Vacation (Day Eleven) Eagle Pass

    We left around 9:00 this morning with the intention of doing two hikes since rain is scheduled for tomorrow which is okay because we’re going home anyway but we planned on doing Greeley Ponds on our way out. So we bumped that up to today as well for the second half of our day while the first half would be spent hiking up to Eagle’s Pass on the Greenleaf Trail up Mt Lafayette.

    I had been up there once before back in September of 2009, it was the biggest hike I’d done in years and it reinvigorated me. I loved the ruggedness of the pass, and that was right before the landslide opposite the trail coming down one of Lafayette’s shoulders. Perhaps more than the ruggedness and the amazing view of Cannon Cliffs, I loved the moss that seemed to grow everywhere. I tried capturing it with my camera by changing settings but none quite did it justice. I also found some neat talus caves to explore and even got footage going through one of them. A few years later I lost all the video and photos except for four pictures and have always planned to go back.

    Today was that day. And Jaime accompanied me, always feeling like she’d missed out on something. I knew it would be difficult for her and probably me as well because it sure kicked my ass last time but I was out of shape then. I was also excited because I fixed Jaime’s camera by pulling the lens when it popped out while turning on. That had happened to my camera once before a few years ago when I fell on it climbing Georgiana Falls. So I have to pull lightly on the lens every time it powers up but it works so that’s all that matters. Not quite sure how it got damaged in the first place. But at least I had the better camera for my return trip to Eagle Pass.

    We parked at the former Old Man Of The Mountains viewing area which isn’t really used anymore since he fell back in 2003. By parking there and using a herd path through the woods to connect with the trail, it cut out a good 0.4 miles of the hike. We found the trail easily as I had done this once before while exploring the area, not knowing the Greenleaf Trail would literally be right there. The trail was steep and eroded, like every other trail in the notch, and just seemed to go on and on.



    Jaime stopped and had me go ahead to scout out the trail and see how far ahead our destination was. I left my pack with her and ran ahead. The running stopped pretty early on but I was still moving quickly. A couple times I decided to call it quits but seemed to remember it being right around the corner. After seven right around the corners, I finally popped out in Eagle’s Pass.

    It was a little less rugged than I’d remembered as I’ve been to some pretty crazy places over the years. But it was still amazing. I climbed up the giant boulder on the ledge to get some pictures and a little wind. I recaptured the photos I was missing of the pass, the view and the moss and even climbed through the cave I’d videotaped last time, this time I only took a picture though.

     Then I ran back down the trail, yes this time I ran all the way, making my way back to where I left Jaime and tell her not to bother because it was still such a long way. But she’d been climbing up the whole time, headphones on, carrying the pack, taking breaks along the way. She decided she wanted to go on and we continued up the trail, me for the second time.

    After a few more strenuous tenths of a mile she needed to stop and considered turning back. I couldn’t quite remember how far to the top because I was running on my way down so I went up ahead again to report back to her. This time the news was better after I once again reached the start of the pass and turned around. She only had a couple tenths to go so she pushed on.

     With a final burst of energy, on both our parts, we reached the pass. It looked like there’d be some good views from the ledges towering above us and since they sort of went up in layers I thought about trying to free climb up to the first ledge. Jaime egged me on and next thing I knew I was climbing the cliff, just fifteen feet or so. It was tough going but there were solid cracks in the rock to hold on to and tiny footholds big enough for just the tips of my shoes. But I made it up to the first ledge and could have continued but the view was obstructed by the massive rock cliff so I carefully picked my way back down with Jaime guiding me as to where there were good footholds.


