Fall Foliage 2017—Including Panning for Gold, Forest Fire

Kelly and I head out every fall (usually on Colombus Day Weekend) to view the foliage. This year the fall colors were about a week later then usual due to the warm weather (especially warm nights). We went further north and did a loop past Newfound Lake, then up the Baker River Valley into the Western White Mountains, then west down along the Wild Ammonoosuc River to the Conneciticut River. Overall we put about 280 miles on the car from start-to-finish.

1. First stop was Sculptured Rocks Natural Area; a smallish state park northwest of Newfound Lake.

2. The park contains a series of carved rock formations along the Cockermouth River.

3. Further north we stopped by the Baker River which drains the south side of Mount Moosilauke in the Western White Mountains.

4. This is middle of the Class V whitewater section of the Baker.

5. These folks are panning for gold; a popular pasttime on the rivers in this area.

6. Here they've setup a small portable sluice in the river. A bucket is used with a sieve (also called a classifier) to strain out the bigger rocks letting the small sand/gravel/gold thru.

7. Take some material from the bucket and agitate it with water so the heaviest stuff sinks to the bottom and the lighter stuff is washed away.

8. Striking it rich!

9. In the upper elevations (west of Woodstock) where the Appalachian Trail crosses Route 112 along Kinsman Notch the fall colors were near peak. They're a little muted this year due to the warm September weather; the prediction *had* been for brilliant colors due to the rain we had during the summer.

10. There was a forest fire here, burning since Tuesday October 3rd (these photos taken on Saturday October 7th). Witnesses said the fire may have been started by a meteorite.

11. It was a three-alarm blaze covering about 75 acres. There were over 100 firefighters battling it at peak. By Saturday it had been contained enough that some the firefighters were pulling out.

12. Fighting the blaze was made very difficult due to the steepness of the rugged terrain and the elevation.

13. The wind carried embers a distance and started many secondary fires.

14. This shot taken from the trailhead at the Appalachian Trail Crossing about 1/4 mile west of the main fire (above Lost River Gorge).

15. Further west next to Beaver Pond there are a few more hot spots. Fire officials say some of these will be smoldering until winter.

16. Looking east over the pond the smoke rising from the trees is a slightly different shade of white compared to the fog in the background.

18. These shots taken Wednesday © Andrew Fornier; show a helicopter using water from the pond to fight the fire.

Here's some local news coverage of the fire:
        Crews Battle Forest Fire on Kinsman Ridge in Woodstock.
        NH Forest Fire Grows, Officials Close Lost River Gorge.
        Did a Meteorite Start a Forest Fire in New Hampshire? It's Unlikely
        Meteorite may have sparked a N.H. blaze that.s been burning since Tuesday
        New Hampshire brush fire burns near popular hiking area
        More than 100 firefighters battling forest fire in White Mountains
        Rain Helping Firefighters in Battle in White Mountains
        Watch: Massive forest fire in White Mountains – YouTube
        Fire continues to burn along ridge in Woodstock – YouTube
        Forest fire continues to burn in Woodstock – YouTube
        Meteor/Fireball crashes into White Mountains starting huge wildfire! – YouTube

21. This dam at the Wildwood Water Supply is the put-in for the Class III section of the Wild Ammonoosuc River.

22. This is lower in elevation then Kinsman Notch so the colors were not as full yet.

23. The covered bridge at the midpoint of the whitewater run. Minimum level for paddling is about 1-foot on the gage painted on the bridge abutment.

24.

26. This is a beautiful spot and popular swimming hole in the summer.

Fall Foliage 2017—Including Panning for Gold, Forest Fire

Here's some photos from the Fall Foliage in 2014.

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