Trip Report/Photos from Gandalf
We decided to take it easy and do this 5.2 up and back hike to Cherry Ponds at Pondicherry Wildlife Refuge! We started from the parking area along Airport Road in Whitefield. Pondicherry Rail Trail is wide and straight as an arrow and almost completely flat.
We hiked to a boardwalk to the observation platform on Cherry Pond. From the bushes at the outskirts of the pond, a magnificent view over the tranquil water is obtained! Mts. Waumbek and Starr King are the main feature of interest in the distance and adds an aura of grandeur to the pond; the majestic Presidential Range appears off to the right. We retraced our steps, walked beside active railroad tracks and took a right turn to the Shore Path enjoying the many views of the pond and mountains. We returned back to the railroad tracks with wonderful view of the Presidentials. We departed the railroad track once more, taking a right turn on the Ramparts Path where got close up views of the lily pads on Cherry Ponds with the surrounding mountains.
We then made our way to Little Cherry Pond, a woodsy trail with lots of mushrooms leading a small platform and an inviting bench where we had lunch. Little Cherry Pond has a much wilder, more intimate feel to it than the larger pond with not many people visiting it. As a result, we had it all to ourselves!
When birds are migrating, the refuge must be filled with birds. The solitude at the ponds, the variety of wildflowers and mushrooms; the quiet beauty of the wetlands and views of the Presidentials seen over the water will certainly have us return back here real soon!
