Before arriving in New Hampshire, we spent three nights in Lake George, NY, at Ledgewood Village RV Resort. It is a clean and impeccably maintained seasonal campground conveniently located near all of the popular Lake George attractions, yet just far enough away to guarantee your peace and privacy. the campsite is directly off of NY 149 and about 5.6 miles from the town of Lake George. Temperatures were in the mid-fifties to low sixties. It was mostly cloudy, rainy, muggy and wet. Indian Summer was a thing of the past, and the nights were cooler now. It felt, appropriately, like fall on the East Coast. And, I was finally hiking again with Scott.
It cleared up somewhat the next day. Scott and I took a short drive to the trailhead for Inman Pond Trail. It was a short, mostly flat, 5.1 miles hike with elevation gain of about 794’. You could see that the fall foliage was beginning to take place.
The next day, we stayed at the RV Park and invited Scott’s old boss, Chris, and his wife Marie, over to our place to have some lunch and catch up. It’s always nice to see some fellow retirees and catch up on what they are doing.
The 3.5 hour drive from Lake George to Lincoln, New Hampshire, was pleasant. The weather got warmer with temps in the 70’s during the day and high 50’s at night. We were excited to meet up again with our friends, Gail and Charlie Brunner. We were hoping to find a spot to boon dock, but all sites were taken. So, we found Big Rock Campground, located directly off of Kancamagus Highway. There are about 25 sites, first-come, first-serve. We got the last two sites and they were directly next to each other!
The next day, the four of us set out to hike Chocorua Trail, a 7.24-mile hike with 2,171’ elevation gain. Our lungs got a good workout today!
The next day, we walked 7.35 miles along the Penwamagasatt River. We needed something easier to hike after yesterday’s exertion.
Gail and Charlie had to leave the next morning, but we stayed another night. On Monday, we drove north to White Birches Camping Park in Gorham, NH.
The next day, we drove a short distance to the trailhead for 19 Mile Brook Trail.
We hiked 7.6 miles round trip, with an elevation gain of approximately 2,000’. The half-way mark was 3.8 miles in to Carter Notch Hut, where hikers can find some shelter, buy a hot meal, and even spend the night.
We left White Birches Camping Park and was able to find a nice site on Barnes Field Camp.
The weather continued to be perfect for day hikes. I was happy to be moving my body again. Today’s hike at Howker Ridge Trail was long and arduous.
The following day, we returned to Rattle River Trail. Today’s hike was not nearly as long or strenuous as yesterday’s; however, the fall slippery conditions got the best of me today. We hiked 4.25 miles with only a 685’ elevation gain.
We took a break the next day and went for an early dinner in town.
Our last hike together was another a longer one, 6.05 miles with 1,132’ elevation gain.
Later that evening, we got news that my Aunt Dorothy Galea has suddenly passed away. We returned to White Birches Camping Park. We felt more comfortable leaving our rig in a RV park while we traveled back to New Jersey so that we could attend the services. The next morning as we got ready to leave, the automatic leveler was not calibrating properly and kitchen slide was stalling. Also, the jacks would not retract. It took Scott four hours to make it happen manually. I don’t know how he does some things, but he is definitely an all around handyman. Instead of leaving the rig in New Hampshire, we took it with us back to New Jersey. This wasn’t the plan at all, but plans do change. After the services for my aunt, I decided that I wanted to spend time with my mom. So, Scott took the truck and RV back up to New Hampshire, while I stayed in New Jersey. On November 9, we will meet up again at Blackbear RV Resort in Warwick, NY.
Shifting Sands Travels 