09 October 2004 Blue Brook Shelter Loop, New Hampshire
Still working on healing a sprained ankle from Mt. Lafayette a couple of weeks ago, and generally feeling a bit lazy, Kevin and I decided on a relatively easy hike. This short loop heads out of the Wild River Valley which is one of my favourite areas. It would also cover some trail that I had not yet hiked, allowing me to mark off (redline) some new terrain on the White Mountain map. We parked at the Wild River Campground and headed up the BasinTrail which follows the Blue Brook. A short way into the journey we crossed the brook just below an attractive cascade falling out of a small gorge.
We continued up the trail and, sensing something looming over me, I looked up to the right and saw an impressive cliff face. Not long after the trail passed close to where the Blue Brook runs over open ledge. The stream poured off of the rock and over the moss which glistened in the sun. The trail veered away from the brook that had kept us company so far and shortly we came to a junction where a connecting trail ran over to the Blue Brook Shelter and the Black Angel Trail. We bypassed the connector and continued up the Basin Trail to the ridge where it meets several other trails at a site called Rim Junction. The name comes from the location. The ridge here forms the rim of a striking valley to the east. A short jaunt south along the Basin Rim Trail brought us to a ledge with excellent views. To the east we looked over the rim to the valley (the Basin) which holds Basin Pond and a couple of WMNF campgrounds. In the distance we could see Shell Pond. To the south we could see Mt. Meader (2782 ft, left) and Ragged Jacket (2462 ft, right) whose summits we would pass near if we continued on the Basin Rim Trail. Instead of that we backtracked to Rim Junction and picked up the Black Angel Trail. Festive maple leaves were scattered about the trail like confetti. After a bit we arrived at the Blue Brook Shelter. This good-sized lean-to could hold 10 people easily. While Kevin checked out some of the "amenities" at the shelter I followed the connecting trail back to the Basin Trail. The round trip took about 15 minutes and involved almost no elevation change. We strolled past the shelter to Blue Brook where we ate our lunch on the open ledge. We stopped to document our presence at the shelter and a small group of hikers came by and offered to get a picture of us together. We continued "down" the Black Angel Trail which actually involved a good deal of "up" Had I actually looked at the map before the hike I would have seen that we would gain as much elevation upon leaving the shelter as we had gained in getting there. The other hikers, who were "descending" by the same route we were caught up to us when I was checking our map to see what was going on. They were equally surprised. We eventually crested whatever it was we were climbing and the descent was easy crossing some boggy ground and passing through pleasant woods. After losing almost all of the elevation we had gained over the day we cam to the Wild River Trail at Spider Bridge, which crosses the Wild River. I have a long, inexplicable fascination with Spider Bridge and often contort my hiking plans to take me there. It is said that in the woods nearby can be found the remains of old logging camps. I haven't looked for them yet but would not be surprised if the rumours were true given the history of the area. From the bridge it was about a 3 mile sprint along a mostly level old logging road that is now a trail. Returning to the campground and our car after about 10 miles we concluded our hike.
Note: Heavy spring rains and melt in 2005 washed out a span of the Spider Bridge and severely damaged the remaining spans. The Bridge is being removed and will not be rebuilt. A more suitable location is being considered for a bridge crossing in the same general area.
We continued up the trail and, sensing something looming over me, I looked up to the right and saw an impressive cliff face. Not long after the trail passed close to where the Blue Brook runs over open ledge. The stream poured off of the rock and over the moss which glistened in the sun. The trail veered away from the brook that had kept us company so far and shortly we came to a junction where a connecting trail ran over to the Blue Brook Shelter and the Black Angel Trail. We bypassed the connector and continued up the Basin Trail to the ridge where it meets several other trails at a site called Rim Junction. The name comes from the location. The ridge here forms the rim of a striking valley to the east. A short jaunt south along the Basin Rim Trail brought us to a ledge with excellent views. To the east we looked over the rim to the valley (the Basin) which holds Basin Pond and a couple of WMNF campgrounds. In the distance we could see Shell Pond. To the south we could see Mt. Meader (2782 ft, left) and Ragged Jacket (2462 ft, right) whose summits we would pass near if we continued on the Basin Rim Trail. Instead of that we backtracked to Rim Junction and picked up the Black Angel Trail. Festive maple leaves were scattered about the trail like confetti. After a bit we arrived at the Blue Brook Shelter. This good-sized lean-to could hold 10 people easily. While Kevin checked out some of the "amenities" at the shelter I followed the connecting trail back to the Basin Trail. The round trip took about 15 minutes and involved almost no elevation change. We strolled past the shelter to Blue Brook where we ate our lunch on the open ledge. We stopped to document our presence at the shelter and a small group of hikers came by and offered to get a picture of us together. We continued "down" the Black Angel Trail which actually involved a good deal of "up" Had I actually looked at the map before the hike I would have seen that we would gain as much elevation upon leaving the shelter as we had gained in getting there. The other hikers, who were "descending" by the same route we were caught up to us when I was checking our map to see what was going on. They were equally surprised. We eventually crested whatever it was we were climbing and the descent was easy crossing some boggy ground and passing through pleasant woods. After losing almost all of the elevation we had gained over the day we cam to the Wild River Trail at Spider Bridge, which crosses the Wild River. I have a long, inexplicable fascination with Spider Bridge and often contort my hiking plans to take me there. It is said that in the woods nearby can be found the remains of old logging camps. I haven't looked for them yet but would not be surprised if the rumours were true given the history of the area. From the bridge it was about a 3 mile sprint along a mostly level old logging road that is now a trail. Returning to the campground and our car after about 10 miles we concluded our hike.
Note: Heavy spring rains and melt in 2005 washed out a span of the Spider Bridge and severely damaged the remaining spans. The Bridge is being removed and will not be rebuilt. A more suitable location is being considered for a bridge crossing in the same general area.
