 113 at least once a week for quick hikes with Alex. I really prefer loop hikes when ever possible, and today I choose the Shell Pond Loop, just north of the last 3 hikes I have done with Alex.

Shell Pond and Blueberry Mountain

We left the very familiar Deer Hill Rd around 11am and followed the gentle descending Shell Pond Trail until reaching the loop in .9 miles. I took a left so I could follow the loop clockwise as it would give me an easy option after an hour to either just finish the Shell Pond Loop for a mellow hike, or add a loop up and over Blueberry Mountain for something a bit more challenging.

The sign when we hit the loop

A beaver lodge with the Baldfaces across Shell Pond

Alex mesmerized by the babbling of the Shell Pond outlet

Rattlesnake Mountain

We reached the far end of the Shell Pond loop in just under an hour. Here, after crossing the outlet and getting to Stone House Rd we had a decision to make. Return to the car along the north side of Shell Pond and call it an easy 3 miles, or head up the White Cairn Trail to summit Blueberry Mountain (elev 1781) and return back to the Shell Pond trail via the Stone House trail, lengthening our loop by 4 miles and over 1,000 feet of climbing. After a short stop to get Alex out of the carrier for a minute I decided it was a perfect day to continue hiking, so we headed north on the White Cairn Trail. Soon the trail started to climb, but I kept my pace at a quick clip feeling rather strong after snapping into a Slim Jim. After a steady half mile we hit the steeps. Beautiful stone steps had been cut and placed well on ascending the ridge.

The start of the stone steps

It was an impressive bit of trail work, and I decided to count them as I climbed. After 102 steps I reached a small plateau.

The top of the 102 stone steps

From here the trail continued to rise, at a less dramatic angle, and the trees began to grow apart offering views to the north-west of Basin Pond, to the west of the almost ever present Baldfaces, and the south-west to the Chatham/Fryburg farms I had become accustomed to driving by these last few weeks.

Looking back south at Shell Pond, we were on the far shore only an hour earlier

And then we came across this sign.

The Caribou Specked Mountains Wilderness Boundary

Without realizing it this would be Alex’s first trip into official “wilderness” as designated by Congress in 1990. More than 11,000 acres in size,  we would just brush through the far southern tip of the Caribou Specked Mountains Wilderness Area. The realization of another milestone for Alex rejuvenated me and I continued along at a fairly quick pace.

Very scenic bit of trail

We soon reached the Blueberry Ridge trail, and after taking a right we came to a small scenic loop trail that left the ridge trail to take in the views to the south above some ledges, and tag the official Blueberry Mountain summit.

The view south over Shell Pond from near the summit of Blueberry Mountain

Alex wasn’t too impressed

Just before reconnecting with the Blueberry Ridge Trail I heard the 1st voices of the day, and seconds later two women came into view around a bend. Alex awoke to hearing something other than his dad’s breathing and we stopped to chat briefly. They had some polite questions about Alex’s hiking experience and were happy to hear he had over a dozen hikes under his sunshade.  After bidding good day we reconnected with the ridge trail and almost immediately took a right on the Stone House trail and started our descent, moderate at first, then steadying out as the trail widened to what was probably a logging road at some point. We passed a small side path with a sign that indicated “Rattlesnake Pool”. While intriguing, I was starting to feel pressed for time and not knowing how far this pool was I decided to save it for a return trip. A minute or two later we reached a sign for “Rattlesnake Gorge”. This was visible from the sign so I headed over to investigate. Here, Rattlesnake brook carved a nice deep gorge reminiscent of “The Flume” just south of Franconia Notch, but in a slightly more modest scale.

A beautiful gorge in Rattlesnake Brook

There were enticing swimming holes both up and down steam of the bridge I was standing on, but again, being pressed from time, I would not get to sample them. Here I consulted the map and saw two short trails leading down to Shell Pond Road and my return to the trail-head. I chose the shorter of the two, and after 200 yards or so came to a “No trespassing sign”. Despite knowing it would be a short cut down to a more “allowed” area I did not want to offend any land owners, so I turned around and hiked back up to the trail junction and took the other leg down to the road.

An intimidating active wasp nest that hung over the trail

The Chatham Trail Association maintains the signage and trails

We got back to the Stone House Rd without running into any more trespassing signs and made our way out onto the dirt air strip that was the polite way around the privately owned (and lived in I believe) “stone house”. I would like to know more of the history of that place as it is incredibly idealistic and scenic.

The “Airstrip” we walked along to get around the Stone House private property

Beautiful fields along the brook lead back to the Shell Pond Trailhead

As we near the end of our hike I start to slow down a bit. We’ve gone 6 miles with over 1,000 feet of climbing up, and down, in just under 3 hours, and we still have a mile left. Alex, now awake, sensed my relaxed pace and discovered he could reach my ears. Grabbing hold of each like a jockey grabs the reins he found it hysterical he could control which way I looked.

Alex learns he can reach my ears… both of them…

We reach the car just as Alex is ready to flat out demand a bottle and check another trail off the map. 7.21 miles is the final odometer reading, 3hrs and 29 minutes of travel time. My iPhone App calculates an average speed of 2.07mph. Considering the elevation involved I’m quite happy with that. I wonder how I’ll do when he weighs 30 lbs though, as this kid is growing fast!

The Shell Pond Loop is a real gem for families with small kids. Scenic, gentle, and filled with nice views and interesting flora/fauna I’m sure we’ll return here at some point. While the summit of Blueberry Mountain is not striking, and somewhat dwarfed by the nearby 4000 footers, it’s ecologically impressive and technically it is a wilderness area. Definitely a great hike for a family to knock out in a day.