    After my free climbing adventure we went to the top of the boulder for a snack and drink. Jaime stayed up there while I went down to explore some more caves. A couple of them went nowhere, too small for me to fit into, caves we have come to call squirrel-lunking, a play on spelunking. Then I went down to a cave I’d been to six years ago when I was there, beneath the giant boulder on the ledge. I’d wanted to explore it more but didn’t have a flashlight that time and could only see by the flash on my camera. This time I had a flashlight and realized that if I crawled through a small hole at the bottom of the cave it appeared to lead into a deeper cave. I folded up smaller than my body should be able to and squeezed my way through the tiny opening. It opened into an amazing chamber directly beneath the boulder Jaime was sitting on, large enough for me to stand up in and walk around a little to check out the other smaller passageways. One of them lead down under another boulder to a crack in the rock that I possibly could have squeezed through but didn’t try it this time around. With the flashlight off it was pitch black in the cave except for tiny bits of light coming from the small entrance I crawled through and the narrow crevice on the other side that might have just been big enough for me to fit in. I don’t know what it is, I just love caves.

    We made our way back down, making good time but knowing we were way too sore to even attempt Greeley Ponds. When the rockslide came into view through the trees, pretty low on the mountainside, I slid down the damn near vertical embankment while Jaime continued along the trail. Holding onto exposed roots and tree limbs, I powered myself down to the rockslide. The slide itself was insanely steep with almost nothing to hold onto. I passed two trees on my journey and only a couple boulders big enough not to slide down the scree when I touched them.

    The view from where I popped out on the slide was amazing and I probably could have hopped right off of it and gone back to the trail but this is me. So I started climbing, making my way to some boulders about twenty feet up that I thought would make a good spot to take pictures from. The new vantage point was incredible, with views of Cannon Mountain’s ski slopes, the thousand foot cliff where the Old Man Of The Mountains once clung to, the dominating Eagle Cliffs above me and the Eaglet spire and Watcher to the left, a spot I visited and loved last year. I also found a couple cool rocks on the slide, one of them being a good sized chunk of quartz with some green and blue in it, something I’ve never actually seen before so despite its size, I carried it back down the slide, up the steep embankment to the trail and back down the trail to the car. I still don’t know how I made it up the embankment with only one hand considering I needed both to grab onto roots and trees to pull myself up but I did it without much difficulty.

    By the end of the hike we both looked drunk as we stumbled through the woods and to the car, but man was it a good day. I find that the more you limp, the better the hike. My bruised shin and cuts from yesterday were killing me by the end so I didn’t mind not going to Greeley Ponds next.

    We picked up lunch for Jaime at the bagel place and got me a slouvaki from GH Pizza then came back to the hotel to eat at the picnic table by the brook. I barely hobbled down the steps to the river, my knee is sore as hell from walking on it awkwardly after yesterday’s fall.

    Jaime stayed at the hotel while I went back into town to go to the thrift store. After not buying anything which is normal for me, in fact I’ve never purchased anything there but still love going, I went over to the Remax office next door. The woman there was very helpful, giving me information on some of the homes and condos in our price range. Yesterday I thought moving here was doable, today I know it is. Apparently most of the listings sell for less than the list price, many of them considerably less. Also the property tax is rolled into the mortgage which I didn’t know so that makes getting a house possible since it’s not an added cost. She also told me about a new listing that isn’t even listed yet which if I had enough for a down payment I’d probably buy right now, a $54,000 trailer on a slab, fully furnished in immaculate condition, only problem is its in a trailer park which we really don’t want to do. If it were on land we’d probably be buying it on the spot and finding a way to get the down payment. Now we just have to decide what type of property we really want and begin saving for it.

    For supper Jaime got Subway instead of the McDonalds she originally wanted and I went to Price Chopper in hopes of some pasta that I’ve had there before but they haven’t had this trip. Today they had it, ziti, so I grabbed that and some mashed potatoes. Only ate half of each but they were good and the leftovers will make it home since we won’t really be stopping anywhere along the way due to the rain. We loaded up the car after eating and are pretty much ready to leave as soon we get up in the morning. I still have too much I want to do and really am not ready to leave. The ‘now hiring full time and part time’ signs at every single place we drive by are sounding awfully intriguing. Hopefully just one more year.

