The Pittsburg Chronicles

Rae Padilla Francoeur

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‘THIS IS WHAT THE MOOSE SEE’

The Bog Bridge Trail, off Magalloway Road just before the bridge that crosses the Connecticut River, is a lot of fun. It can be a bit unnerving, however, since you’re walking in the footsteps [hoof-steps?] of moose — at least until you get to the footbridge, which is really a narrow wooden beam. I’m pretty sure moose don’t walk on narrow wooden beams. 

In fact, moose take paths of least resistance according to what we’ve read, which is why logging had benefitted the herd in the North Country. 

The excellent Bog Bridge trail parallels Route 3 in the vicinity of Moose Alley -- where moose have traditionally hung out for picture-taking and munching grasses and licking the salt off the road. The trailhead sign tells hikers to look for a moose burial ground. So far, though, we’ve had no luck spotting it and I think that’s OK with me. We have met people on this trail who’ve spotted moose — the live kind.

This trail has a lot of parts to it. You walk for a while through really pretty forest terrain before coming to the footbridge. Once there, you can look over the cat tails and wetlands foliage to get a good view of the land that moose traverse. My daughter says, “Look, Mom, this is what the moose see.” Exactly.

We’re the only souls out here and we’re not turning around anytime soon. The most memorable hikes are the scary ones. Usually we make them scarier than they are and head home with lots of great memories.

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SMALL LOGGING OPERATIONS ONGOING

We encountered a lot of logging this year, much of it on or near the trails. I’m not sure why. I’ve made calls to find out more but have yet to speak with anyone about the trails. The Johnson Preserve in downtown Pittsburg has experienced logging, as well as The Falls in the River Trail, which is part of the Cohos Trail system. 

The trail keepers do heroic work, and have rerouted trails thus far. They have given us access to some of the most beautiful and wild places you can find in the North Country. The work is hard and takes a toll, and yet they volunteer their time and energies. My family and I are extremely grateful for their gift of this trail system. 

This small logging operation was at the trail head to Little Hellgate Falls. We simply walked around this operation and set off into the woods. 

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THE ENCHANTED FOREST

There are two Little Hellgate Falls trails, running parallel to each other on each side of the river. These are two of our favorite trails because they take us into some of the most lush and gorgeous woodlands in the region. We never see another soul. And it’s as if you are walking on clouds. The soft, fragrant earth, the bed of pine needles and the moss all make this hike to the falls really special. 

Trail builders and those who maintain the trails are angels, bringing great joy to anyone who longs for total immersion in nature. We always send up lots of thank yous of appreciation whenever we come and find the welcoming trails.

Above: Here’s where we stop for lunch.

And here’s the scariest thing we saw on our hike to Little Hellgate Falls. 

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STAY CLEAR OF MAMA DUCK

Mothers are the same everywhere. Don’t mess with their babies. These ducklings are grooming and Mom is ever watchful, so keep your distance. The same holds true for the black bear up here. A wide berth is your best bet.

The Trout Pond at Lopstick is not just about the trout, well stocked for fly casting lessons. You can just sit and enjoy the ducks as they swim and waddle and cluck. 

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MENE, THE YOUNG INUIT WHO MOVED TO PITTSBURG

The Pittsburg Historical Society is only open to the public on Saturdays from 1 to 3 p.m. in July and August. There you’ll find exhibits on life in this remote region during the logging era along with old tools, town ledgers, old photos, the hoop that a trained deer used to jump through along with illustrations of the feat, and, most interesting, you’ll meet people who can talk to you about Pittsburg’s past. 

Pittsburg was once a nation separate from the United States. The Indian Stream Republic functioned independently for a few years due to a series of land disputes. In 1835, according to the town historical society, the NH Militia occupied the Republic and eventually annexed the territory. In 1840, 315 people lived in Pittsburg; around 900 live in this large tract of land today. 

