A Total disregard for the Rules

This tool is in a belly boat within view of thousands of
drivers in a public water supply

On my way to work last Sunday morning I was driving by Hopping Hill Reservoir on Route 120 in North Attleboro. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw a little boat on the five acre lake. There are signs all over that say no boating. This reservoir serves as drinking water for the city of Attleboro. I was going to stop and let these guys know they shouldn’t be boating, but I knew the first police car to drive by would stop. I sometimes put my nose into other people’s business when they are doing something wrong. However, Sunday I just kept driving. Sure enough 40 minutes later (I was running some product from one store to another) the boat and the truck used to carry it were not to be found.

On Tuesday night I was fishing another water supply reservoir for Attleboro. The entire shoreline is fishable because there aren’t any houses. There is a half mile long view of the lake from a major highway. What do I see while I’m fishing? That’s right, a guy in a belly boat fishing the center of the lake. He should have never been fishing from a belly boat. There are signs all over this lake also. 

He shouldn’t have been out there at all. However he could have concealed himself. This lake is large with an irregular shoreline. If he wanted to fish some protected coves, no one would have seen him. Instead he fished right across the middle of the lake. Literally thousands of people could see him from the highway.

These lakes are water supplies for a fairly large city. If douche bags keep breaking the rules, then these lakes might be off limits to everyone. I’m sure the city cares more about protecting their water supply then the recreation of a few anglers and dog walkers.  I’m not a fan of some rules either, but I follow them for the sake of public access.

Lastly, I want to mention litter. Quite often when I fish I pick up other people’s trash. I HATE doing this. It helps keep the environment clean. I pick up the trash so the next person can have an enjoyable outdoor experience.  I was fishing a carp lake in Cranston last year. This place was covered in trash. I fished it a couple times in the same week. The second time I brought a couple large 45 gallon trash bags. I easily filled both of them. Sadly, I picked up at least 15 empty cans of corn. There is only one segment of society that would leave cans of corn, carp fishermen.

I don’t want to preach here, I know I give enough of my opinions and sometimes use my blog as a bully pulpit. But, we all have to do our part. Following the rules at public reservoirs is the only way to keep the access open. Just a small amount of trash can close down access to some great fishing hole. Some rich or bitchy neighbors can easily convince the leaders they voted for to put up a fence or “No Trespassing “sign.  Let’s do our part and keep things clean

New Hampshire 2013 Act 3

Near the summit of Mt. Whiteface

DJ asked me if we could go to New Hampshire this week so I jumped on the opportunity to hang out with my son.

An eighteen year old would much rather hang with their buddies, so I took advantage of some father-son time. We drove up on Thursday morning. We packed Wednesday night so we were ready to go at 6:30 am.

DJ loves hiking mountains. We are trying to complete all 48 mountains in New Hampshire over four thousand feet. We have been working on this goal for a decade. We decided to hike Mt Whiteface. This mountain is the southernmost 4000 footer. It faces the lakes region. We arrived about 10:30 am. We packed the backpacks and set off.

It took me less than half a mile to know my legs had nothing. You know those days when you go for a jog or the gym and you have no energy? That was what my legs felt like. Unfortunately for me I was with a kid that runs cross country and does “core exercises” with his friends for fun. So I pushed on. After about a mile and a half the trail got really steep. I let DJ go ahead of me and stop at the first good view. He took off like a rocket. I trudged on up the side of the mountain with no legs under me. For those counting, the trail up Mt Whiteface is 4.4 miles (one way) and 3000 vertical feet.

I realized quickly that I was doing something way past my physical fitness level. They say to “know your limits” I knew I was way past mine. However, since I let DJ go ahead I kept on. Finally I reached the first view. DJ had been there an hour. It was a nice view facing south. Twenty two miles away we could see Lake Winnipesaukee. From that view we could see we were another 500 vertical feet from the top. We went up a difficult trail. We scrambled up many rock ledges. Honestly, if I would have been in shape the last part would have been fun and challenging. At the top we ate lunch, took pictures and enjoyed the view. There were views both north and south. It was very hazy so the view wasn’t crystal clear. Yet we still could tell how pretty it was.

Campsite at Russell Pond

The hike down sucked as much as the hike up. My knees (and DJ’s for that matter) were shaking from the downhill. We didn’t get out of the wood until 5:50 pm.

After we left the wood we drove to Russell Pond campground. First we stopped at a store and we each bought chocolate milk. The drive to Russell Pond was almost an hour and a half. We set up the tent and walked down to the water. That was really all we had time for before dark. As you can imagine DJ said I snored really loud.

I got up and did some trout fishing in Russell Pond in the morning. I fished from shore for about an hour but didn’t get any. I did watch and listen to a loon so it wasn’t a waste of time. After fishing I got DJ up, packed the tent and took off. Of course DJ wanted to hike another mountain, since my plan was not to die of a heart attack; I chose something a little easier and just as rewarding. I have always wanted to do a trail in Waterville Valley that leads to some small waterfalls. I have put it off because the trail system and finding the trailhead seemed a bit confusing. Since we were near the area and it was plenty early if we got lost, it was worth going.