Vacation (Day Ten) Follow The River

    We started the day by getting sandwiches at the bagel place for brunch. At first I was worried because Jaime’s favorite, The Lumberjack, was no longer on the menu but luckily they still have it, its just no longer listed. Even at the end of September this town is still packed, especially on the weekends, the bagel place was mobbed and some of the breakfast restaurants actually had lines out the door waiting for a table.

    Our regular eating spot at the base of Loon Mountain looking over the river was under construction, something to do with the bridge they’ve been working on, so we went to Fay Wayside picnic area just down the road and had breakfast at a picnic table overlooking the river.

    From there we went through the notch to the old memorial bridge over Lafayette Brook, where I’d be starting my bushwhack from. I’d been beneath the bridge a couple times and explored the area directly underneath it but never went upstream before so I didn’t really know what to expect. I’d read it was thick woods with steep embankments and hard to travel but that there was a waterfall up quite a ways. Jaime brought her tablet and magazines to keep her occupied while I explored.

    I made my way down the steep embankment to the river and climbed over the giant granite blocks left over from building the bridge. There was a log in between the blocks that I had to watch out for because it was still wet from last nights frost. But my foot slipped anyway and down between two of the granite blocks it went, banging off the edge, leaving a bunch of my skin on the corner of the stone while bruising my shin. I knew it was bad right away but didn’t want to have to quit before today’s adventure even began, especially since I knew it was slippery before my foot hit the log. It would have been much worse if I weren’t expecting it. Luckily I was using my arms to hold myself up rather than my legs.



    So I washed off the blood in the river and started rock hopping up stream. Lafayette Brook was low enough to travel up the streambed rather than bushwhack beside it. I broke myself off a walking stick early on to help me with stream crossings since my right leg was all banged up and burning like hell. I splashed water on it a few times to cool it off, knowing I’d have to clean it and put medicine on it as soon as I got back.

    The brook was proving to be rather boring, nothing more than small rapids, waterfalls suitable for my action figures but nothing for me. Still I continued on, knowing there was something up ahead, sure of it. Finally in the distance I spotted sunlight through the trees that I could tell was a rock ledge. After already climbing to the top of giant fractured boulder and not getting a view I was iffy about going up another rather dangerous climb.

    As I approached the cliff, I noticed something else up ahead, white. Waterfall. I could hear it faintly and quickened my pace, knowing this is what I was searching for. It didn’t disappoint. The waterfall was amazing, probably a total of thirty feet or so with three different drops, two of them being shoots that the water poured down like a waterslide before dropping off a fifteen foot cliff at the end. There was a tall semicircle cut out of the rock beside the cascade, clearly carved out by water long ago.

    I climbed up beside the falls to get views from above. There were big bowls on the two upper levels of the cascade, probably eight feet deep that the water swirled around in. There was also a slab cave on the opposite side of the falls that I would love to get into but the mouth of it would be too wet to safely get inside. I could have crossed the brook to get a better look but was running out of time so I decided not to, figuring it wouldn’t be worth it anyway. Next time I’ll see if I can check out the little waterfall cave and maybe scale those ledges as well to see if there’s a view from the top.



    After taking plenty of pictures I began my return journey. Along my journey, not far from the falls I found what I believe to be the jawbone of a moose with some of its teeth still intact. Its clearly a little old because there is moss growing on parts of it but still an awesome find. I also came across an old foundation along the brook. I remember reading somewhere that there was some sort of water treatment plant along Lafayette Brook long ago and parts of it still remained. There were also rusted metal pipes along the entire brook, right up to the falls, some of them broken and dangling or piled up with sticks in dams of logs. The rest of my trip back was uneventful but my shin did start bothering me more, I was looking forward to getting back to the car to put some antibiotic ointment on it. Plus my sweat was really beginning to pour.

    There was a busload of seniors at the bridge when I finally emerged from the trees, bloody, sweaty and scratched to hell. A couple of them asked where I had been and what was out there. I wrongfully informed them there was a waterfall a mile to a mile and a half out there. Well it turns out its only 0.7 miles out, it just felt a lot longer. I sure did look like I’d done a few miles though. It wouldn’t have been nearly as bad had I not gotten injured right at the start.

