Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Square Ledge (52WAV). September 9, 2014

9 miles roundtrip with 1200-ish feet of elevation gain.
Oliverian Brook Trail, Square Ledge Branch Trail, Square Ledge Trail, Passaconaway Cutoff Trail.

The girls and I needed an easy hike today.  We've been burning the candle at both ends lately.  Alex and Sage's homeschooling schedule is (too) full this fall, and finding the right balance has been difficult.  We're all sleep-deprived...it may take another couple of weeks before we're able to ease the juggling act.  Homeschooling, you see, doesn't entail staying home all day.  The girls have a multitude of extracurriculars and a slew of challenging classes at various institutions this year.  It's all good, but we're still settling in to the routine.  We therefore chose Square Ledge for today's hike. Sage needed it for the 52WAV, and it's quick and easy enough that we had time to take a nap afterward.

This was, for the most part, a flat trek.  The trail becomes steep right at the Ledge, but the climb is only a few tenths of a mile long.  Once up on the Ledge, there are multiple viewpoints if you wander through the trees a bit.

I'll let the photos do most of the talking for the rest of this report.

At the beginning of Oliverian Brook Trail, right off Route 112...


Starting on a gravel/dirt road...


Veering into the woods...


This was, for the most part, a flat hike...


Entering the Sandwich Range Wilderness...








Finally heading upward, at the base of Square Ledge...





Views through the trees on the way up...


Up!




Views!



More up...



More views!



We found the boulder that leads to the best views...


Below, Sage stands safely on a path that leads to a gorgeous bit of scenery.  You have to be careful here...walk too far to the left or right, and down you'll go...there are drop-offs on either side of us.



If you're VERY careful, you can walk onto that ledge and hang out where the boulder is a bit wider.




We lounged, we ate, we headed down.



Arriving back at the gravel/dirt road...


Reaching the trailhead --


 Congratulations, Sage! Only two more 52WAV hikes to go!

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