Trip/Event Location: Albany, NH
Trip Leader(s): dpbyrnes
Max # People: 10
Trip Guiding / Event Fee: No, I will not be asking participants for money
Difficulty Level: Moderate to Strenuous
Join me for this 9.3 mile loop hike, which will encompass the teep Carter Ledges, the Three Sisters and the summit of Mount Chocorua. While not a 4000-footer, Mount Chocorua has the feel of one.
FROM POINTS SOUTH CONVENIENT TO ROUTE 93: Take Route 93 to Exit 23. Take Route 104 East for 8.2 miles. Turn onto Route 3 and follow for 0.9 miles to the intersection with Route 25. Take Route 25 for 19 miles and then turn onto Route 113 East. Follow NH 113 for 2.9 miles. Just after the village of Tamworth, turn right onto Page Hill Road. Follow this for 3 miles to Route 16 in Chocorua (NOTE: If you stay on NH 113, you'll get to the same point.). Take Route 16 North for 6 miles to the Davies Campground and General Store (on your left just before Moulton Drive).
FROM POINTS SOUTH CONVENIENT TO ROUTE 16: From Portsmouth, NH, drive Route 16 North for roughly 70.8 miles to the Davies Campground and General Store (see above).
The trailhead parking area is accessed by a dirt road off NH Rt 16 behind Davies Campground and General Store, 6.1 miles south of the juntion with the Kancamagus Hwy (Rt 112) in Conway. Look for a white Honda CRV.
Day fee for the parking lot (unless you have a sticker) is $5 cash. There are decent camping bathrooms at the parking lot.
For GPS Users: 43.939451, -71.225266 (approximate address 2509 NH Route 16; Albany, NH – at the intersection of Moulton Drive).
Meeting Time: 8:00 AM.
Mo, Fred, Kevin and I met up before 8am at the Piper Trailhead parking lot behind the Davis Campground. Ricardo unfortunately had to cancel before dawn due to water damage problems at his apartment, Carl didn’t show which was concerning since he’s always a bit early. I figured there was some traffic issue (correctly) and left a note on my windshield (which he didn’t see) when we started out at 8:20.
It was a perfect hiking day (no bugs), relaxed and comfortable and yet we still kept a good moderate pace. Enough to allow the guys to pick wild blueberries from all the bushes along the trails. The plan was to take the Nickerson/Carter Ledge trail (whereas Mo and Fred were just going to take Piper all the way - Fred is not a fan of Carter Ledge like many folks) but when we got to the cutoff I suggested we just stick together and Kevin agreed so we just continued up to the Middle Sister trail. It makes a less strenuous hike and less views but the company was well worth it! From there we backtracked to the Middle Sister summit, I assumed if Carl arrived late he would catch up with us there and sure enough while we having a snack and chatting up two friendly young ladies Carl arrived a bit breathless and sweaty as he really powered his way to compensate for a late start (8:50).
After hanging at the ruins of the old fire tower for a bit we headed off to Chocorua’s summit where we had lunch and witnessed a super sweet engagement proposal. Although truth be told I was bit more focused on his super hunky best friend and their dog bruski.
The summit views were great, and sun was in and out so we were super comfortable all day. After a bit we started our descent down via the Liberty/Hammond/Weetamoo trails but of course stopped for a quick visit at the Jim Liberty cabin to ponder the hikers and hiking experience of over a century ago. We got back to the trailhead lot (which was surprisingly not full) at 3:25. Fred and Mo had to head off to pick up their fur babies at the kennel, while Kevin, Carl and I headed of to Marc Ohlson’s home in Conway for a refreshing dip in his pond and bbq. Thank you Marc for being such a gracious host! It really was a perfect NH summer day.
Outdoor Fitness Level: Moderate to Strenuous
Outdoor Fitness Level: Strenuous
Comment: Pictures are fantastic, trip report a fun read and glad the fellas had a wonderful journey!
Comment: Fred. I love the color of your shirt! Sounds like a fund hike.