Mene, or Minik, was a a Greenland Inuit brought to NYC and the Museum of Natural History, along with his father and two others by Robert Peary, and put on exhibition. Mene’s father died shortly after their arrival. The story goes that Mene, 7 years old at the time, was not told of his father’s death, but discovered it by accident. He was unhappy and, eventually, he relocated to Pittsburg NH, where he died in 1918 of the flu. It is said that Mene was welcomed into Pittsburg and lived happily for a time. The climate was more to his liking as was the way of life and the welcoming village. 

The Pittsburg Historical Society has a small exhibit of publications that detail Mene’s journey from Greenland to NYC to Pittsburg. 

Mene’s grave is located at the south end of Pittsburg. Many years ago I met an elderly man at the historical society who told me he knew Mene and that he was responsible for mowing the cemetery where Mene was buried. In fact, he said, he had just come in from mowing Mene’s grave site. 

If you’d like to know more, you can visit the society’s website: http://bit.ly/2NG9WfF

Below is a picture of Mene’s grave. He was 31 when he died.

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BORDERLAND: Fourth Connecticut Lake

One minute you’re in the US, the next Quebec. Take this hike to the Fourth Connecticut Lake and you’ll skirt the border with Canada all the way up. It’s a bit of a steep climb but so worth it.

Fourth Lake is the source of the Connecticut River. It’s just a pond, really, and you can walk all the way around Fourth Lake on a beautiful, remote trail that winds through vast thickets of fragrant balsams, over fallen trees and through narrow granite outcroppings. On the south side of Fourth Lake, a trickle escapes the pond and this trickle is the start of the 407-mile-long river that runs through New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and Connecticut. 

To read more about this very special place, here’s some information from The Nature Conservancy: http://bit.ly/2wDqxua

You’ll find geocaches throughout the North Country. We’ve found one secreted inside a tree trunk at Fourth Lake and we paged through the comments and trinkets people left behind as we dined on sandwiches made with bread from the French bakery in Colebrook. 

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REALLY GOOD FOOD!

We usually cook in Pittsburg because there’s a grill on the deck of our cabin at #Lopstick. We save our meat-eating for our hiking trip to Pittsburg because Young’s general market carries amazing meat.

But, we do love to dine out, too. And there’s a new place in Pittsburg called the burg, in *downtown Pittsburg. Many ingredients are locally sourced but the real message is that the food at the burg is simply delicious.

We had pizza, brussels sprouts and local IPAs. The place was crowded -- for good reason. The proprietors have put a lot of work and thought into the restaurant, and they pay attention to customer service. Let’s hope the locals and visitors can keep it going.

Blueberry pizza -- yummy.  

* Downtown Pittsburg is tiny but you can’t miss it. There’s a post office, police station, fire station, Murphy Dam, historical society, town green and now, the burg.

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ALMOST THERE...

The most welcome message when you’re climbing is probably this one: Almost there!

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MOOSE SAFARI!  Scott Bog and East Inlet

We go on moose safaris both at night and before the sun rises. We often head in the direction of Scott Bog and East Inlet (directions below), where the sun- and moon-rises are exquisite. Both Scott Bog and East Inlet are vast, pristine bogs. People fish, canoe and kayak; moose feed on the grasses; osprey circle overhead.

We make our coffee in to-go mugs before we leave the cabin around 4 am — if we’re shooting for a sunrise — so that we can sit, walk, sip coffee, take photos and just enjoy the stunning changes to the landscape as the sun and moon rise in the great northern woods. On this trip we saw deer but no moose. Over the years we’ve seen frogs, turkeys, ruffed grouse, hummingbirds, quail, fox, ravens, osprey, moose, bear and the occasional logging truck flying down the highway. No one believes me, but I’m pretty sure I saw the tail end of a mountain lion as it leaped into the brush on the side of Route 3 when I cycled past.

Cycling on East Inlet Road to both Scott Bog and East Inlet is gorgeous, and utterly quiet and serene ... with no big hills other than the hilly Route 3, which is totally do-able with effort. The scenery is breathtaking and the smell of balsam is its own very special kind of high.

I’ve encountered moose when biking to Scott Bog and that’s when I saw just how big moose are. BIG. The moose let me cycle past without any drama whatsoever. Another time a moose approached my friend at East Inlet. He turned around just in time for a nose-to-nose meet up. Cliff stood perfectly still and so did the moose. When it got bored, the bull moose turned and walked into the woods. So much for that.

