Cohos trail to close

“That's pretty sad. It's almost like someone passing away.

I can't help but think of all the people and all the effort that must've gone into building it... 162 miles!?
last edited: 1/18/07 11:07:12 PM”

“That stinks, but at least I won't get any more emails begging me for more money.”

“That sucks. :( I've been checking out this trail for awhile ~ would love to hike it. Guess I better get on that, eh?”

“Where is this trail?”

“http://www.cohostrail.org/

The trail is in NH, it sounds like a fun trail.

"The Cohos Trail is not a walk in the park. The Cohos Trail is not a trail for those in T-shirts and sneakers or dress shoes. It is an isolated, remote trail system that winds in some places for dozens and dozens of miles without ever encountering a town."


When is it scheduled to close? I wonder if it will still be hikeable and just not maintained?”

“Probably hikeable, but parts not legal and much not maintained.

It was on my list of trails to do. It's remoteness was a big plus.”

“"The Cohos Trail is not a walk in the park. The Cohos Trail is not a trail for those in T-shirts and sneakers or dress shoes



It was on my list of trails to do. It's remoteness was a big plus.”
pedxing
10:29:46 AM
1/19/07

100% agreed!”

“crap! I have the book and maps...”

“Apparently it is Violin's fault.

He didn't send enough money.”

“Isn't Coos County like the very northern tip of New Hampshire? The Great North Woods, or something like that?

Always been wanting to explore that area -- this is too bad; would've been an excellent way to do it...”

“Drat!
I was just last night thinking about it as an alternative to the AT's state of terminus - you know, the Dog Hater State.”

“Closing down due to no money for maintaining?!?!
No volunteers in that area?
It should close down if they have to pay people to maintain it.”

“some of the stuff they had to do does cost money - material for bog bridges for example”

“Dog Hater State??

Is that Pennsylvania, where boots go to die??

I hear tell that is pretty rough on the "dogs".........rocky.”

“Southern dogs can handle it just fine.”

“Bow-Wow!”

“Hey? What if i brought my Pulaski and limb saw?”

“rumor (well maybe better than rumor) is Cohos Trail Association is reorganizing and the Cohos Trail will continue as a trail with local (Coos County) support - see post by Chomp over on VFTT http://www.viewsfromthetop.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15809
last edited: 2/06/07 3:40:11 PM”

“Link please.”

“refresh please”

“Glad to hear it - hope it flies!”

“WINTER 2007

T H E C O H O S T R E K K E R
The electronic newsletter of The Cohos Trail Association


REINVENTING THE CT
Human¹s have debated as long as humankind has walked the surface of this
small planet about the possibility of life after life­­a second go-¹round,
another level, a higher plane, a new dwelling house for the soul, one last
chance to get one¹s act together...not that I ever will. The Cohos Trail
Association, I am happy to report, is reorganizing so that it is a stronger
entity with an enhanced mission.

Recently, The Cohos Trail Association closed the 162-mile long trail system
for the 2007 hiking season. But that did not sit well with a whole host of
people. Good citizens began writing and calling, trying to breath new life
into the beast. They succeeded.

Today I can report that The Cohos Trail Association (TCTA) will reorganize
with an emphasis on managing the big footpath system from Coos County, not
from my desktop in far off Spofford, NH. The Castines, Lainie and Peter, of
Pittsburg (the last town on the trail at the very top of the State of New
Hampshire) have been very active in the maintenance and financial health of
the system, and they wish to step in to help me transistion TCTA from
down-state to up-state and to build a worthy Coos-based organization with
strong ties to local schools, local civic organizations, local volunteers of
every stripe, and local resources. That is what is needed. That¹s what it
will get.

After ten years of volunteer work developing the remote trail and its
structures, designing and publishing its maps and guidebook, collecting a
database that numbers about 1,300 names, and trying like bloody hell to find
this odd property boundary pin or that in the middle of nowhere so I could
figure out where the trail could or could not be laid out, I am thankful
that folks have come forward to lay talented hands on the heart of the
association.

