When I was young, we used to spend a few weeks with my Dad in New Hampshire every summer. That time was spent engaging in almost every outdoor activity you can imagine: hiking, camping, rock climbing, swimming in the river, etc. It was a great way to spend the summer as a kid, and my sisters, cousins and I always had a great time.
Returning to New Hampshire as an adult, I still find myself drawn to those adventures/activities of my childhood. Things are a little different now than they were then (now I have to make sure I bring all the necessary items along with me on a hike – I can’t just count on my Dad to have them), but just as enjoyable. Luckily for me, Victoria also likes to partake in these activities when we’re vacationing up here.
The weather was gorgeous here on Memorial Day, 75 and sunny, and we decided to make the most of it by hiking up Sandwich Mountain. After consulting the maps and guide books we decided to make our ascent up the Bennett Street Trail, which promised to be manageable.
On the first portion of the hike, the trail ran alongside Pond Brook – your typical, beautiful New Hampshire river strewn with granite boulders.
There were two delightful (if a bit small) waterfalls in the Brook.
The trail itself was more rugged than we expected. The first half of the trail, alongside the Brook, was very rocky and made several water crossings. In the picture below Pond Brook is on the left and you can just make out the rocky trail on the right.
Despite how it looks, it wasn’t too difficult to stay on the trail, which was fairly well marked with blue blazes and appears to be well maintained by the WODC. In fact, we were passed by a couple of volunteers on their way up to “open” a portion of the trail that had become overrun by small pines.
I admit it, I’m a total bag geek. Here’s a glamour shot of my pack for the hike – the Goruck GR1. I absolutely love this bag and have been using it for everything lately.
Shortly after leaving the Brook, the trail crossed into the White Mountain National Forest and began a series of steep climbs up the mountainside.
The hike became considerably more strenuous at this point, and both Victoria and I were delighted when the trail finally settled into a more moderate climb near the summit.
Even after leaving Pond Brook there were several places where the trail crossed small streams like this one.
We turned around just short of the summit. My legs were getting really heavy and I was worried about how I would fare on the descent of the steepest sections. Victoria was a good sport about turning around and we headed back down the Bennett Street Trail.
By the time we made it out of the National Forest and to the lower section of the trail, I think we were both happy we turned around when we did. Our legs were reminding us it had been a long while since our last hike.
At the intersection with the Flat Mountain Pond trail, which used to be an old logging railroad bed.
We were extra careful of our footing as we crossed Pond Brook on our return trip.
By the time we got back to the car we looked like zombies. After making a quick stop at the house to let the dog out, we hopped back in the car and headed to the Pothole, a local swimming hole to soak our sore feet in the Cold River.
Photo by Victoria Malawey
The cold water (the Cold River is in fact, quite cold) felt good on our sore and tired feet. We sat enjoying the view, the sound of the river and each other’s company as we let our feet soak after a long day on the trail.