To drive to Scott Bog, take East Inlet Road. It’s just south of Deer Mountain campground. The turnoff is on the right as you head north; travel down the main logging road for a mile or so. Turn left after you cross the Connecticut River and look for a left turn after a couple of miles. Turn right to get to East Inlet, another pristine and protected bog. We’ve seen moose feasting on the grass in East Inlet and moose meandering down the road.

Sun coming up over East Inlet.

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Apres-Hike at Lopstick

Once we finish hiking for the day, we usually head back to the cabin for rest, reading, relaxation and a cocktail. We like gin and tonics, made a tad healthier by a plate of veggies and hummus and, usually, cheese and crackers, fruit and maybe some of the delicious, crusty French bread you can buy at Rendezvous bakery in Colebrook. We go to the French bakers at least twice on every hiking trip to visit the woman we privately call “the French lady.” She politely sells us the bread we use for the sandwiches we pack to eat on the trails. 

I review books so I read a lot in the afternoons and evenings. But Lopstick has satellite TV and WiFi, too. The cabins have decks for those who love sitting and looking out at First Connecticut Lake, Magalloway Mountain in the distance and listening to the loons out over the lake. This beautiful silence, mixed with the sounds of loons and the rustle of who-knows-what in the brush, is one of the big reasons I can’t stop coming to Pittsburg NH.

At night you can look up and see a vast stew of stars, interspersed with shooting stars. If you drive further north along the logging roads, there’s nothing -- no light pollution -- between you and the grand sky-scape. We’ve been to Pittsburg on many occasions when the moon has been full. You don’t see as many stars but the bright moon means you can try some night hiking -- scary but do-able.

Full moon rising over the Second Connecticut Lake.

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BEAR COUNTRY

Round Pond Brook Trail is lush and really pretty. You can even spend the night there because the trail-builders have constructed a beautiful lean-to and a latrine. Look for a spur that takes you to a stream and and some falls. Everything is marked including a warning that this trail runs through bear country. Yipes. 

We’ve hiked this easy trail twice, once in the rain when we could barely see two feet in front of us. That was spooky, given the warning about bear. Thank you to the trail-makers and trail-keepers. This is one of the magical trails that winds through varied, super-picturesque terrain.

The trailhead is off Route 3 adjacent to First Lake, on Moose Alley going north near mile marker 230. Upon exiting the trail, we encountered a border patrol officer who questioned my husband. This happens to us now and then. Our advice is to politely answer the questions and move on.

To find any of the trails, you can buy Lainie Castine Winchell’s “Pittsburg/Clarksville Hiking Trail Guide.” It contains directions to the trails and descriptions.

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Home away from home

Kiley Cabin is one of our favorite cabins at Lopstick, off Route 3 and across from the First Connecticut Lake in Pittsburg NH. We’ve been staying at Lopstick for decades, starting back when there were only six cabins and Lisa Savard was the owner and fishing guide. Lopstick has become home away from home for my friends and especially my family. Many loved ones, over the years, have accompanied us on our hiking/biking/photo safari trips. And we have even put the ashes of a dear friend into Fourth Connecticut Lake. Whenever we pass the Connecticut River we always say, “Hi Cliff!” and think of him. If you can’t be alive, then nourishing the fertile bog that is Fourth Lake is not a bad thing to do! If it weren’t for Lopstick, we would never have begun what has become nearly 40 years of joyful exploration of the North Country. It’s a safe and happy base from which to venture forth!

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New trails at Beaver Brook Falls

You never know what Beaver Brook Falls is going to look like. The falls are an impressive 80-foot drop and sometimes, like this year, the falls are fierce. There are trails on either side and, because of the all the water this year, they can be wet and slippery. Take Route 145 from Pittsburg or Colebrook to experience what we always call the Roller Coaster Road. Route 145 takes you right by the Falls. It’s a great place to have a picnic and cool off on a hot day. We love the fact that there are new trails being built here, too.