I am particularly grateful to the Castines and a host of people known and
unknown who pledged a major dose of support for a trail that meanders
through some of the finest terrain in all the Northeast. For some reason,
they share my vision of Coos County, New Hampshire. They, like me, love that
grand, isolated, heavily timbered and oh-so mountainous million-acre chuck
of real estate (pronounced co-ahss). To me, Coos is New England¹s
undiscovered gemstone. Sure, travelers love the White Mountains on the
southern edge of the county and tramp all over them, but most megalopolians
don¹t know that there is a whole other breathing, dynamic world north of the
Presidential Range.

It¹s that remote outpost that has held me spellbound for more than three
decades, ever since I drove into the county for the first time in 1969
during the record snowfall winter, traveling under a mesmorizing aurora
borealis. I stepped out of the car at 30 below to watch the celestial
fireworks and said, ³Damn, this is the place! A mite chilly, though.² I came
back to live and work and to start a family in the county in the first days
of 1972. Last year, I took my granddaughter hiking on the Sanguinary Summit
Trail in Dixville, and we stayed at the Panorama lean-to that Cohos Trail
volunteers built on North Sanguinary Ridge. It looks out on world-class
sunsets and more than fifty-miles of terrain in Vermont and Canada. Every
kid should experience this.

But the Cohos Trail never could be a one man show. Hundreds of people came
forward over the years to help make the path a reality, like the day 35
souls showed up in the backcountry of Columbia township and helped ferry by
hand two tons of donated lean-to material about two miles up 3,097-foot
Baldhead Mountain, a very pleasant and isolated summit no one knows exists.
When the last set-screw was torqued in place in the steel roof, and the six
folks remaining stood back and looked at the new sleeps-six lean-to, the
moment took my breath away. It was amazing to me what people will do when
they have a deep love of place and a passion for the natural world on its
terms.

But, alas, it became increasingly difficult to raise sufficient funds to
cover rising costs, particularly insurance costs. With more money going into
such expenses, there was less and less funding for actual on-the-ground
maintenance. If a trail can¹t be maintained well, it shouldn¹t exist. Safety
has to be the number one concern of any trail organization that maintains a
trail open to the public. When gasoline retail prices surpassed $3.00 in the
summer of Œ06, trampers stopped buying trail guides and trail maps and other
sources of revenue declined. It created a cash-flow dilemma that was sure to
create problems in Œ07. So rather than put the hiking public at risk, we
decided to close the trail.

No sooner than we published the decision to shut down the CT for the season
the phone began to ring off the hook and the email in-box filled up with,
not hate mail, but pledges of every permutation of support. Made me a bit
teary in the eye, I can tell you.

Now efforts are underway to not only resurrect the CT but to push it to the
next level, where it becomes a modest but essential economic force in
central and northern Coos County. Part of that plan is to apply for a major
multi-year organizational grant that can help us develop a solid Coos-based
entity that, within three years, would have the strength in self-generated
dollars and numbers of volunteers so the trail could then stand on its own
in perpetuity.

There¹s talk about creating new products, such as the long-promised (and
complete but not published) databook, a CT embroidered patch, a fine new
³Get Lost² CT tee-shirt and cap, and perhaps even an authentic-looking Cohos
Trail sign that people can tack to their bedpost and sleep under every
night. (Just the thing a loving spouse would want, don¹t you think?).

There¹s scuddlebutt about stepping up marketing­­more effective on-line
fundraising efforts, a brochure for state waysides and local visitor¹s
booths, social events, guided hikes, chamber of commerce activity, perhaps a
wilderness ³survivor² race, and the like.

And there is a great deal of interest in pumping up the trail adopter
program. We have always enjoyed having a number of dedicated people who get
out on certain trails each year and do spring cleanup and summer chores. But
the trail is so long and, in many places remote, that it¹s been tough
pulling in adopters in some sections. So there is chatter about organizing
local maintenance clubs or teams tied to schools or civic organizations or
just to a cluster of nuts who happen to like getting dirty and sharing a
beer after a hard day on the trail.

Living so far from the Cohos Trail (and working full time) has meant I
haven¹t been effective enough in developing strong local, Coos-based
initiatives that can see the trail through to a bright future. Now, local
Coos-based folks have come forward and said, ³we¹ll help take it from here.²
Those are very welcome words. The trail will be the better for it.

Now I can concentrate of the CT guidebook, maps and databook and spend more
time raising funds, while terrific new blood builds a locally-based social
and maintenance network around the trail. Then, maybe, I can go hiking the
CT once in a while without having a branch looper in one hand, a bowsaw
strapped to the backpack, and a messy jar of yellow latex blaze paint
leaking and running down my sweatshirt.