    Jaime still wanted to see the pretty cascade on Whitehouse Brook just past the Basin so we stopped there and made the half mile journey to it. My leg held up fine but every branch we passed seemed to want to rub against it. Before long we hit Whitehouse Brook and rock hopped up it a short ways to the falls. Jaime was glad she made it and wanted to go farther but found the rock hopping rather difficult so we stopped there and made our way back.


    On our way through Franconia Notch we stopped along the road to watch a female moose eating beside the highway. People were honking at her, trying to get her away from the road but she wasn’t fazed the least bit by their horns and continued munching on grass. We got some great pictures of her and luckily other drivers noticed her and stopped to block traffic so she wouldn’t get hit. Eventually she got tired of cars gawking at her and headed off into the woods.

    Back at the hotel I washed my bruised and cut leg thoroughly in the shower before applying more ointment which brought me pretty close to tears but after a little while it started to feel better. We drove to the Whale’s Tale parking lot just a little ways down the street in order to watch the lunar eclipse. I attempted to photograph it using my tripod but the camera I adopted from Jaime had stopped working after my Lafayette Falls hike so I had to use my old one. Its limited settings didn’t offer varying shutter speeds so the pictures came out kind of cool but not as good as they would have with the blue camera. Oh well, it was still cool to see. I’m not anticipating a good nights sleep tonight, the blankets rubbing against my shin aren’t feeling the best but I don’t care, it was well worth it.

Vacation (Day Nine) The Nubble

    Today I let Jaime sleep in a little, until 9:30, whereas we’ve been getting up around 8:00 lately. We hit the trail for The Nubble around 11:00. We first did it last year with my parents and Jaime loved it and requested a return trip this year. The dirt road out to the unofficial trailhead was actually better than some paved roads we’ve been on, no washed out spots whatsoever.

    The hike out was nice, the stream was low so the crossings were easy. We picked up a branch along the way and made a couple walking sticks out of it, it helped Jaime a bit, especially on the wet spots. There were quite a few wet areas despite not having any rain lately.

    The weather was absolutely perfect, not a cloud in the sky, sunny but not hot, a small breeze but no strong wind. The 360 degree views were amazing, no haze at all so we had perfect views of the presidential range, Garfield and Lafayette. The rock scrambling at the top didn’t seem as scary this time since we’d done it before but those ledges are still quite steep.

    From the top we could hear the brook below and thought it sounded like there could be some cascades not too far away. So on the way down I explored the brook a little, going upstream a few hundred feet but there was nothing impressive, just some bare ledges that would probably be nice in times of high water but someday I’ll explore a little more, I bet there’s something worthwhile further upstream once the terrain begins getting steeper.

    We stopped at The Basin for bologna sandwiches for lunch and then hit the trail so Jaime could make it to the cascades on Whitehouse Brook, but after walking down The Basin a ways, neither of us were really feeling it and decided not to do it today. We drove by a trailer we saw online for only $27,000 but its in a small crappy trailer park where the trailers are too close together and have no yards and a gravel road, it was a true trailer park so despite the great price, we can’t do it. It looks like maybe a condo is the way to go. Then we went to pick up some food and the ice cream place was open again! So we got burgers from Enzo’s Pizza and a cotton candy ice cream with sprinkles for me. It was delicious. The burgers were really good too, as were the broccoli and cheddar bites and Enzo’s has a salad bar so we’ll have to eat there sometime. This place is feeling more like home everyday which kind of sucks because it isn’t home.

Vacation (Day Eight) Whitehouse Brook

    Before my parents left this morning we went to Woodwards for breakfast. It was as good as it was last year, I never remembered them having good food there. Then we walked back to the hotel where Jaime hung out alone while I went in search of some nearby mines in Woodstock.

