Conditions-Light Snow on the ground and 15 degrees. Clear overhead.
We spotted a car at the Mt Shaw Trailhead and drove to Camp Merrowvista. Leaving the parking lot at 890' ,on Canaan Valley Rd off RT-171 in Tuftonboro, Steve, Bill, Stanley and I headed up and old logging road to the Mt Flagg Trail. Soon we left the road behind and headed up two pitches through a beautiful open birch-wood forest. Bill explained that 60 years or more ago, there had been an intense forest fire here. The birch were pretty small, you'd think after so long, they'd be taller. Walking through a shrunken birch forest was similar to the experience of being above 4K. Bill and Stanley led the way through a dusting of snow over some rocks to the summit of Mt Flagg at 2380'. There were incredible sweeping views of the Sandwich Range.
The Gorilla trail was rocky through here and the footing icy in places. My new Stabilicers rode in the pack though. I did manage to slip once and reached out for a sturdy birch tree to keep from going down. SNAP! It broke and down I went. No damage done other than wounded pride and a skinned knee.
We hiked down into a little col about 150' and marveled at the amazing views through the stunted birch forest
The climb up to Mt Shaw looked like a long one but it ended up being a nice hike up a long sloping ridge. Near the summit, we all stopped and added a layer. The winter jacket went on for the first time in awhile and soon we were at the summit of Mt Shaw
Bill and Stanley pose for a picture with an incredible panorama. Bill pointed out the peaks and how circular the Ossipee Range was. From it's highest point, it was a great place to see it. Ponds dotted the middle of what was probably a huge volcano a long time ago.
It looked pretty warm in the sun, but a face turned in the direction of the wind was soon burning with frost.
From Shaw
Dropping down off Mt Shaw we found the Carriage Rd which was a wide roadway linking the Castle in the Clouds to Mt Shaw's summit. The road winds around the mountain and is never steep. In about .6 we were at Black Snout, our final rocky outlook of the day.
Another amazing view from Black Snout. Stanley took the opportunity to roll in a patch of warm dry grass. We bushwhacked a short-cut back to the Carriage Rd. We passed the Thunderbird trail and soon were on the steeper Mt Shaw Trail.
It dropped us down a pretty good pitch but this side was drier and the footing was excellent. The sun was drooping lower in the sky and it wasn't even 3pm yet. We crossed a pretty good stream and followed it's banks down into the valley. There was a nice gorge and a little waterfall to end our traverse. Elevation gain was 2,250'. A great day in the woods. Thanks Bill and Stanley!
