Salvaging Memorial Weekend on North Bald Cap, NH. 5/27/13

I'd had big plans for my 4 day weekend (including Friday) peak-bagging in the Great North Woods. As everyone knows by now, the weekend was pretty much a washout. Friday I headed up to bag Mt.'s Pisgah and NW Crystal but could only manage Pisgah. Just too darned wet and the forest roads conditions were deteriorating. On the way back to Lincoln I stopped at a place I'd passed several times and stopped once last year. Beaver Brook Falls in Colebrook, NH.

This was it last summer

This was it last Friday

So with the way things were, Saturday was a visit to some cascades day and Sunday I was foolish enough to join some friends on another bushwhack in freezing cold snowy woods. Yet another abort.

Now Monday, the last day of the weekend, comes along being a gorgeous day. I couldn't really do anything real long as I wanted to head home by noon or 1:00 at the latest. I'd been saying all weekend that if Monday were to be nice I was going to do North Bald Cap. I didn't realize at the time that bushwhacking to ledgey goodness would become a love of mine but I spotted NBC from The Outlook on the Success Trail. And how ironic is it, that it was on Memorial Weekend 2010.

Mike and Brian noticed it right off. 

The longest part of this hike was going to be the drive to Berlin and Success Pond Rd. So it was an early rise and out the door by 6:00 AM. I couldn't resist stopping at the bridge at Loon Mtn. for a photo of the once again snowy Moose.

The drive up Success Pond Rd. to an old logging road I was looking for was slow. It's in pretty rough shape IMO. Spotted my target from the road and an old logging cut.

Somewhere around 5-6 miles in I took an old logging road on the right. It has a fork almost immediately, which I took the right. I was able to drive about 1 mile up it to about 1800'. A high clearance vehicle is required in one spot.  I found a good spot to park and set off on what was left of the road. 

The road ended at a small brook and or drainage. It then became an old skidder road. It was littered with logging debris, thorns, water, mud, and snow. Good times. 8)

Higher up it became a little easier to deal with.

I hiked to the col between NBC and the nameless peak next to it. There I found myself with a pretty wet bog between me and the bushwhack.

I was pretty close to the NW end of it and could have gone around but decided to just pick my way across on what solid ground I could find since my feet were pretty wet already from the water, snow and mud.

Of coarse once across and whacking I find the blow-downs.

But it wasn't long after I got to what I'd come for, "Ledgey Goodness".

SE, SW and a Presi. Preview

Then more open ledge up.

From Here I headed east towards the cliff face of NBC. Very nice.

Rhodora

NW

The last climb to the high point was a bit scrappy. What I haven't mentioned yet was that all the spruce was covered with enough snow to get me pretty soaked by this point. That and it was quite windy and chilly. I was hoping very much the high point was open and dry so I could change some clothes. It was.

Great views from here. Presi's

Kilkenny's

Nash Stream Peaks

Dixville Peaks

After warming up a bit and changing a couple layers, I ventured over to the cliff side again.

Where I first saw this place from. The Outlook.

 The look down to the valley below was really cool.

Heading back along these ledges gave me more great views SW.

It's always tough to leave these places but I had to get back to Lincoln, pack and head home. In short order I was back on the skidder road. Great views from the road too. :D

Then the logging road and done.

This is one great little mountain. :-)

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