    I found a mining map online that has a small symbol on all of the mines and quarries but it’s the basic Google map, not the topographic one so its not very detailed. But by matching that up with Google Earth I got a general idea of where the mines were located. So I drove down the road looking for landmarks from the map. I didn’t do so good. In fact I didn’t see a single one. So I turned around and drove back, finding a couple of the landmarks and possible mining spots, as well as the road beneath Parker’s Ledge which might have an incredible view of Franconia Notch.

    On my way back to the hotel to recheck the map, I decided to turn around, go back and try to find one of the mines. First I checked out the old cemetery beneath Parker’s Ledge hoping for a good place to make my ascent but its surrounded by homes and backyards so I decided not to trespass on their land.

    I found a good parking spot down the road near an area I thought one of the mines might be. Just off the road, hidden by trees was a metal gate with some fencing on either side of it. There was definitely something out there at some point, otherwise there’s be no locked gate. It was easy enough to go under and follow a slightly worn path through the woods. After a short ways I came across lots of garbage and bottles before stumbling upon a giant abandoned tree house that appeared to be someone’s fort or perhaps home. It was made quite well using the surrounding trees and lots of branches as support beams and walls, with tarps to fill in the holes. It was actually quite impressive although a little dumpy. Abandoned, yes, but it wasn’t a mine.

    I continued on through the woods but found nothing so headed towards a stream I could hear through the trees. It turns out there was once a road through the woods, beneath the leaves I could make out multiple layers of pavement. I followed it to the stream where I left the road and went uphill. The brook was pretty but too small to photograph. Again there were lots of beer cans and bottles so I hoped maybe the mine would be nearby and that the locals just party there. Still nothing so I turned around and went back to the abandoned road and continued on. It ended at some old cabins along Route 3, still no mine. This is where I gave up and decided to return to the car. I think I saw a couple of the old roads that the mines were located on but there were gates blocking them with private property signs, one of them was actually a new road being blasted into the ledges where a development will probably sit.

    I went back to pick up Jaime and we checked out some houses for sale in the area, most of them way too expensive for the dumps that they were, or the dumps they were located in. We would love to have a house or trailer on land but its looking more and more like a condo might be the only way to go. We did go out to Grandview Drive where some of the houses had views of Franconia Notch from the south, my favorite view. The views were slightly obstructed by trees or houses but it was still cool, the gorgeous houses up there had decks overlooking the view.

    We ate lunch at the brook behind the hotel, she had my Dad’s leftover alfredo from last night while I finished up all the leftovers that had accumulated over the past week. We discussed moving here more and Jaime decided she could do a small condo, not much bigger than our hotel room. We will need about $10,000 for the down payment, something that is almost attainable. If we save and I sell some more of my figures, we might be able to do it in a year.

    Then we went to The Basin and headed down the Pemi Trail in search of Whitehouse Brook. When we found it Jaime sat on a rock to read while I rock hopped upstream in search of waterfalls. I figure if the other two major brooks on that side of the ridge have spectacular falls, this one would too. The lower part was rather boring but through the trees I could make out some open ledges. I passed a couple makeshift camping sites where people were either camping illegally for long periods of time or possibly living. Then I heard voices up ahead. Who else would be out bushwhacking along a brook with no trail? Maybe the people living at the campsites I just passed. Then I saw children. It was a family. Why would a family be following a brook upstream, unless… crap, not Whitehouse Brook. I was following Basin Cascade Brook, the one just above the Basin with an extremely popular trail on it I’ve done a million times. So I went over the small ridge to the Basin trail where I hurried back down the trail Jaime and I had already taken until I got to where she was sitting on the rock where I left her. And this is why I haven’t done any long bushwhacks yet.



