The Mt. Washington View near Exit 41 sign!

Every time I am traveling down Interstate 93, near exit 41, I will see a car pull off near the sign when going around the corner. I can't say I blame them..it's just a beautiful view of Mt. Washington. I love how on a clear day in April, you can see the snow shine off that mountain and the whole Presidential Range! Takes my breathe away every time I travel down that interstate! So, when you are traveling through these parts, don't forget to look to your left and see this amazing view! Happy Hiking ...and traveling:)

Mt. Washington and Presidential Range

Trail Report : Mt. Willard and the cascades

Last Thursday and Friday I stayed at the AMC Highland center in Crawford Notch. It was a wonderful stay and I got to go out on some of the trails. Two trails I explored were Mt. Willard Trail and Avalon Trail. If you are looking to hike these trails, they are mostly cleared. There are a few snow patches, and a little ice. The stream to over Mt. Willard Trail is over flowing due to melting so the trail is a little hard to find at the bottom. The view at the top of Mt. Willard is stunning as always. I enjoyed seeing both Beeches and Pearl Cascade, for they are so lovely with the water flowing so rapidly.
Here are some pics I took of these adventures. These places are great also to take children too. The hikes are fun and not difficult. Happy Hiking:)

 This is Beeches Cascade which is on the cascade loop.

The loop is about a mile all the way around.

Great trail for children to explore.

 This is Pearl cascade which is on the cascade loop.

This is the view from top of Mt. Willard. You can see the Valley and mountains on both sides. It was a great day for a hike up that morning. We started around 9:00 am and made it to the top by 11:00 am with a fw small stops along the way for the kids to have a break. The weather was a little chilly on top but all was needed was a windbreaker. Great place to have lunch, which we did and enjoyed the view. The trail is 1.6 miles to the top. Great for children to hike up!

Welcome to AMC Highland Center, Crawford Notch

AMC HIGHLAND CENTER

Last week on Thursday, I got to stay with a group of children and adults from our SpringBreak Camp at the AMC Highland Center. We got feed some amazing food (dinner was not kids friendly) but it was delicious. Plus we had guides that brought us on nature hikes which I will be writing about in my next post. This post is all about the AMC highland Center and what a great place to stay at when hiking in the Crawford Notch area. I enjoyed it so much that I am hoping to stay there again soon. The rooms were wonderful, the staff was friendly and helpful and the food was great!

Our door

First I want to start with the rooms. Each room is a little different. Me and two staff members stayed in one room called Paper Birch, so inside our room where pictures of birch trees and facts about them on our walls. Each room had it's own theme which was awesome, so you don't need to not know your room number bu you can go by what your room is called.
Also in the rooms are bunk-beds. In our room we had two of them. Plus they gave towels and a small dresser. I loved the view from the window, for I could see Mt. Willard, Lake Saco and Elephant Head.
 The beds were clean and they had very soft pillows. I can say though that the walls are thin, but most everyone is quiet. The quiet time is 9:00pm to 7:00am. Everyone was quiet except our kids, they were a little excited about sleeping at the center that it was hard for them to sleep.

Our room

The bathroom was down the hall for our room was the first in the suite. The bathroom was very clean with three sinks, three stalls and three showers. One shower was much larger then the other two.
The Suite was large, and outside our suite was a library with many books on the White Mountains, Hiking and more. You can visit the library at any time. I saw many visitors in the library checking out books and reading about the white mountains. Plus I saw maps to view if you wanted to check out trails in the region.

The lounge

 We also had three meals at the AMC in their cafe which was beautiful. You can served dinner at night about 6:00pm. The food was amazing. We started with salad and homemade bread ( the bread had seeds). The next was chicken and mushroom/spinach stuffing for the main meal, also rice with spinach and beans with carrots. After as the best...chocolate cake! The kids loved that, it had a thin layer of icing on top, not to sweet, it was perfect!
Breakfast was a buffet. You could go up and get anything you wanted. They had different milks and juices. They had coffee and tea. Breakfast was eggs, bacon, potato bits, pancakes, french toast, fruit, corn meal and more.
For Lunch we went hiking so they gave us a packed lunch. This was because we were a group from a club. They have many choices for lunch at the cafe when staying as a guest.

The new playground

At the AMC Highland Center, they have special rooms for clubs and big groups. They have a lovely lounge and also kids game room. They have a gift shop with great books to buy about hiking and maps of the mountains in the area. Also...going to be new at the AMC Highland Center is a play ground for kids to explore. I watched they build it from afar and it looked amazing. It is being made with trees and stones.  I am hoping to get to go in it myself. It should be ready in the next few months for this summer.
This is a great place to stay if you are hiking around the Crawford Notch area. So many wonderful hikes here that you will not be disappointed.

Franconia Notch and Crawford Notch this Spring

I just visited both Notches this week...Check out the Basin and the trails near by with my Stepson and Foster child this weekend in Franconia Notch ...plus check out the Cascades in Crawford Notch with my foster child this past Monday. The Rivers and Streams are flowing...check out these beautiful pics!

Franconia Notch

Franconia Notch

Franconia Notch - Basin Trail

Franconia Notch - Baby Flume

Crawford Notch - Silver Cascades

Crawford Notch - Flume Cascades

Mt. Washington on Monday April 16th 2012

I hope you enjoyed the Rivers and Cascades ...Soon I will be staying at the Highland Center in Crawford Notch...hiking the trails and enjoying the weather. More pics will be coming soon of that adventure. Have a Great week and Happy Hiking!

Three Haunted Trails I want to hike this Spring/Summer

1. Coppermine Trail

I have always loved the story of Betty Davis meeting her husband, Arthur Farnsworth on this trailback in the summer of 1939. She was lost and he found her. It's that love story of boy saves girl and marries her. But it has a sad twist, which is when he falls on the sidewalk "dead" and Betty is accused of killing him. Later a plaque appears on the trail which reads "The Keeper of Stray Ladies" No one knows who put the plaque but many believe it was Betty Davis herself. The Trail is located off Easton Rd 116, on Coppermine Rd. The Coppermine trail is 2.1 miles and leads to Bridal Veil Falls. If headed near Framconia Notch, check out this trail.

2. Nancy Pond Trail

Nancy Barton was a girl in love, so much in love that she followed her lover's tracks through the cold snow in the dead of winter. Nancy was to marry Jim but Jim left one day without word to war with his brother. Nancy followed his trail but dead at the ponds where she was later found frozen. The trail is named after her and located in Crawford Notch. The trail is called Nancy Pond Trail and it is believed that when she was found she was buried by the pond. Some who have trailed the trail have heard her cries. I am hoping to travel along this trail this summer and see the ponds for myself. The trail is about 4 miles of beautiful nature!

3. Nineteen Mile Brook Trail

 Has anyone seen Red Mac? He was once the watcher for Carter Notch Hut starting in 1916. He worked at the hut for many many years and later when he pasted away, they say he still watches over the Hut. Weird things happen at the hut to this day, some say that you can see Red Mac's lantern shining in the night over by the hut. He still watches over the place. Carter Hut is located in Pinkham Notch. The Nineteen Mile Brook Trail is 3.6 miles to the hut, and worth the trip. I have gone up the trail to Carter Notch Hut a few years ago and I had felt like I was being watched the whole time when I got close to the hut, every eery feeling. The weird part is that I didn't know this story at the time, but now it makes a little sense, so I want to travel up to the Hut again.

Have a Happy Spring Hiking Season and if you head to these places, enjoy the Haunts of the White Mountains!