Redrock Pond

After an aborted attempt in 2011, due to a far too-late start, I've wanted to get out to Redrock Pond in the Pemigewasset Wilderness in the White Mountain National Forest. In June I was back in New England for a few weeks. My best friend, Paul, and his two dogs, were down for an adventure in the Pemi Wilderness. so in June we set out for a three day adventure in the White Mountain National Forest.

Beaver pond along Franconia Brook Trail

bunchberry

Indian cucumber root

Franconia Brook

pink lady slipper

We took the popular Lincoln Woods Trail to Franconia Brook Trail.  A short while after crossing Redrock Pond we began the bushwhack upslope towards Redrock Pond. We cut upslope until finding the old railroad bed, while it is now mature forest, there remains at a definite topographic mark along the side of the mountain, allowing for a fairly gradual steady climb up. 

snack break during the bushwhack up to the pond

hiking along the old logging railroad bed

A piece of the old logging railroad

We found a piece of an old wood stove, from an old logging camp from over 100 years ago. this was likely Camp 14

Paul during the bushwhack

It was a very wet bushwhack up, with temperatures dipping to the low 50s.

The main stem of Redrock Creek

Paul and I, close to the end of the bushwhack

Eventually we left the faint railroad bed (it ends) and traveled along the northern side of the main stem of Redrock Creek, until we reached the pond. 

Towards the end of the bushwhack, cutting through a section of scree

the pond!

Redrock Pond is nestled in a ravine on the southeast side of Southwest Twin, and is the headwaters of Redrock Brook, a tributary that feeds into Franconia Branch. The forest around the pond is a dense and wet boreal forest composed of fir, spruce, and yellow birch. 

Getting a fire going in the cold wet conditions was not only added comfort, but necessary. 

With all the rain that had occurred lately (and continued the two nights we were there), the pond was about 30 feet above its normal banks, flooding most of the herbaceous riparian vegetation. This severely limited the potential tent spots, but we were able to squeeze them in along the edge of the forest.

Getting some water to filter and drink

At the elevation the pond is at, it was about 10-20 F cooler in the day and night. The second day brought more consistent rain, and the pond actually rose a few more feet. The night was very gusty and rainy, in the low 40s F.  

Me and Casey

Paul and Chloe

 

The sun came out out final morning!

The sun came out for a beautiful trek back down the mountain, along the trails and to the Lincoln Woods parking lot. 

It was a calm sunny hike back out

The White Mountains are my favorite place, and the Pemi Wilderness is my favorite place in the Whites. Steve Smith of the Mountain Wanderer in Lincoln NH once said to me, "the pemi is a great place for an adventure," something I have known to be true for many years, and that statement was once again proven true. I look forward to the next one!

Jones Gap State Park

 An early September walk in the woods in Jones Gap State Park with my 60mm macro lens:

Banded net-winged beetle (Calopteron reticulatum)

Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) fruit. 

Red maple (Acer rubrum), a harbinger of autumn, senescing already! 

I spotted this beautiful sweat bee among some mountain goldenrod (Solidago curtisii). This solitary bee was tough, but fun, to photograph with the macro lens.

Umbrella magnolia (Magnolia tripetala)

Northern watersnake (Nerodia sipedon)

I spotted this northern watersnake below some understory shrubs. From this range in the photographs it's quite deceiving, because but it was actually camouflaged very well against the leaves and in the shadows, and I almost walked right past it while I was bushwhacking to a creek.