If you wish to show your support for the Coos Trail, be it financial, trail
maintenance, material donations, guiding, social endeavors, or whatever,
please call or email: Lainie and Peter Castine in Pittsburg, 603-538-6777,
prospmw@local.net. Or get a hold of me at 603-363-8902,
wilshy@worldpath.net.


SLIDE BROOK TRAIL IS CLOSED FOR GOOD
The Slide Brook Trail has been flooded by beaver activity and is closed for
good. The path, between the Owls Head Trail trailhead and the old B&M
railroad bed in Jefferson, is underwater in parts and the water pushes
through to the property of an adjacent landowner. That individual does not
wish for a trail to be built on his land so that we might bypass the
flooding.

That being the case, we will have to send trekkers (northbounders) east
along Route 115 a mile to the junction of Route 115A. At the junction,
hikers will have to turn northward and descend less than a quarter mile to
where a powerline passes over the highway. Not too far beyond the powerline,
look to the west for a bar-gate that crosses an opening 100 feet off the
highway. This gate is situated over an old railroad bed of black cinder.
Take this pathway west toward Cherry Pond and Moorhen Marsh in the
Pondicherry Wildlife Refuge and back to the original track of the Cohos
Trail. The detour is not terribly long or time consuming but is a must now
and for the future. (Reverse all directions if southbounding.)


COL. WHIPPLE TRAIL GETS A FACELIFT
Also in the Pondicherry Wildlife Refuge is the Col. Whipple Trail. It
stretches from Whipple Road in Jefferson to a trail known as the Ice
Ramparts Trail near the shores of Cherry Pond. This two-mile stretch of
footway saw a great deal of improvement in 2006 and is in better condition
that it has been in since the region was logged a year after the original
trail was put in by TCTA. Stacy and Greg Boone of Twin Mountain, student
crews from the White Mountains Regional High School, a crew from the Kingdom
Corps of the Northwoods Stewardship Center, and refuge manager David
Govatski have put a good deal of effort into upgrading the trail. One
notices improvements right away when turning off Whipple Road. A new freshly
painted gate is in place and a good deal of trash has been removed from the
right of way.

More work is planned for 2007 and beyond, particularly improving the
puncheon bridges in the low country, building up several low areas with
fill, and developing a small trailhead parking lot.


PROJECT CONCEPTS FOR THE FUTURE
The two Cohos Trail lean-tos in remote terrain and the organized tent
platform site called Percy Loop Camp on North Percy Peak in the Nash Stream
Forest have proved to be popular with campers and thru-hikers making the
long trek along the length of the CT. Each facility is spaced a long day¹s
hike apart, providing a little comfort for distance trekkers, particularly
when the weather is poor.

There is some interest in eventually increasing the number of organized
overnight sites. One potential site that has been batted around a bit could
be at the height of land on the Ben Young Hill Trail in Clarksville. That
terrain would be a fine location for a small lean-to. The view from the
topknot is delightful to the south and southwest. On the horizon, one can
pick out Dixville Peak, Baldhead, Mt. Muise, North Percy Peak, the hill
country surrounding Cranberry Bog Notch, big Bunnell Mountain and other
summits in the Northwest Peaks range.

Other potential ideas include developing the long-approved modest tent site
on Sugarloaf Arm in the Nash Stream Forest and another tent site somewhat
near the falls in the river between First and Second Connecticut Lakes in
Pittsburg, provided the upcoming land-use plan for the region gives the
green light for such an animal.


MAJOR NEW TRAIL?
Just heard a rumor about the concept for a new trail for the big bookend
summit at the northern end of the Northwest Peaks range. Bunnell Mountain
(formerly Mt. Blue) stands 3,724 feet in elevation and is the tallest peak
in northern New Hampshire north of the White Mountain National Forest. The
peak looms within the boundaries of the Bunnell Forest managed by The Nature
Conservancy. That tract borders the northwestern reach of the Nash Stream
Forest


2007 MAPS COMING
The graphic work on the 2007 version of the Cohos Trail maps is complete and
will be going off to the printer in a week or so. They include all trail
changes, increased information about what to do at the many trail junctions,
and an easier to understand color key for existing paths, link ways, and
proposed trails.


