White Mountain National Forest Part 2- Required Reading

To really figure out what you want to see in New Hampshire I suggest these books. A traveler with all of these books would have the whole forest covered. I own all of these and they are are valuable resources.

Delorme map and Gazetteer-

   This map book has all of the roads, mountains, most trails and scenic highlights. Indispensable
Appalachian Mountain Club White Mountain Guide- This book is over 500 pages. It describes every trail in the mountains. It is a guide book not a first person point of view. It is direct and explains the trail distances, terrain and expected time required. The time required is not very accurate. Most trails require longer than the suggested amount even by those in very good shape.

Waterfalls of the White Mountains- by Bruce, Doreen, and Daniel Bolnick

   If you enjoy waterfall hunting then this will be your bible. It covers the waterfalls and cascades throughout the forest. The book covers both roadside and remote falls. It has driving directions, best swimming holes near the falls, pictures, and trail directions. Very well done.
Ponds Lakes of the White Mountains by Steven D. Smith-

   I believe this is out of print, but if you can get your hands on it, everything I said about the waterfall book is certainly true of this book. It includes a little fishing info along with directions, pictures, and great descriptions right down to sitting rocks to have a picnic.

   The 4000 Footers of the White Mountains- by Steven D. Smith

This is the bible for peak bagging hikers.  Each mountain is outlined with a history, most popular routes, and a view guide. Even though it is extra weight I ALWAYS carry it when hiking a four thousand footer.
Trail Maps- If you buy the White Mountain Guide, it will come with a paper trail map that will fit in your pocket. I also have the Delorme Trail Map and guide. It folds up much bigger, so it is not as easy to put away. It is made with a plastic coating, so it is a bit waterproof and more durable than paper. Both maps are good; just make sure to take one with you heading into the woods.

   There are plenty of other books about the mountains. There are books like “50 best hikes in the White Mountains, books on White Mountain history and other topics. They are very good. I own some of them. I mention these ones because each book covers a specific topic. With this set of books and maps, the mountains are yours to explore.

*Authors Note
   You may have noticed two of the books are written by Steven D. Smith. He is the author of many other books also. He is the owner of “The Mountain Wanderer Bookshop” in Lincoln, NH. I have stopped in a couple times to ask questions, buy books, or to get him to sign a copy of a book I’ve bought. He is a really nice guy. One day this fall I talked to him about mountain lakes for at least 20 minutes. Besides being very friendly he probably knows more about the mountains than anyone. His store is on Route 112 (Kancamangus Highway) just a quarter mile east of the I-93 ramp heading towards Lincoln.

White Mountain National Playground...I mean Forest

Russell Pond

   When I want to get to the mountains, I head to the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The Whites are about a two hour drive from Boston. For me on the Mass/RI border the Waterville Valley exit is about 2 ½ hours and Franconia Notch about three hours. Once past Boston and NH border traffic it is an easy ride up Interstate 93. Northern New England is blessed with mountain ranges from northern Connecticut (really big hills through CT and the Berkshires)) through Maine. I choose New Hampshire for two reasons; proximity and size of the mountains.

   I have been to Maine many times. The mountains on average are not as big. However there is a lot of woods. There is more of a sense of remoteness. However, Maine is huge. To reach many of the best parts a five to six hour drive is required. I obviously can’t justify twelve hours of driving for a quick weekend trip. Though for a week long trip, Acadia National Park and Baxter State Park can rival any place in the country for scenic wonders.

   Vermont, on the other hand, I have never really explored. Again, it is a longer ride than the White Mountains. I went to Vermont once as a little kid and remember foliage so bright, nothing has rivaled it since. I think the Green Mountains would be a great place for me to explore someday. I have too many things on my “to see, to do list” in New Hampshire so Vermont will have to wait.

   The White Mountain National Forest begins for the highway traveler just north of Plymouth, NH. There are over 700,000 acres to hike, fish, camp, sightsee, leaf peep, and a dozen other outdoor activities.  I have spent enough time in the mountains too have seen over 75% of the things on my NH bucket list. Of course I am still discovering waterfalls I may visit or a new path to explore but for now, I finally feel qualified to give advice to people wanting to experience what these wonderful mountains have to offer.

   I will break up the posts into three parts. This one will be general advice to get started planning a trip to the Granite State. The second post will be superlatives. My favorite places in each category such as mountain views, roadside ponds etc. The third is about books that will help the explorer find what they are looking for.

