Unknown Pond Peak is the one hundredth highest mountain on the New Hampshire Hundred Highest peakbagging checklist, an inventory that I’ve been slowly engaged on since 2012. I haven’t performed an off-trail path hike for some time since I’ve been pursuing The White Mountains 4000 Footer Grid for the previous two years (climbing the 48 4 thousand footers in every calendar month of the yr). However I’m now “grid-locked” till November, having completed the 48 in June, July, August, September, and October, so I can’t make any extra headway till November, December, and January come round once more.
With that mentioned, I made a decision to climb Unknown Pond Peak as a result of it’s a brief simple bushwhack that may give me an opportunity to mud off my compass and GPS navigation expertise and assist me rebuild my off-trail navigation confidence again up once more. I’ve performed sufficient off-trail climbing to know that there are facets and intuitions that may turn into atrophied if not used frequently and that it’s prudent to steadily ramp up once more over a sequence of more difficult routes earlier than tackling the “massive stuff” that continues to be.
Whereas I’ve liked gridding these previous two years, there’s one thing deeply satisfying about climbing off-trail for me and the heightened degree of consciousness it requires versus following a well-marked and closely trodden path. Whereas the aim of gridding it to bag a summit usually by climbing a well-blazed path, the aim of off-trail climbing for me is in selecting an “elegant” route to achieve the summit that minimizes the quantity of vitality required. This combines some upfront planning with native optimizations which might solely be found on the bottom as a result of the native geography and vegetation protection shouldn’t be represented adequately on maps and may solely be skilled firsthand. Topographic maps have limitations (“they lie”) in between the contour intervals, one thing that you may readily admire when climbing off-trail when small cliffs and toppled timber block your route.
Unknown Pond Peak can also be situated within the Kilkenny Area of the White Mountains, north of Berlin NH, and approach off the crushed monitor. A veritable rainforest, the timber of the Kilkenny are sometimes bearded with stringy moss and hanging vegetation, not in contrast to a witch’s forest in youngsters’s fairytales. Regardless of this, it’s a fairly benign place dotted with small ponds, beaver dams, small streams, and smaller-sized hills with good climbing trails and campsites. There are additionally some scenic highlights within the area together with the Satan’s Hopyard, Roger’s Ledge, Mt Cabot, The Horn and The Buldge, Mt Waumbek, and North, Center, and South Weeks Mountains which might be effectively price a go to.
The precise bushwhack to Unknown Pond Peak is kind of brief, possibly a half mile in and a half mile out. However it has a reasonably lengthy method hike (roughly 4 miles) up the Unknown Pond Trailhead and a brief distance alongside the Kilkenny Ridge Path from the Berlin Fish Hatchery, a sprawling complicated the place trout are bred in open pens to inventory the lakes, ponds, and streams of northern New Hampshire. It’s fairly a tremendous operation that you may see in motion.
After the bushwhack, I deliberate to proceed north alongside the Kilkenny Ridge Path earlier than climbing again to the Fish Hatchery on the Mill Brook Path, earlier than looping again to the Unknown Pond Trailhead on the gravel York Pond Highway, a complete distance of about 12 miles. I’ve hiked all of those trails a number of occasions prior to now, however it’s been at the least 6 or 7 years in the past and I used to be desperate to revisit them as a result of I like this space a lot.
The day I hiked this loop it had rained the evening earlier than and was drizzling after I left the trailhead. The rain was speculated to taper off although, and whereas bushwhacking in moist climate actually sucks, I used to be desperate to go anyway. I carry all the correct clothes and equipment for climbing in rain and I figured I’d be okay so long as I used to be climbing and producing warmth, regardless of how moist I received. Nonetheless, that was a calculated danger based mostly on expertise as hypothermia, even in average temperatures, is a really actual danger in the event you get soaked when climbing or backpacking.
The hike up the Unknown Pond Path was nice and pretty average, though fairly moist. I used to be carrying path runners for this hike they usually have been quickly soaked by the water working down the path, as have been my pants, from rubbing in opposition to the vegetation alongside the edges of the path. Once I arrived on the pond, it was fogged over by low cloud blocking views of the encompassing peaks. That was a pity, as a result of I’d been wanting ahead to that view (proven right here).
I turned onto the Kilkenny Ridge Path on the path junction and headed to the peak of land, which is the excessive level the place water flowing downhill modifications instructions and demarcates one watershed from one other. I stepped off-trail right here and headed into the woods, angling within the course of the Unknown Pond Peak summit. The forest was comparatively open, that means that there have been few obstructions in my path like downed timber, with a sparse understory of ferns and different leafy greens.
Whereas there was, fortunately, no herd path indicative of overuse, there have been open seams within the forest the place I may make speedy ahead progress towards the summit. Course discovering was trivial on this hike as a result of the summit comes to some extent; in different phrases, you’ll ultimately attain the highest in the event you simply carry on climbing uphill. As I approached the highest, I used to be looking out for the summit canister, which is often a glass or plastic jar, or a PVC Pipe closed at each ends, that incorporates a log guide the place individuals sign-in. I’m fairly good at recognizing these canisters connected to timber, however generally they require a variety of looking out, particularly when the summit is flat and doesn’t come to a transparent excessive level.
I discovered the canister simply sufficient although, opened it up, and scanned the latest entries to see who’d been up the height currently. There’s no requirement that you simply signal the logbook and a few individuals don’t hassle. There’s no formal authority overseeing this bushwhacking sport, however signing the logbook is a enjoyable technique to join with the handful of different whackos climbing these off-trail peaks. There are NOT lots of people who bushwhack, actually bushwhack, these extra esoteric mountain summits as an alternative of downloading GPS tracks and following the carrot to the highest. Name me OG (outdated guard), however I nonetheless prefer to learn topo maps, navigate by following landforms and use a compass after I hike off-trail. It’s extra intellectually difficult that approach and simply extra enjoyable.
I signed in, closed the canister again as much as maintain the logbook dry, and began to hike again right down to the Kilkenny Ridge Path. Leaving a summit is more durable for me than climbing as much as one and I continuously get lazy, a behavior I’m attempting to interrupt, when choosing a line off a peak. As an alternative of whipping out my compass and plotting a route, I head again within the course I assumed I’d come. Solely, I rapidly turned obvious that I used to be climbing down the again aspect of the mountain and never the aspect I wished. Because of this I used to be doing a follow bushwhack – to remind myself of my widespread errors and
I at all times hike with a watch that has an altimeter, so I can often determine the place I’m on a topographic map just by discovering the corresponding contour. Quite than backtracking, I merely adopted the contour – staying at my present elevation – however shifting across the mountain to its different aspect earlier than descending again to the Kilkenny Ridge Path and persevering with north previous Kilback Pond.
Kilback Pond is a small pond that’s slowly being taken over by beavers. However I believe was in quite a bit worse form after I hiked by it the final time after I was doing a full Kilkenny Ridge Path Traverse and Cohos Part with my outdated pal, the one and solely Guthook, in 2018. Nonetheless, there’s a bit of the path the place you need to hike throughout a beaver dam (the lavatory bridges have been included into it) to cross one of many pond’s retailers. That is solely going to worsen, so hike it quickly.
The rain had tapered off by the point I reached the Mill Brook Path Junction and my pants have been dry by the point I’d hiked down Mill Brook to York Pond Rd and the Fish Hatchery. From there, it was about an hour street stroll again to the Unknown Pond Path. This was considerably longer than I’d anticipated however then once more I hadn’t actually deliberate it out in nice element. That mentioned, this was nonetheless a pleasant loop hike and a very good follow bushwhack for what needs to be an fascinating summer time of off-trail climbing.
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