LIKE A PUPPY, THERE¹S A TRAIL YOU CAN ADOPT
Have nothing to do? We can change that. Adopt a section of the Cohos Trail.
Get in shape, lose weight, be a hit with your friends, and smell awful by
the end of the day. Here is a list of trail sections up for adoption. (Hand
tools only. If there is a need for power tools, call or email and let us
know.)

The Old Summer Club Trail.
Ideal for residents of Stark, Groveton, Milan, Berlin or Lancaster. Two
miles in length, up the south flank of South Percy Peak to the col between
the North and South Percy. The trail begins 1.2 miles north of a parking lot
on the east end of Christine Lake. A walk into the trail takes about half an
hour. Last saw work in the fall of 2006. One trail bypass needed around a
huge blowdown, plus clipping, and sawing away any new trees that have come
down over the winter. Benefit: After working on the trail, you can continue
up South Percy or North Percy for the fabulous views up there.

Gadwah Notch Trail.
Remote section beginning at the Headwaters Road gate at mile 11 at the very
end of the Nash Stream Road. Section rises two long miles to a new trail cut
in spruce and fir in Gadwah Notch itself (about a quarter mile above
Bulldozer Flat). Much of the route is wide grassy old tote road and needs
little or no maintenance. But once above the wide open high meadow known as
Muise Bowl, the trail narrows and begins to fill in. A good deal of clipping
has to be done in there for a quarter mile. At a rotting log pile nearby,
100 feet of berry cane has to be clipped back two feet on each side of the
trail where it grows just above and south of the crossing of Nash Stream. At
Bulldozer Flat and above, stone cairns must be shored up and some minor
clipping carried out. There is little need to cut blowdowns on this path, as
most trees are young and short. However, there are some wirey birch trees
that have bent over and can be removed easily enough with an ax or a bow
saw. A few short drainage channels would help dry out the footway just north
of the Flat. Benefit: Lunch at Bulldozer Flat, with its wonderful view of
unknown 3,700-foot mountain ranges. Moose and bear frequent the area.

The Baldhead Trail (southbound)
Remote section of trail in Columbia township that takes a pleasant and
ascending two-mile walk to reach. The Baldhead Trail¹s southern segment is
about 1.5 miles long and climbs steadily out of the Sims Stream Valley up to
and through Gadwah Notch. The walk-in follows old tote roads, crossing Sims
Stream several times, before rising steeply for 200 feet just below a
junction with the Baldhead Trail segment of the Cohos Trail. Once at the
junction, flag the junction with something, like a bandana or red surveyor
tape. Turn south to take care of the southern section of trail. This path is
all woods trail. Most of the way is open hardwood or mixed forest. Clipping
is always necessary were small pockets of young softwoods encroach upon the
trail. There are usually blowdowns in high-elevation terrain near and in
Gadwah Notch. Bypass big tangles if you can and saw out anything that is
manageable with hand tools. If there is too much to handle, report the
problem and we¹ll get in there with a chainsaw. Benefit: Splendid remote
woodlands, and lunch at Bulldozer Flat, if you make the quarter mile trek
out to the great view there. Overnight at the Baldhead lean-to
three-quarters of a mile north of the trail junction you flagged when you
came in. Note: Two people should work this section to be on the safe side.

Baldhead Trail (northbound) and Kelsey Notch Trail
Same as the Baldhead Trail description above, except once on the CT, you
move north toward the summit of Baldhead and the Baldhead lean-to there.
This section is 2.75 miles long and runs up Baldhead to the lean-to and out
to Kelsey Notch. The structure, latrine and its environs usually need a bit
of cleanup. Beyond the lean-to the way is known as the Kelsey Notch Trail.
It crosses very close to the summit and down the east flank of the mountain
into the Phillips Brook Valley and out to the Kelsey Notch Road (snowmobile
trail). Trail is in good condition, but is best worked as a two-day effort
with an overnight at the lean-to. This path should be maintained by two
people, for safety sake. Benefit: A lean-to stay. Terrific view from
Baldhead. Fine, very remote country, the most isolated on the northern half
of the CT.

