Square Ledge
Submitted by Pat
Stats
Mountain: Square Ledge (2,620)
Date: June 17, 2017
Time: 5.75 hours
Weather: 60s, humid and cloudy
Miles: 8.4
Elevation Gain: 1,750
Trails: Oliverian Trail — Passaconaway Cutoff — Square Ledge Trail — Square Ledge Branch Trail
Nancy and I meet at 7:30 am at the Village Kitchen in Moultonborough. They have such a huge wait staff that we don’t get the same person twice so they don’t treat us like regulars like they do at the Tilton Diner. I give Nancy a strong hug. This is the first time I’ve seen her since she received news that her Golden Retriever has cancer. I can see the grief and sadness on her face and yet she is calm and stays in the moment. We talk about Karma and not knowing how long it will take before Nancy has to make the decision to put her down. Talking about it brings up all sorts of pain for me about losing Halley and Ziggie and Yogi and Luna and Plain and Peanut and Cautious and Brazen and Snickers and Granite and many more. I feel the loss of an animal companion very deeply.
We drive to the Oliverian Trail parking lot under cloudy skies with temperatures in the 60s. As soon as we step out of the car we are besieged by mosquitoes. There is always a feeling of panic when I’m surrounded by insects. I can’t imagine what livestock go through being tormented by buzzing, stinging hordes day after summer day. I slap on some Deet, put on shorts, boots, pack and we take off down the trail at 9:15 am.
The first section of the narrow trail is closely bordered on both sides by pines and the trail bed is covered in pine duff, making it seem like we are running a cozy gauntlet. We swat mosquitoes and walk as fast as we can to try and out walk the buggers. We reach the intersection of the Oliverian Trail and the Passaconaway Cutoff in short order and the trail remains remarkably flat. It feels good to stretch my legs and move quickly through the forest; however, there is still a constant, nagging anxiety about the mosquitoes and black flies. Swarms of them really get to me on hikes.
The air is cool, the sky cloudy, and the humidity high. At our first real water crossing I slip on some roots on my last step and fall in up to my ankles. That really makes me mad, and I startle Nancy and myself when I jam my poles into the ground and yell a loud, “Shit!”. I recover quickly and soon the rest of me is so wet with sweat that it doesn’t matter. Water crossings make me feel unbearably tense. I like to go first and get it over with. When I go second, I have too much time to think about it and get anxious. We don’t know how many more water crossings we have ahead of us and that’s probably a good thing. Being anxious about water crossings, especially in the summer, is stupid. Wet boots aren’t a big deal.
Based on the topo map, I choose to ascend via the Passaconaway Cutoff because it’s steep going up and after looping over on the Square Ledge Trail, the Oliverian Trail looks better for the descent. The upward climb is hard for me and unlike last weekend, I slow down to keep my breathing under control so I can walk longer without having to stop and rest. I favor my left knee, taking the occasional big step using my right knee and am able to get through the hike without pain in my quads.
We finally reach the intersection of the Passaconaway Cutoff and the Square Ledge Trail and take a left. More climbing and as we walk, I try to remember the trail when Mary and I climbed it years ago, but can’t. I remember the ledges as exposed and treeless with a great view to the north. We climb up and up and up and don’t find the ledgy outlook I remember. My head is down 99% of the time so if there is a sign or a spur trail, I don’t see it. I keep stopping and looking at the map, making sure we are actually on Square Ledge, and trying to figure out where we are.
Before we know it, we’re descending. The Square Ledge Trail is extremely steep and is made more difficult because the contour lines on the map really don’t show how steep the down-climb actually is. There are a couple of obstacles that are a real bitch to climb down. The footing is sketchy on the rocks, roots, everywhere, so trying to find a way to hold myself steady and find a foothold I can barely see on my reverse down-climb, saps my energy. Lots of obstacles, all different sizes, all challenging, all slippery. Lots of butt sliding, and getting down to sit on the rocks is arduous for me. Nancy makes it look easy. I feel like a stiff, old stork trying to fold myself into a sitting position.
Eventually we begin to think we are on the downward side of the loop and need to keep our eyes out so we don’t miss the Square Ledge Branch Trail that’ll take us to the Oliverian Trail. Anxiety, lack of food and the steepness of the descent causes a sharp drop in my blood sugar and as much as I’m loathe to stop and become black fly prey, I need food and the first thing I put my hand on is a tangerine. It tastes absolutely out of this world. Each section explodes in my mouth with its vibrant citrus taste. I brought one to share so we are in heaven as we perch on the trail below the ledges eating the fruit.
I remember some of the rock slabs we climb over from my first Square Ledge hike, but we must have come up this side because everything seems backwards. Down and down we go until we’re out of the rock scramble section and reach a kinder section of trail. We are pleasantly surprised when we reach the intersection of the Square Ledge Trail and the Square Ledge Branch Trail that will take us back to the Oliverian Trail and back to the car. We both think, incorrectly, that we have passed the intersection of the Oliverian Trail and the Passaconaway Cutoff, but after stopping for some food, we look at the map, see where we are and know we have miles to slog before our hiking day is over.
There are lots of places on the trail that are deep mud holes after being saturated by Friday’s rain. We start to see come breaks in the clouds and the breeze picks up which helps alleviate the sense of choking on the abundance of blood-sucking insect life. I’m still not feeling well so call a halt near a swamp to eat our salads. Standing, I eat 2/3’s of mine. We don’t make the time to enjoy anything as we stuff food into our mouths as fast as we can. The mosquitoes are vicious.
We start hiking again and I become aware that my legs are toast and I’m feeling slightly nauseous. I hate nausea, and feeling it, plus my tired legs, makes the last few miles an exercise in staying calm and focused. Nothing to do but keep drinking and waking. We reach the car at 3 pm. And I can’t get my soggy boots off fast enough.
Aahhhhhh….