Camping/ Lodging

   There is no shortage of places to sleep. There are many federal and state campgrounds. The most popular state campground is Lafayette in Franconia Notch. The Forest Service runs many campgrounds throughout the forest.  Beware that on a Friday night many of these campgrounds will have no vacancy because of weekend tourist. The average price is about 20-22 dollars. There are private campgrounds that dot the edges of the forest, they are more expensive but come with amenities such as pools, arcades, and camp stores.

   There are many cabins and motels in the towns around the forest. Lincoln, Bretton Woods, North Conway and Conway have a lot of lodging. I have no idea of the price range since I’d rather sleep outside. There are also luxury resorts such as Loon and Bretton Woods. With minimal research a family should easily find exactly what they are looking for.

Hiking-

   There are over seven hundred miles of hiking trails in the forest. There are forty eight mountains over 4000 feet. There are waterfalls and mountain lakes that very few people travel to. Some of the longer trails exceed ten miles and require planning, a well-stocked backpack and and a lot of stamina. Some trails are short and only require a ten minute walk or a short uphill climb. It is tough to get lost on mountain trails. Most intersections have signage and the trails are so well taken care of its tough to lose it.  I could write a book about all of the great places to hike to in the mountains; however that has already been done for me… Read the post about required reading. 

Fishing-

 The name of the game is trout. Most lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams have them. Almost all of the trout are brookies. Since they are the only trout native to New Hampshire, the state has stocked them in most waters. I have only caught rainbow trout in the Saco River.  Most backcountry trout will be under a foot and more likely under eight inches, but they are beautiful. Roadside lakes that stocking trucks can get to will have some real trophies going over three pounds. The state has different laws governing different water bodies. Some lakes are fly fishing only, some catch and release, some do not allow fish as bait. Know the law before you head out. Always buy a license before heading out.

I almost always fly fish for trout in the mountains. However when I am exploring a new lake I will also bring my spinning rod with some lures and worms, just in case there isn’t room to fly fish.

Backpacking

    Backpacking goes hand in hand with hiking. Many people choose to carry their home on their back and head into the woods for a few days. There are many intersecting trails that can be pieced into a multi-day trip. The nice thing about backpacking is the freedom to explore far off lakes and mountains. There is no need to rush back to your car at sunset if your camping next to a nice trout stream (usually you have to be 200 feet from a water body).

    Some people choose not to carry a tent. They stay at shelters (either free or eight dollars a night depending on if they are Forest Service (free) or AMC  ($8/person). I stayed at my first shelter this year. It was at Three Ponds and I had it to myself on a chilly mid-September weeknight. The AMC (Appalachian Mountain Club) also runs huts. They are large buildings filled with bunk beds. Many hikers use them. I do not. They cost $90 a night and I would not do well listening to snoring from 25 tired smelly hikers. Some people do like the hut system, to each, their own.

Roadside Scenery Veiwing-

One of the Waterville Cascades

   I know most people are not going to hike to five miles to a mountain lake or hike three hours to the top of a mountain. The good news is, a lot of stuff can be seen from the road. The main road through Franconia and Crawford Notches are beautiful, both parks have mountains with thousand foot cliffs very close to the highway. Both state parks have a campground, though Franconia’s Lafayette Campground is much bigger. Routes 2, 302, 112, and Route 3 are nice roads with terrific scenery. Route 112 is the famous Kancamangus Highway. There are many scenic pulloffs for picture taking. There are no less than three waterfalls just a short walk from the car (Lower Falls, Sabaday Falls, and Rocky Gorge which is not really a waterfall but still cool).

Tourist Attractions-

Although not my cup of tea, the mountains have many tourist attractions for the family. There are many theme parks. Storyland, Six Gun City, and Santa’s Village are among the biggest. There is a water park named Whales Tale. There are three gondolas at Canon, Wildcat and Loon Mountains. If you don’t want to hike to the top of Mt. Washington, you can take the Auto Road or the Cog Railroad. Clarks Trading Post has trained bears. Lincoln now has a Canopy Walk. There are even natural wonders that cost money such as the Polar Caves, Lost River, and the Flume Gorge. There are many other tourist attractions; you can get info on all of them from various visitor centers throughout the area and at the MA/NH border on I-93.

This post is just a short overview of the things to do in the White Mountains. I could write 3000 words on each of the above topics. I love going up there.  