Sanguinary Summit Trail (southern section)
The Sanguinary Summit Trail is nearly four miles long, but the southern
section is about 1.5 miles in length from its start at the height of land in
Dixville Notch to its end on a grassy woods lane just north of Abeniki Pond
north of the Balsams Hotel. This trail is popular with hikers and Balsams
guests. There are dramatic views on the approach to the high ridge trail and
beautiful open hardwood forest with restricted views on the ridge itself.
Trail is largely level except where it falls from the height of land down to
the Abeniki Pond area. Benefit: Fairly short and in open hardwood forest.
Fine views. Not too much clipping, generally, and blowdowns tend to be
manageable with a bow saw or ax.

Sanguinary Summit Trail (northern section)
The Castines of Pittsburg have expressed interest in this 2.5 section of
the CT, but it would be great if others joined them. This trail needs more
work than all the others. It¹s longer than most sections, has major clipping
needs, must have blowdowns removed each year, has water diversion
requirements and perhaps even a relocation in one area at some point. The
Panorama lean-to resides in this section, and the site needs to be clipped
and cleaned each year and the lean-to, spring, and latrine inspected for
maintenance needs. This would be a great trail for a school or a civic
organization to adopt. Benefit: A stay at the lean-to. With permission from
the Balsams, it is possible to drive up onto the ridgeline on a weather
tower access road to within 700 feet of the lean-to. That cuts the trekking
time considerably. Fine views can be had in many areas along the route.
Wildlife sightings are common, as black bear and moose frequent the area.

All The Others
There are other trails in the system that were not created by TCTA but which
are always in need of work. Three of them, the 1,1-mile Sanguinary Ridge
Trail, the Table Rock Trail, and the Three Brothers Trail are largely on
State park land in Dixville Notch. Brushing out these trails would be fine
yearly civic projects for local schools, scouts or others.

TCTA has trail adopters out on the Rowell Link, the Percy Loop, the East
Side Trail, the Col. Whipple Trail, and on the Ben Young Hill Trail. They do
a great job, and you can join their effort to make the Cohos Trail as fine a
backcountry asset as it can be. Last year, the Kingdom Corps crews worked on
the route from Gadwah Notch and through to Kelsey Notch and on the
Sanguinary Summit Trail. I picked up the Old Summer Club Trail late last
fall. It needed lots of care then. So all the sections that required effort
received work. Now we¹re counting on you to come forward to help us this
coming year and in the years ahead.


BEAR LEDGE CAMPGROUND
At Pittsburg in the far north, the Castine have developed a series of rustic
tent sites on their property high on Prospect Mountain and are finishing one
heated overnight unit, as well. Trekkers are welcome to contact the
Castine¹s about their Bear Ledge Campground facilities and about their new
summit trail that leaves their domicile and reaches one of the great views
in all of northern New England­­a panorama that includes a vista across
3,000-acre First Connecticut Lake to Mount Magalloway and the big Maine
border peaks in the distance. Boundary mountains in Canada also show their
faces up there. Splendid.

If you are thinking of starting your hike from the north and hoofing it
south (or need a an inexpensive place to crash on the way north), contact
them or one of the other fine Pittsburg area resorts listed on our website
(www.cohostrail.org). They will be happy to help you. To reach the Castines,
call 603-538-6777 or email prospmw@localnet.com. Ask about viewing several
of their websites, as well.


FIVE DOLLAR FUND DRIVE REVIVED TOO
Now for the dollar and cents part. In a few weeks, we will send along a
request to all on our email list to participate in our annual Five Dollar
Fund Drive. The drive is our way of fleecing you of your hard earned cash
and then telling you that you¹ve supported one of humankind¹s great causes.

Seriously, The Cohos Trail Association would like to raise $5,000 in Five
Dollar Fund Drive donations in 2007, up a great deal from last year. You may
contribute any amount, from $5.00 to $5,000. (Never did get that cool
million we¹ve been asking for each year.) Think about it, then wait until
our Five Dollar Fund Drive email request shows up on your computer. Read it
after you¹ve had your morning coffee, please, so it won¹t be so much of a
shock.

If you are too impatient to part with your money, please send your donation
to: The Cohos Trail Association, 252 Westmoreland Road, Spofford, NH 03462.

See you on the trail, where wondering about in the wilderness is blessing,
not a curse.

Kim


Kim Robert Nilsen
The Cohos Trail Association”