One of the Waterville Cascades







 

The loop hike has waterfalls, a short trail leading to giant white pines and another trail leading to a huge glacial erratic. I can tell you, this four and a half mile loop was awesome. Although the first quarter mile was steep it leveled off and was a very pleasant hike. It’s about 1.2 miles to the cascades. There are three or four waterfalls right above each other with big swimming pools in between.  They were all over ten feet. Although it was been dry, there was still enough water to make them attractive.

After we passed the waterfalls we walked over a bridge onto Livermore Road. We followed that down almost to the car. We stopped at the side trail for the big pines (Big Pines Trail- .2 miles) and the Boulder Trail (the large glacial erratic sits in the river just a minute from the main trail).

The absolute highlight was while turning a corner on Livermore Road we saw a young moose. It saw us and started trotting down the road. It stayed on the road about 40 yards in front of us for over a quarter mile. It would occasionally turn around and look at us. Sometimes it would stop and feed. Some points it would trot for 10 seconds. Finally at a clearing, it took a left onto another trail. As we passed it, it looked at us again. This moose could have cared less if we were using the same trail or not. Needless to say it was a memory I will have forever.



For .25 miles this moose walked with us

After our hike, we drove to Sandwich Notch Road. We stopped at Kiah Pond where we ate lunch. I fished for five minutes and caught a common shiner. After lunch we drove to Beede Falls. DJ had never seen this falls and it is one of my favorites. When we got done with our short hike to the falls we drove home.

 

For anyone that would like to do the hike to Waterville Cascades, here are the actual trails. I thought this was a great hike. It had a lot of reward for not too much effort.  The trailhead parking is at Snow Mountain. It is right next to the ski jump in town. Follow the Cascade Path for about a mile. It is well marked with yellow arrows and signs. You will come to a trail junction. Take the right trail, this is still Cascade Path. You will come to the waterfalls shortly. Below the first fall you can cross the river. The trail follows up the river on both sides and comes out the same place. We stayed on the right. Above the waterfalls is a bridge. This is Livermore Road. Take a left. This is almost completely downhill. You will come across some side trails. The trail to the Big Pines is an out and back. The Boulder Trail just beyond is a short trip to the glacial erratic. Once back on Livermore Road, take Greenly Path on your left (do not take Greenly Trail to the right or you will be heading deep into the woods. After a few minutes on Greenly Path you will come to a T intersection just called “the connector”. We had no idea which way to go. We took the left way (correct). Follow until you come to the main road. When you reach the asphalt road, go over the bridge to your left. This will bring you in front of some tennis courts, take a left here and you will see the lot your car is parked at in a minute.

It sounds really complicated, but it really is a big loop. Mostly you go counter clockwise. Total loop including side trip is an easy 4.5-4.7 miles.  

Totals for the trip

Animals- moose, loon, toads, newt, leeches, common shiner, DJ saw a spruce grouse

14 trail miles

Two Good Days

I wrote this on Sunday, but just got around to posting it today  (Monday)

I had the last two days off. The weather was beautiful. Cool nights for sleeping and days that topped out about 80 degrees.  That kind of weather is not my idea of great fishing weather, but it’s not like I was going to stay home because the weather was “too nice.”

On Friday morning I did some carp fishing. There was a perfect little breeze. Sitting in the shade was what I assume southern California weather is like. Unfortunately the fish did not think so. After trying two different spots, I gave up for the afternoon.  During the evening, I considered going to South county Rhode Island to do some saltwater bottom fishing.

I chose not to go. The Red Sox were playing the Yankees and the Patriots had a preseason game. I didn’t mind missing the beginning of those games to fish. However, I didn’t want to drive home an hour. So, I chose to fish local. Also, fishing local saved me about $20 in gas. I decided to go for smallmouth at a lake about ten minutes from my house. The lake I fished does not allow boating. So I walked around the lake casting a 2 inch shad body on a small jighead. I managed three smallies and a largemouth. The largest fish was the largemouth. It was about 15-16 inches. I started fishing just before sunset and fished until about dark. The sunset across the lake was awesome, and I thought the fishing was pretty good too.

Saturday morning I wanted to get an early start to go hiking. Unfortunately, events would make that impossible. My plan was to wake up about 7 am and be hiking well before eight. I woke up at 5:30 am with the beginnings of a migraine. I took some Excedrine Migraine and went back to bed. I knew then I wouldn’t be up at 7. When I got up at 8:30 the headache was gone, but I got a text from work asking me to bring something from one store to another. By the time I finished that errand it was almost 10:30. My son was still in bed and I knew he had to work at 11. So I got him up and after he got dressed I gave him a ride to work at 11.

After dropping him off I drove to the Blue Hills near Boston. I got there about 11:40. I started packing my backpack and put my keys in the front pocket as I do every time I hike. Then I closed the car door with the backpack still in the car. I locked myself out of the car. After referring to myself as a dumbass many times I called AAA. They could not find the parking lot I was in for a long time. Finally after about 90 minutes they arrived. So my hiking that I planned to start at 8 am finally commenced at 1:17 pm.

