One benefit of climbing straight uphill for two hours is that the hike afterwards seems easy. Thus far today, I have seen only two other hikers, which is the beauty of weekday hiking in June, even if it comes at the cost of multiple black fly bites.
I enjoy walking through this green world of moss and balsam fir atop the ridge, just me, the forest and an invisible white-throated sparrow whistling in the trees. I push on, taking in views to the west of the Pemigewasset Wilderness and Ethan Pond, and aiming for Mount Field, 1.4 miles further on. A small foundation is all that remains of the Notch House. Below this steep cliff, my car is parked at the Willey House Historic Site, built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Today, the Willeys live on as the nameless family in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s tale, “The Ambitious Guest”, a short story about a young man who stops for the night at a rustic tavern in the shade of a hulking mountain. Artists rendered landscapes of the Willey House and the Notch.
The family’s fateful demise captured the attention of New England and the nation. Eventually six bodies were pulled from the rubble, but three of the children were never found. The family Bible lay open upon the table, suggesting that the Willeys had gathered to pray for their deliverance as rain fell in sheets and rocks hurtled down the mountainside. When friends arrived at the Notch two days later, they found no one at home. The Notch House they had abandoned was left untouched by the slide, which was split into two rivers of mud-rock debris by a rock ledge outcropping just above the house. Perhaps terrified by the rising river or by the rumble of boulders tumbling down the mountain, the family left their home that night to seek refuge elsewhere, possibly at a cave-like shelter that Sam Willey had built in June after witnessing the awesome power of a slide on the mountain across the river.īut at the split-second when Willeys left their house, a river of rock and mud slid down the mountain and buried all of them. On the night of August 28, 1826, torrential rains fell, causing floods and destruction of bridges and roads throughout the White Mountains.
Kedron flume trail plus#
Samuel Willey, his wife and five children, plus a couple of hired hands, had operated the Notch House traveler’s way station for several years on the floor of the Notch, in the shadow on Willey’s steep flank. Although the Willey House lasted for a long time and became a macabre tourist destination, the illustration is probably at least partly imaginative, as it was completed more than 10 years after the slide. Willis and engravings by Bartlett (1840). Originally published in American Scenery, with text by N.P. Willey is named for the Willey family, all of whom perished on Augin a rock slide, an event that created headlines across New England.
Kedron flume trail Patch#
Trees mostly obscure the view, but a patch of granite ledge provides a view of Webster Cliffs on the other side of Crawford Notch as well Mount Jackson, and the cloud-cloaked summit of Mount Washington. I’ve come too far to quit now.įinally, I arrive at the summit of Mt. And although I don’t always hike solo, I prefer hiking alone to hiking with partners not vested in the same goal, who might give up when confronted with this uphill climb above Kedron Flume. More than just a goal for a driven personality, the list provides a focus for exploring the endless cracks and folds of these ancient mountains. I’m not in any hurry to complete it, but since I’ve come this far, I want to climb all 48 of the 4,000-footers. This year, to celebrate my 50 th year, I have set a modest goal of climbing five 4,000-footers, fitting in the hikes between work and family responsibilities, Little League, school activities, piano lessons.Īfter 30 years of hiking in the White Mountains, I’m about two-thirds of the way through the list. In doing so, I will cross three of New Hampshire’s 4,000-footers off my list. Then, if the will remains, to follow the A-Z Trail to the half-mile detour up Mount Tom, a hike of about 8.5 miles altogether. My plan today, after reaching Willey’s 4,285-feet summit, is to continue along the ridge to Mount Field.
I will reach the ridgeline, the ground will flatten out, and I will take in views of mountains folded upon mountains. Although that moment seems very far off today, I know that eventually this one-foot-on-top-of-the-other torture will end. I may not ever publish a novel, pilot an airplane, or catch a baseball, but I will reach the top of Mount Willey. Despite the sweat dripping down my forehead and the steepness searing my thighs, I know I can reach Willey’s summit. I am alone today on this weekday morning in June. Looking up the ladders on the flank of Mt.
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