    She stayed put while I continued on to Whitehouse Brook, the real one. Being in the right place this time, I went up. After only a short distance I came to what I was looking for, a waterfall. It was gorgeous, dark and secluded in a small ravine, one of the streams of water splashed off a ledge, spraying into the air making for beautiful pictures. I climbed up the wet rocks on both sides of the fall to get views from every angle. After spending far too long on the picturesque cascade I finally moved on. Upstream a little further I came across some open ledges where the water fanned out and slid down the steep ledges like a giant waterslide. It wasn’t much to see in the low water but in Spring it would be an impressive waterfall similar to the ones on Basin Cascade Brook and the one just below The Flume. From the rock slabs I got a great view of Mt Flume and Mt Liberty. At the top there was another small dual waterfall that made for some nice pictures.


    It was getting late and closing in on the time I told Jaime I’d return by so I made my way down stream and jogged along the trail to get back to her on time. I made it twenty minutes early but it was better than making her worry. It looked like I poured water on myself though, quite a bit of sweat around my neck.

    We went to the ice cream place so I could get another cotton candy ice cream with sprinkles for supper but they weren’t open. We don’t know why, there was no sign or anything, nothing to indicate they were closed except for the fact that the open signs weren’t out and the place was dark and closed up. It was open yesterday, why someone would close their business on a Friday is beyond us but apparently they did. So I got a Spongebob ice cream for supper from the gas station that claimed to be fruit punch and cotton candy. Fruit punch, yes, cotton candy, no. Jaime got a buffalo calzone from GH Pizza next door that was really good. I had a great night anyway.

Vacation (Day Seven) Zealand Notch

    We hit the Zealand Falls trail early enough this morning that the lot wasn’t packed and made good time heading out. I’ve done this hike so many times that I know where all the twists and turns are so I didn’t take many photos. The weather was perfect with only a few clouds and we all got a little sunburned. 

    I was pretty sure we wouldn’t be going up Whitewall Mountain as we’d originally planned but we went out to the rockslide at the base of the cliffs and checked it out. I scrambled around the rocks for a bit while Mom and Dad ate lunch and decided we definitely would not be going up the slide. If it were just me I’d do it in a heartbeat but I didn’t want Jaime to do something stupid. The areas with larger rocks were fine but the strips of the slide with smaller rocks were very unstable and not safe. Plus Jaime hates rocks that move beneath her so I figured she wouldn’t be too impressed. We decided that when we do make our way up Whitewall we’ll take the longer bushwhacking route through the trees rather than up the slide but we’re not that well versed in bushwhacking yet.

    My parents continued on to Thoreau Falls while Jaime and I headed back towards the car with plans of bushwhacking up to the talus field below East Hale at the beginning of the hike. We talked about living in New Hampshire and the next moves we should make to make it a reality. After getting back to the car eight miles after we started, Jaime didn’t have the strength to bushwhack up the stream to the talus fields. I went up the old logging road towards the slopes of East Hale but it quickly became too overgrown with prickly raspberry bushes and it was surprisingly wet despite our dry weather. I left the logging road and headed for the stream that runs by the Zealand Falls parking lot which I located without much difficulty. I did encounter a lot of hobblebush along the way which scraped up my shins a bit and made travel a little tough. I did get a couple obstructed views of East Hale and after checking the maps afterward I realized I was just around the corner from what would probably be the best view of the ledges and wasn’t too far from the base of the rockslide. This is why a GPS would really come in handy.

    For supper we all went CJ’s Penalty Box/Brittany’s right in the Kanakamagus Hotel. The menu had lots of good stuff to choose from and I found myself wanting all of it. I got the clam chowder which was incredible and a stroganoff burger with sweet potato fries which was really good as well. It was a little pricey but delicious.

    Tomorrow morning we’re meeting my parents for breakfast before they leave and we’re not really sure after that. I’m thinking about maybe searching for abandoned mines down the road from us a little ways or exploring the Lafayette Brook, maybe both.

Vacation (Day Six) Waterfalls & Caves

    Today we set out to have a day of firsts as none of us had ever been to a single one of our destinations. But I started the day by going to the bagel place and getting some breakfast to have by the beautiful Pemigewasset river behind the hotel. What a way to start the morning.