I hiked around Houghton Pond and then up Houghton Hill over the Skyline Trail to Great Blue Hill. I could see the Boston skyline. It was fairly clear, but the pictures make it look hazier than it really was. I hiked back after a short break and headed home. I plan on doing a separate post about the Blue Hills because it is a diamond in the rough just outside of Boston.

Later that evening I went smallie fishing again. It was cloudy so I went a little earlier than Friday night. I did the same thing working the shoreline. I only caught three fish and none were all that big. The sunset was even better than the night before. The sky was on fire.

 So all in all the fishing wasn’t great but it wasn’t too bad either. The weather was nice especially considering its mid-August and it could easily be ninety five degrees. I wish I could spend every summer weekend off in New Hampshire, but that is not realistic. So I’d say I did not waste the last two days and they were quite enjoyable. 

New Hampshire 2013 Act 2

Silver Cascade in Crawford Notch after a day of rain

I took an extra day off from work last week so I could do a three day trip to New Hampshire. I went with my hiking partner Miss Laurie Devine. We left Wednesday night after work. We arrived after dark and set up the tent.

Thursday

The weather report for Thursday called for rain and clouds. We got up about 7 am. It was drizzly so we decided to wait until what the weather did. We drove to the Saco River so I could fish for a while. I could see ten trout in a pool but could only get one to hit. I fished about 30 minutes. Laurie had mentioned she wanted to climb the Elephants Head on Route 302 near the AMC Hostile. We climbed that (only about 10 minutes each way). I looked up and saw the sky clearing so we took a chance on a real hike.

We packed the backpack and about 10:30 am and headed out to Thoreau Falls. It’s a five mile hike to the waterfall. The hike is relatively flat. We hiked up the Zealand Trail to the Ethan Pond Trail. At the junction of Ethan Pond Trail @ Thoreau Falls trail, take the latter and the waterfall is 100 yards downhill.

I love this waterfall because its big and there is a wide open view of the mountains. It’s the only waterfall I know that was a great view of mountains also (if you know of others please leave a comment). We ate lunch and soaked our feet. We spent about an hour on the sun drenched rocks.

After our hike out we bought pizza in Twin Mountain and got Laurie fudge. When Laurie eats fudge, I get to fish. After dinner it was still only 6 pm. I went fishing at a roadside lake. Fishing was hot. Using a small Kastmaster spoon, I caught 20 trout in about 90 minutes. If I can give any advice on trout fishing it’s this; fish with the wind in your face. They will stack up on the windward shoreline. After fishing we went back to camp.

Friday

It rained, thundered and lightning most of the night. When we woke up Friday it was raining hard. We lingered in the tent until almost 8:30. Finally we got up and got in the car. We drove around for a few hours. We got lunch in Lincoln, more pizza. After lunch we window shopped at a couple outdoor gear store. Then we went back to the campsite. If I would have been alone I would have fished all day in the rain. This of course would have been selfish and unfair to do to Laurie. Finally about 5 pm I couldn’t take it anymore, so I went fishing. As we drove to the same lake, the sky brightened and the weather cleared. Fishing wasn’t quite as good, but I managed another ten trout. I wanted to fly fish but there wasn’t enough room to backcast. Also, I couldn’t wade out in the water because I have an infection in my lower leg that’s almost healed. I have been trying to keep it from getting wet. So I used the same spinning rod and spoon.

After I fished for an hour, we headed to Crawford Notch to make some mac and cheese and use of their picnic tables and view. On the way there we saw a cow moose. She posed for a few minutes while Laurie snapped some pictures.



 Because of all the rain, Flume and Silver Cascades (both are roadside waterfalls in Crawford Notch State Park) were huge. I never saw so much water rushing out of them.  We ate supper with an awesome view of Mt Webster and Mt Willey then headed back to camp.

View at Thoreau Falls

Saturday

We packed the tent when we got up then headed back to Crawford Notch. Our hike for the day was out to Ethan Pond. Ethan is a fly fishing only pond managed for wild trout. This lake has been on my to do list for years. This trip we decided to do it. Besides a trout pond there is also an AMC Hut. I figured we could eat lunch at the hut. This hike is only three miles. The first half mile is fairly steep but it levels off quickly. The pond is gorgeous. There is a nice view of mountains beyond. Unfortunately, the wind was blowing very hard in my face. I thought this would trigger some fish to hit, but I didn’t get any in the short time I fished. Again I was limited by my unwillingness to get my leg wet. It was still a nice hike and I had fun.

After our hike, we stopped and picked blueberries for an hour (so we can make blueberry dumplings) then headed home.

Chutters in Littleton, NH

As always, New Hampshire did not disappoint. Even on a rainy Friday, we managed to see a moose, eat pizza, and catch a bunch of fish. Granted we were bored out of minds until 4 pm, but then it turned out to be a beautiful evening. We did a lot in three days. I’m glad Chutter’s has that fudge because it makes it very easy to convince Laurie to let me fish for an hour when she has it.

Animals 2 adult wild turkeys, 5 poults, moose, frogs, toads, garter snake, 31 trout