Crawford Notch, New Hampshire

Today, I wanted to hike in Crawford Notch State Park near North Conway, New Hampshire. I had looked up the route with AllTrails and drove into the mountains. The leaves were just starting to change. The maples were already bright red, and the birches were just starting to turn a bright yellow.

As I drove, I lost cell coverage and eventually got to the park entrance. As I learned, there are many hikes in Crawford Notch State Park. Unfortunately, I hadn’t downloaded the map for the tail.

At the park office, there is a restaurant and an information center that seemed to be open, but no one was in the office. I was hoping to get trail information.

In front of the office is a small lake, with waterfalls and a bridge. I hiked the trail down river for about thirty-minutes and turned back. Expecting to have more photo opportunities for brightly colored trees and running water, I was disappointed and returned to the trail head. I did get a few photos of the lake and mountains in the background.

Shoal Pond Trail

I drove down the mountain in order to have cell reception again. I needed to download the AllTrails, Shoal Pond Trail map. As it turns out, I wasn’t very far from the trailhead. This trail is rated moderate on AllTrails. The most challenging part of the trail is the climb at the beginning. It seems to go on forever. I completed 16 of the 26 mile trail.

I’d been climbing for about 45-minutes and met a couple coming down the hill. We stopped and chatted for a few minutes. He was in a heavy blue wool kilt and looked very fit. They both looked like they were in their mid-forties. They told me there were several groups of hikers in front of me and that they would be clearing out the cobwebs. It was surprising how many cobwebs there were along the trail even with others “clearing them out”.

This trail is part of the Appalachian Trail and is well maintained. At points on the trail, they put down railroad ties to walk across rocks and small streams along the trail. I did meet people walking the AT, but unlike on Mount Katahdin, they seemed much more serious and focused on getting through the next phase of the trail.

As you finish the initial climb, the trail gradually leads to Ethan Pond. There’s an AT camp site near Ethan Pond, and you need to follow that path to get to Ethan Pond. This was my favorite part of the hike, and the views were beautiful. For some reason, I was expecting big wide-open views of lakes and mountains like in Rockies or Alps. This trail is more about the hike and getting through the trees.

One nice thing about walking the trail at this time of the year is the changing color of the plants. The leaves are beginning to change, and the ground was covered with freshly fallen bright red leaves.

There are long sections of the trail where you are walking down the rock spine of a trail. It’s like walking down the back of a stegosaurus.

At one point, I heard a loud running of water to my right. It was very steep, and I couldn’t see a way down. Eventually, it flattened out and the trail came within 30 feet of the trail. So, I hiked down to some flat falls.

I made it to Shoal Pond and decided to turn around because it was getting late, and I didn’t want to be hiking in the dark. Shoal Pond itself was a disappointment for me. The trees around the lake hadn’t really turned yet, and there wasn’t any activity on the lake.

The trip back went so much faster. The hike across the top is flat, and near the end it drops off back to the trailhead. 

Barley And Salt

I was looking for something light and fresh with some protein for dinner. I found Barley and Salt in North Conway. I needed to be out in 45 minutes, and the hostess couldn’t tell me if it was possible to be out in time. A guest overheard the conversation and said, if you set at the bar, they are very quick. I grabbed the one remaining seat and ordered one of my favorite beers, a Left Hand nitro stout. I pulled out my MacBook and began to research the next day’s hike. The people on my left and right, wanted to know what I was doing.

I met Jan and Jim from Providence, RI and they told me to try the restaurant Hemenway’s. They said to say hello to bartender Dan. I made it out 5 minutes after I wanted to leave.

Portland Jazz Orchestra

I few days ago, I was at the North Conway Public Library and met Kathy at the front desk. She told me that the Portland Jazz Orchestra would be playing at the Majestic Theatre on Friday. I was able to get tickets. The Majestic Theatre had just recently reopened after being renovated. The theater was built in 1932 and the orchestra played some songs from that year. The sound was excellent. The PJO is a 15-piece group that most plays songs from the 40’s through the 60’s with a focus on big band, bebop, and jazz.

The group featured vocalist Katie Oberholtzer which was a special treat.

If you like this genre of music, they do an excellent job.