    Our first stop was an abandoned park in Thornton along Millbrook named White Mountain Glacial Park. It was once a tourist attraction but was shut down sometime in the 1940s. The problem is that all the land around it is private property now, taken over by yards, houses and farmland. After doing a bunch of research I found what I thought would be the best approach and we parked at a little dirt pull off at the edge of some farmland. The guys working in the fields and on the tractor didn’t seem to mind us being there, neither did the two donkeys who came to the edge of their fence to greet us. They posed for some pictures, got a little petting and were on their way.

    We followed a well worn path through the mowed field to a break in the trees where, from a distance, there appeared to be a wide trail in the woods. There was. There was also a pretty wooden fence with a no trespassing sign on it. To the right of the small fence was an old fireplace, leftover from the gatehouse when the park was in operation. So not only did we find it, we found the actual entrance. We questioned whether or not we should continue on, then Dad started walking. Mom was a little more skeptical, not wanting to trespass but went ahead anyway. We followed the babbling brook along the clearly well cared for trail. After a minute or so in the woods, we came to the top of the falls where there was a somewhat new fence and old stonewall. Someone has clearly been taking care of Glacial Park.


    Jaime and I quickly went down the stone stairs to the base of Rainbow Falls. Mom’s trepidation set in and she didn’t venture down to the lower viewing area. Even without much water, the falls were flowing strong and were absolutely beautiful. There were two sets of cascades, the main larger one and a smaller one further back on the ledge. Both were quite impressive. It’s a shame this is no longer a tourist attraction, this is one of the best waterfalls I’ve ever seen, extremely photogenic even with the low amount of water. By the smaller falls there was a rock with a perfect circular hole in it that I was able to take some pretty cool photos through. We made our way back up and to the car without incident. I think the no trespassing signs are more to keep out people who are going there for the wrong reasons such as partying and leaving garbage everywhere which people do all too frequently in areas that should be treasured.



    Our second destination of the day was simply referred to as Campton Falls, a waterfall along the side of the road frequented by locals as a swimming hole. But the waterfall wasn’t the main attraction for me, I was there for the abandoned gold mine right beside the falls. With a vague description of where we were going, we found the small dirt pull off where the falls are actually visible from the road through the trees. I went down the incredibly steep and eroded hillside to the rugged stream below us. There were actually two sets of cascades, a smaller one directly beneath the area and the larger falls a hundred feet upstream where the mine is. The rocks were unlike most other streams in the area as they weren’t smoothed out but jagged and almost pointy. Despite the low water level, the falls were roaring and I couldn’t find a dry spot to cross, but I knew I had to get to the other side where the mine was, it looked too cool to pass up.



    I went back up to the car and grabbed my backpack, water shoes and waterproof bag to put my camera and flashlights in, just in case I fell in the water while crossing. I could have made it easy on myself and put on my bathing suit and just swam across the pool beneath the falls but figured I’d be more comfortable exploring the mine in my clothes. So I scouted the best route, put on my water shoes and took a couple steps across the most shallow part of the river. I stopped at the rock beneath the ledges I’d be climbing up to put my hiking shoes back on and scaled the damn near vertical hillside using roots, trees and handholds in the rock. It was hard and a little dangerous but I did it like a pro and made my way over to the mine.

    One of my life goals has been to go into a mine, an actual tunnel in a mountainside. Before this trip, I’d never even seen one in real life. The Mascot Mine was the first time I was up close and personal with a real live mine, but unfortunately it’s blocked by a huge gate in order to keep the hibernating bats inside safe from intruders. I desperately wanted to go in there and being so close only made it worse. I don’t know, I have a thing for caves, always have.

