Birding New Hampshire: The Desolation Loop

Last Thursday, September 3rd and my 27th birthday, I embarked on a trip to the White Mountain National Forest for a long weekend of backpacking (and birding, of course!). I've been planning this trip with my friend Pat for some time, so I was immensely excited for the journey to finally be underway! I drove up to Cleveland
to meet Pat and two other backpackers, Anna and Joe; I had met Anna in the past, and Joe is her boyfriend. We piled our gear into the back of Anna's car and jumped on the highway for an 11 hour drive. Well, it was 11 hours on paper...

Friday, September 4th:

We were in the White Mountains to see the sunrise, and I was encouraged to see my first birds: American Crows and Wild Turkeys along the highway. We reached the parking lot at the trailhead around 8:30 AM on September 4th. Pat had planned ahead and pulled out a camp stove and skillet to prepare a pre-hike breakfast of bacon and eggs. We scarfed it down, made the final adjustments to our gear, and hit the trail!

I wouldn't say any of us were well-rested, but we had all gotten some sleep. It was a good thing too, as we had 13.5 miles ahead of us. The trail started out fairly level, following a road along the Sawyer River. The pace allowed for some birding, and I was quickly able to see Black-capped Chickadees, Black-throated Blue Warblers, and Red-eyed Vireos feeding in the trees between the road and the river. Before we were properly on a trail, I had also seen a Ruby-throated Hummingbird feeding on a jewelweed blossom. All of these are birds seen regularly in Ohio, and were almost certainly starting to feel the urge to move south.

One bird I was excited to see was the Red-breasted Nuthatch, a tiny northern bird which was just about everywhere in the White Mountains. Their close counterpart in terms of numbers was the Golden-crowned Kinglet, which is described by my field guide as a "hyperactive midget." I think that I heard calls of both birds every time we stopped! However, the call that stopped me in my tracks was a "dee-dee-dee," like a low, slower version of a Black-capped Chickadee.

Thanks to my pre-trip studies, I knew the bird right away: a Boreal Chickadee! I scanned the canopy of thick spruce, but was unable to see the bird! The sound came again from further off, and a few seconds later, from much further off. I couldn't help a feeling of dismay; hearing a bird lets me count it, but it's always more fun to see it. It's hard to stay in a bad mood when you're in a place as great as the White Mountains though, and I relished the scenery all around us.

We journeyed on, and I continued to tally some birds. I was surprised at the numbers of warblers still present, but it was nice to see Black-and-white Warblers, Common Yellowthroats, Black-throated Green Warblers, and American Redstarts. Overall, the birding was a bit difficult thanks to the dense trees; the hiking was even more difficult though, due to fallen trees! We picked our way through a number of deadfalls on the Hancock Notch Trail, at one point having to crawl on hands and knees! I wouldn't see many other birds until we reached the Cedar Brook Trail. Evening was falling as we reached the top of a ridge, when suddenly I heard the call of another Boreal Chickadee! I wasted no time in finding one, then another, and then another! None of them came well into the open, but I was able to capture some video with the calls included.

We flushed a Ruffed Grouse for a brief look on the way down the ridge to our campsite. We found a spot under some pines on a small island across the rocks in the East Branch of the Pemigewasset River where we could setup tents and get a fire going. I enjoyed some freeze-dried lasagna with Crème brûlée for dessert. We spent some time looking at the stunning view of the stars and then turned in for the night.

Saturday, September 6th:

We woke up somewhat late on Saturday in order to catch up on some of the sleep we'd lost during the drive on Thursday. We ate a quick breakfast, broke camp, and hit the trail.

Our campsite gave some spectacular views

We journeyed along the Wilderness Trail for a few miles before starting the long slope up the Thoreau Falls Trail. The way up revealed most of the same birds as the day before: Red-breasted Nuthatches, Black-capped Chickadees, and Golden-crowned Kinglets. It took us a few hours, but eventually we reached the top of the Falls! The day was hot, and it had been a long hike, so we did a bit of swimming and ate lunch (mashed potatoes with cheddar and bacon, yum!) amid the awe-inspiring views.

The view from the top of the falls was amazing

After lunch, we moved onto a small part of the famous Appalachian Trail with its trademark white blazes. Our path took us around the edge of the Shoal Pond, a popular spot for moose, beavers, and trout fisherman. We didn't see any of the aforementioned mammals, but I did halt the group when I heard a bouncing trill in the distance: White-winged Crossbills! We had to work our way down the trail until I could catch a glimpse, but finally I found one "teed up" at the top of a dead tree and singing away. Bird number 332!

I heard another Boreal Chickadee along the way, but not much else before we made camp for the night near Stillwater Junction. Our climb to the peak would start early the next morning!

Saturday, September 6th:

We woke up to a chilly morning, got packed, and started our hike up to the top of Mount Carrigain. It wasn't long at all before the trail picked up a serious grade. Large granite boulders formed what would have been convenient steps for Goliath, and after two days of strenuous hiking I was really feeling it in my legs! The trail began to turn from path filled with rocks into rocks broken by trail. I was grateful for the birds who were hanging out in the surrounding trees and providing an excuse for some needed breaks. I was able to tally Ovenbirds, Cape May Warblers, and bunches of Golden-crowned Kinglets and Dark-eyed Juncos.

The grade reached 65% at times!

Finally, we started to hear the voices of other hikers drifting through the trees. The summit was in view! We trudged the last dozen yards and climbed the fire tower on the top of the mountain, and then the view from the top blew us away...

A look ahead at the Signal Ridge

The heart of the White Mountains!

A pair of Sharp-shinned Hawks playing an aerial game of tag

Distant look at Mount Washington, the King of New England peaks

Cloud shadows on the surrounding mountains

We spent a good amount of time on the summit, enjoying the view along with some lunch. Our path after that was onto the Signal Ridge, an open trail allowing for more beatiful views.

Your author surveying the mountains from the Signal Ridge

A look back at the Mount Carrigain fire tower

I was able to get good views of a couple Sharp-shinned Hawks and heard a distant Common Raven. All of a sudden, there was my 333rd species, right in the middle of the path! A beautiful Gray Jay stopped me cold and I shouted to the rest of the group. The jay heard my shout, but instead of flying away he came closer, and closer still. I asked my friends whether they had any trail mix handy. When Anna pulled out a bag the excitement on the part of the jay was obvious. Anna held out her hand, and the jay swooped right in!

Our friend gladly took some food right off my head!

The rest of our hike was a long rambling path over more stones until we reached the car. We stopped at a state park for some much-needed showers and beers. When I got out of the shower house, I found my friends waiting for me with a birthday candle in a carrot-cake energy bar! My birthday was on September 3rd, the day that we started our drive, and my thoughtful hiking partners had planned this the whole time! We left the forest as the sun set, and made our way west to Ohio. The trip was fantastic, and although I was pretty sore for a few days it was absolutely the best hiking I've ever done. A lot of gratitude goes out to Pat for planning the trip, and to Joe and Anna for finding the time to come with us. You can see more pictures in my Facebook album here. Thanks for reading, and check back soon for more birding adventures!