Marlboro Fly Fishing Show

This weekend the annual Marlboro Fly Fishing Show is going on. I went on Friday for most of the day. The reason I go is because I enjoy going to seminars. I have to say, this show is full of really good seminars. There are as many as 6-8 seminars EACH HOUR.

On Friday I went to four seminars. At 11 am, I went to “Sight Fishing for Great Lakes Carp. The show I went to at noon was “Tactics to Successfully Fly Fish each of the Northern New England Seasons”.

The show I went to at 1 pm, was the one I most wanted to see. Its title was “A Tale of Two Rivers: Cape Cod’s Sea Run Brook Trout. Lastly, at 2 pm, I went to a seminar about rivers in Colorado.

There are fly tying demonstrations and casting demos. Each hour there is a different author at the “Author’s Booth”.

The actual show is not very large. There are exhibiters for rods, reels, flies, and lodges. I honestly didn’t spend a penny at the expo. I do think there are some very good deals on rods. The people running the booths are very knowledgeable. They will answer specific questions about flies that work on their water. I spent five solid minutes talking with Lisa Sevard about the smaller lakes in Pittsburg, NH in the Connecticut Lakes area.

The show runs over the weekend. It is a five minute drive from I-495. The seminar schedule is online along with all the other important information. www.flyfishingshow.com

Wintertime Opinion Piece 2- Bookstores went out of Bussiness because of Greed

The empty Borders on
Route 1 in North Attleboro

I used to enjoy going into Border’s Bookstore. They had seating to read, a huge selection of magazines and a lot of books. The bookstore was huge. They had a great selection of books. However they were expensive. Unless you are into classic literature you were likely to pay $15-20 for a book. I understand new releases in hardcover will be more expensive than older paperbacks. That said, there prices weren’t even close to Amazon.

I understand that Borders has to pay rent, upkeep for the building and pay employees. If I wanted a book bad enough, I’d pay the extra couple bucks to have it in my hands right away instead of wait a few days from Amazon.com. But their books were not a dollar or two more. It was usually cheaper to pay the $3.99 shipping then to buy it down the street.

I know people will tell you to “buy local”. Keep the money in the community. But you know what; this is my money we are talking about. I’m not going to shell out an extra five bucks if I can keep it. Besides I’m not talking about a mom and pop diner or hardware store. Places like Walden Books, Borders, and Barnes and Noble are big chains that if they were smarter and less greedy, I believe could have competed with Amazon.

Here is an example of a chain store not being smart. I wanted to read ‘The Great Gatsby” before the movie came out. I made a trip to the Barnes and Noble in Bellingham, MA off of I-495. All they had were twenty dollar hardcover copies. Some special editions ran as high as $30. Where the hell were the $5.99 Penguin Classics? All of the sudden the paperbacks are nonexistent. Could this be so the bookstores could capitalize on the movie hype? Did they assume people would buy the $30 hardcover so they could read it before the movie came out? So needless to say I walked out and picked up a copy online for a couple bucks.

What does this have to do with outdoors? I buy a lot of books on hiking and fishing. Long before I went out west I was buying travel guides about Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. I certainly would not expect Borders to compete with Amazon for variety of books. A Borders in Mass isn’t going to carry a book about Fishing the Beartooth Mountains. To their credit, they did carry books on national parks, traveling in particular states and other travel related books. Again they would be $15-23, all the while I could buy them online for half that and sometimes for just a buck or so used.

So to sum up, I don’t feel bad for big chain bookstores that go out of business. I think they could have competed with Amazon if they were not so greedy. I love buying books online so their closing doesn’t really affect me. I feel bad for the people that enjoy going to a bookstore and reading a magazine while enjoying a cup of espresso. 

Last week's ice fishing finally posted

Species 1- Pickerel

Last week I
did a  lot of ice fishing. I wrote a couple of blog posts about my experiences. Unfortunately, Internet Explorer decided not to be compatible with pictures from Blogspot. After a few frustrating hours of trying to figure out how to get it to work, I looked for advice. It was suggested I download Google Chrome. I think that did the trick. Unfortunately, the ice is no longer safe, so writing about ice fishing is old news. So instead of writing in detail, I'll just post the pictures of species I've caught so far this year.