    After all these years, I made my way into my first ever mine shaft. It was about six feet tall, six feet wide, so I could stand up fully at all times. It curved after a ways, losing all natural light, but in that first stretch you can actually see part of the waterfall just outside the cave entrance. Truly amazing. The shaft went in for quite a ways, probably a hundred feet or so before splitting in two. I followed the right shaft first, going in a little ways before ending at what appeared to be a shaft in the floor that was filled in with stones. I didn’t hang around here long, not knowing how sturdy the pile of stones was or how deep the hole might have been but it seemed pretty safe. Then I backtracked to the other corridor which went in maybe fifty feet or so to another dead end, this one with a solid floor. I shut off my flashlights in this chamber and stood in total darkness, listening to water drip from the ceiling. Of course I grabbed a couple rocks as mementos and left the mine, wishing there were more to explore but grateful at the same time because it was a little scary. I guess I’ve seen one too many movies where the mines collapse.

    Getting back down the ledges I climbed up was certainly not easy, there were pine needles on every teeny tiny ledge that made it more slippery and not many handholds to grab onto. But I made it, with tons of sweat pouring off of me. This was quite the experience and I loved every second of it. Thankfully if I fell it would only be a little ways into the shallow river.




    We traveled a little further south to Livermore Falls for a picnic lunch. It turns out we couldn’t see the falls from where we were, we could hear them, but some ledges were in the way. But we did get an excellent up close view of the Pumpkin Seed Bridge that people jump from into the deep water below. They keep hanging up a rope swing from the abandoned trestle that the police take down every week because there are so many injuries and deaths here. The bridge itself was quite the sight to see and there was clearly a park of some sort on the other side of the river as well, we even saw a couple families with their kids walking out onto the old dam above the falls. But we didn’t know how to get to the other side, we figure there must be parking on that side of the river as well, something we’ll have to try to find another time.

    After lunch we drove quite a ways over to Squam Lake and onto Sandwich Notch Road, a road that quickly becomes gravel and quite narrow. With our vague directions we eventually found the parking area for Beede Falls and Cow Cave. Another life goal of mine has been to go behind a waterfall so when I found this one online, I just had to go. After a short walk to the falls, we discovered I wouldn’t really be going behind a waterfall today, it was more of a trickle. Still incredible. I threw my water shoes back on and made my way to the small cave behind the falls. Unfortunately it looked more like a heavy downpour rather a than a solid sheet of raging water but it was cool as hell nonetheless. I sat back there for awhile, just enjoying the fact that I was in a cave behind a waterfall. It turned out I didn’t need my water shoes to get in there, the back of it was dry and easily reachable in the low water, but I used my water shoes to the fullest collecting neat rocks and taking pictures I wouldn’t normally be able to.


    My parents scouted ahead while I explored the falls and Jaime relaxed on her blanket on the rocky sand beach. They found some lower falls and the sign pointing to Cow Cave. I wasn’t expecting much but the cave was really neat, just a low overhanging rock ledge that appeared to have a muddy floor. But as we got in there, we realized it wasn’t mud, it was a stone slab with interesting patterns carved into it, looking like potholes, cigarette burns, bones and spinal cords. I’ve never seen anything like it, it looked fossilized. I searched for a chunk of it that was broken off but none of them came close to matching the floor of the cave so I had to settle for a photograph. Being that its so dry made it easy to explore and the cooler weather lately stopped any bugs from bothering us in what would normally be an unbearably buggy spot. I wasn’t expecting much but Cow Cave was a really cool place that I’d love to go back to and explore more.


Then we went down to the lower falls which would be gorgeous in times of higher water. They weren’t much more than a trickle but it was a pretty trickle running down smooth rock ledges into tiny pools of swirling water. It was such a relaxing place with not a soul around.

     We made our way back to Lincoln and ate at Black Mtn Burger since yesterday me and Jaime weren’t hungry enough. It was delicious with good service. My parents were originally going to leave tomorrow but decided to stay another day since the weather is supposed to be beautiful again. The plan is to head up to the Zealand area, my parents are going to hike out to Thoreau Falls while Jaime and I plan on going part way and making our way up Whitewall Mountain. We haven’t decided if we’re going to attempt the giant rockslide beneath the cliffs or take the long easy route  since we’re not that experienced of bushwhackers yet. We’ll see what tomorrow brings.