The sweet smell of spring was in the air and the silence of the wilderness was broken only by an occasional cawing of a crow. Leaf buds were popping out of the tree branches and the forest floor was coming alive with a carpet of green. Reuben scampered about the woods with his nose to the ground, finding an assortment of new scents. I was excited to be on the Cohos Trail again, hiking into the Pondicherry Wildlife refuge. I have section hiked most of the trail, with the exception of this short segment and a few others. The Coos Trail winds its way through Coos County, beginning at the Canadian border and terminating in the Presidential Range. Today I would complete the trail by traveling this missing link.
The day began under threatening skies and a cold north wind. The Presidential Range was enshrouded in a layer of steel-gray clouds and droplets of rain occasionally filtered down from above. I considered rethinking my options for the day, but I was driven by the desire to view the variety of waterfowl that visit the Pondicherry Wildlife Refuge in spring: Canada geese, loons, wood ducks, American black ducks, hooded mergansers, wood ducks, buffleheads (travelling further north), and great blue heron. I was also keen on observing song birds that migrate through the refuge, stopping to rest on their way to the higher elevations of the White Mountains or further north into Canada.
Pondicherry has been referred to as one of the crown jewels of New Hampshire’s landscape. The refuge is snuggled in a lowland east of the Presidential Mountain Range and south of the Kilkenny Mountain Range and is the remnant of an expansive glacial lake, known as Israel Lake, which was formed by meltwater from the Laurentide Ice Sheet that retreated north 11,000 years ago. The refuge is a division of the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge, established in 1997 to conserve and protect the ecosystems of the Connecticut River watershed. Pondicherry Wildlife Refuge covers over 6,500` acres of wetland and forests, including three ponds: Little Cherry, Cherry and Mud Ponds. All ponds are accessible by trails and Mud Pond is reached by a handicapped accessible trail.
Pondicherry is owned and managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in partnership with the New Hampshire Department of Fish and Game and New Hampshire Audubon. The Friends of Pondicherry, a volunteer organization, also plays a major role in the management of the refuge. It was designated as a National Natural Landmark in 1972 by the National Park Service. Over three decades the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, partnering with New Hampshire Audubon and the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, acquired valuable wildlife habitat, and in 2000 the National Wildlife Refuge was established.
Reuben and I began our hike into the refuge on the Colonel Whipple Trail. The familiar Cohos Trail marker was posted along the road and I had no trouble finding the trail junction a few miles from Route 115A. The Colonel Whipple Trail is named for Joseph Whipple who purchased large grants of land beginning in 1772 in the mountainous areas north of the notches. He cut roads through the wilderness, built a large “manor” house in the area and named the town he founded Dartmouth. He renamed the town Jefferson in 1796, four years prior to the Jefferson Presidency.
The Colonel Whipple Trail took Reuben and me into a mixed forest of hardwood and conifers, following a logging road. The trail was very wet in spots with several small steam crossings. It was an easy ramble, with the exception of the water and mud, through the woodland that was growing back after heavy logging. As we progressed along the trail, birds flitted about in the early morning sun. Not being an experienced birder I couldn’t identify many of the calls and songs I heard, but I did manage to recognize the calls of paliated woodpeckers, chickadees, ravens and nuthatches. Black flies were non- existent, making this spring walk pleasurable, with the exception of the numerous wet and muddy sections I encountered.
The Whipple Trail transitioned to the Ramparts Trail and soon Reuben and I were standing at the edge of a massive wetland, with Cherry Pond in the distance. In the background Owl’s Head Mountain (3,258 ft.) and Mount Martha (3,573 ft.) filled the skyline. Clouds still covered the peaks of the Southern Presidential Range, but the sun was coming forth from its hiding place behind the gray clouds. It was turning warm and with the emerging spring sun I began to delayer, a common practice in spring conditions, when the morning starts off in cold temperatures and by noon I am hiking in shirt sleeves.
After arriving at the shoreline of Cherry Pond I began my search for waterfowl. Reuben was anxious to keep moving, but I settled down to a peaceful morning of watching the pond and the landscape around the wetland. I peered through my binoculars and noticed a pair of Canadian Geese preening their feathers and flapping their wings. This may have been some kind of mating ritual or just typical behavior. Off in the distance I could see a bufflehead with its distinctive white and black head. Black ducks were also swimming along the shore probably looking for a nesting site.
Reuben was anxious to move on. He doesn’t quite appreciate the whole birdwatching thing and wonders about the strange black object (binoculars) I put up to my eyes. He’s more interested in following scents, exploring down the trail and greeting other bird watchers. I don’t think they particularly enjoyed his friendly greeting of a few barks as the birds scattered. We needed to move along and Reuben had to be leashed to keep him inline.
We took a side trail over to Little Cherry Pond and we again spent time sitting on the shore and gazing out over the water hoping to see more birdlife. This time I was skunked. It was afternoon and I think most of the aquatic birds were taking a noon nap. With this interlude along I began to take notice of the numerous wildflowers that were pricking their heads through the woodland duff. Fortunately I had brought a field guide of wildflowers, Wildflowers of the White Mountains by John Hession and Valerie Michaud. This is an excellent wildflower identification book that’s pocket size, with great photos to help identify the flora of the White Mountain Region.
By the end of the day I had identified the following flowers and shrubs blooming along the trail: golden thread, leather leaf, Canadian mayflower, painted trillium, spring beauty, lily of the valley, hobblebush, common blue violet, stem white violet, wood anemone, sessile-leaved bellwort (“wild oats”), Labrador tea, partridge berry, choke sherry and trailing arbutus. Usually I walk along a trail keeping by eyes peeled to the trail ahead, but today my eyes were looking downward, scanning the forest floor and eyeing the multitude of flowering plants and shrubs that were springing to life. My senses were alert for the unfamiliar call of a bird or the flashing of small butterflies that were floating and darting around the trail, seeking out the nectar of the new blooms. Today I was immersed in the natural world and as I returned to the trailhead. I mused about the magnificent natural discoveries I made while walking the Cohos Trail into the Pondicherry Wildlife Refuge and reveled in the renewal of spring.
The Pondicherry Wildlife Refuge has been referred to as a crown jewel of New Hampshire and spring is a great time to walk through the crown jewel. I don’t recommend hiking the Cohos Trail from Jefferson Meadows as I did unless you like mud and ticks. Wait until the autumn when the trail is dry, the troublesome insects are dying and the trees are wearing their colorful garments. Instead, take Route 3 to Route 115 in Jefferson. Turn left (west) onto Airport Road and drive about 1.5 miles to a small parking lot on the right. From here walk along a long wide trail. This is an abandoned railroad bed of the Maine Central Railroad. From here follow the signage to the Tudor Richards Viewing Platform on Cherry Pond. Other trails will lead you to further sections of the Preserve and Little Cherry Pond.
Correction to last week’s column on the LRCT Fogg Hill Conservation area: Bear Pond is not the kettle hole pond. The kettle hole pond is located off the Red Trail, hear the summit of Fogg Hill, and is part of the Fogg Hill Prime Wetland Complex.
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