The highlight of my ice fishing week was easily jigging up a trout. I wrote a whole post about it, but again...old news. However, I was really excited about it at the time. Even though I didn't post it before, catching a trout through the ice was something I really hoped to do this year. Now that I can post pictures, I will be posting a lot more this month.

Species 2- Yellow Perch

Species 7- Rainbow Trout

Species 3- Largemouth Bass

Species 4- Bluegill

Species 5- Pumpkinseed

Species 6- Crappie

Goals for 2014

Despite the grumpy look, catching a bowfin was
one of the highlights of my year. I want to fish for
them a few times in 2014.

This post is a little late. There is a good reason. I can't think of to many new things I want to accomplish. Of course I want to catch big carp, a lot of stripers and go to New Hampshire as often as I can. As for new challenges the biggest for the new year is the first one listed



Goals for 2014


1. Catch 30 species of fish. Each year I convince myself I am going to try to only concentrate on my favorite species (stripers, carp, trout, bass). Then like clockwork I go out specifically looking for a white perch or I'll go eel fishing. I seem to catch about 27-28 species a year. It drives me crazy getting so close to 30 every year. I need to reach 30 species just once. That way I will feel like I got the monkey off my back. If I reach 30 I won't try for 35 or forty the following year. To the contrary, I won't make trips to the Charles River to chase eels or drive to Kiah Pond just to catch a common shiner on a fly

2. When I go to New Hampshire I want to visit Franconia Falls, 13 Falls and Welton Falls. 13 Falls is about 8 miles from the road.


3. Take the hike to Ethan Pond (a wild brook trout pond) on a nice day. I hiked out to Ethan this year but the wind was blowing 30-40 miles an hour. I want to go on a day I can actually cast my fly rod.


4. Hike to Flat Mountain Pond and or Lonesome Lake. These two lakes are next on my list of places to see. If I get to one of them plus Ethan Pond and the three waterfalls I will be very happy.

5. Fish for bowfin at least 3 times. I caught a bowfin last year and was really excited about it. However getting to the place I caught it is difficult. It's a 45 minute drive. Then its a canoe paddle of 3/4 mile against the current in a river. It is a chore to fish for them. However the effort is well worth it when I land one.


6. Try for walleye again at Beach Pond.

7. Catch a trout through the ice either jigging or with a tip up.

8. Catch a catfish or bullhead ice fishing.

9. Go cod fishing on a headboat.

Check Out this month's The Fisherman Magazine

This month has a feature article that I wrote about fishing for striped bass on rainy nights in the winter. It covers tackle, dressing properly and how great the fishing can be. There is also an article from my friend Dave Pickering that will tell you all you need to know about small pond ice jigging. It is a very informative read.

The issue also has many other great articles. I particularly liked the articles about the Niagara River and tips for catching cod.

The Fisherman can be found at many tackle shops. Subscriptions can be purchased online at www.thefisherman.com

Be careful on the ice-

I tried a few locations over the last couple of days to see where the ice would be safe on my days off this week. I did not see promising results. I checked Falls Pond because it is walking distance from my house. So if I got snowed in I could fish there. No luck. The ice was crystal clear but only 2 inches thick. Two inch thick ice will supposedly hold a man's weight, however I am not taking the chance of my next step being on on 1 1/2 inch thick ice.

I checked a little canal in northern Rhode Island. It was safe. it had about four inches of solid clear ice. Then I checked a little pond yesterday before dark. It is extremely small and protected from the wind. I jigged it for an hour and caught about a dozen sunfish, no bass.

This morning I fished the little canal without any luck. I planned on ice fishing all day in various locations for different species. On my way home for lunch I checked the ice at a little pond on Route 1 called Lake Como. This is mudhole is very weedy in the summer and maybe 5 acres. I stepped 5 feet onto the ice and started hand drilling my hole. I heard a huge crack and got the hell off of it.

My big plan for the day was to fish a pond loaded with pickerel in Wrentham this afternoon. I'm not even going to try it. If a smaller pond like lake Como isn't safe I'm betting a bigger windswept lake would be more dangerous.

The good news is that there is some extremely cold weather the next few days. Hopefully by the time you read this all the ice will be safe. Remember though that snow acts as insulation. With this blizzard we are currently getting, if we get a foot of snow, the ice will freeze at a slower rate than if it were snow free. My advice if you live in southeastern Mass or Rhode Island is to try the smaller lakes and farm ponds first, they might be your best bets. Use common sense and be safe!