Red Hill in NH - A Hunt or a Hike?

I decided to take a day off and hunt on Friday. I was up at 4:10 AM and on my way to Red Hill. The prior week I saw a sign for Teedie Trail and though I would take that up the hill to hunt. I parked near the trail head (elevation 565 ft) and waited until it was light enough to see the trail (6:45AM). I would hunt but also check out the trail for a potential hike with Kevin.

The trail basically went straight up the side of the hill. It leveled off (elevation 1350ft) and I came to a sign saying Eagle Cliff .4 mile to the left or the Red Hill Fire Tower to the right. I continued to Eagle Cliff (elevation 1410ft) and spent 30 minutes there.

The view from Eagle Cliff was wonderful. It was a clear day with some wind so I bet I could see 100 miles. Squam Lake looked spectacular with the leaves off the trees. I went back down the trail to the sign. I wanted to go to the Red Hill Fire Tower and I thought old sign said 1.6 miles to the fire tower. Turns out it was 2.6 miles. The trail was well marked with yellow markers. It went from 1350ft down a bit, then to 1800ft, then down a bit, then to 2040ft. I hurt my right foot when going up a steep section of the trail on the climb up. The ball of my foot felt swollen and my toes kept cramping up.

When I arrived at the Fire Tower I was pretty tired. (elevation 2040ft) I relaxed for 30 minutes or so and decided climb up the Fire Tower. I could feel the tower wiggle in the wind so only made it to the second platform. I was able to get one picture on the fire tower when the batteries in the camera died. EEK … It was a bit much for me so I wasn’t about to change batteries and go back up the tower. Before heading down the hill I took off my boot which felt wonderful. It could be that my thick hunting socks made my boots too tight for this hike. My foot would make my descent more difficult.

From the fire tower I was around 3 miles southeast of my truck and 1500 feet higher. The main trail coming up on the fire tower side was descending the wrong direction. I was told there was a second trail ¼ mile down the hill with white markers which would take me closer to where I needed to go. My other option was to go back the way I came. Even with a hurt foot I remembered I was hunting and thought my chances of seeing a deer was better lower down as all I had seen on top was an older scrape. I took the White trail and saw some beautiful cuts with a view of Squam Lake on the way down the hill (you will have to take my word for it.) I also saw bear scat and one set of tracks.

I made 3 BIG MISTAKES.
1) With my hunting gear on I wasn’t dressed properly for a long steep hike on what turned out to be a 50 degree day. I should have thought more about the terrain and planned accordingly.
2) I ran out of water. (one bicycle water bottle is all I brought) I could have finished my water when I reached Eagle Cliff a mile or so into the trek. I was unprepared for the elevation and distance. Instead of heading back down the hill I stayed on top and continued to go farther away from my truck. I could have really been in trouble. I have no water purification backup and may buy a SteriPEN for the future. I could have used the SteriPEN on stream water.
3) I ran out of batteries. I always carry extra AA batteries as most everything I have uses them. I also make it a point to carry out what I bring in to the woods. I had 6 extra batteries I brought in a baggie. The WRONG baggie as they were the expired batteries from previous hunting.

I did a quick inventory and had 2 headlamps ready to go (they use different batteries) so I could descend in the dark. I had one small flashlight with 2 marginal AA batteries not strong enough to power my camera. In essence, I was down to the 2 batteries in my GPS. If the GPS went down I could use my ball compass so I was ok there.

On my descent down the white trail I intersected several other trails that weren't marked on my GPS. Looking at the topo made decisions easier to get me down the hill while continuing toward my truck. 2 miles later I ended up in an area where I hunted the previous weekend. By 3:45PM I was 1/3 mile from my truck in the woods. I was so tired and thirsty I headed for the road. Hobbling, I reached my truck at 4:10PM.

LEARN from my mistakes: Wear the right clothing for what you have planned. WATER, WATER, WATER, WATER, WATER !! (I now have a water bladder for my pack.) Know what you have in your pack and make sure you have a back-up plan.

I ended up hiking 6.25 miles with a total ascent of 2545 feet. Beautiful scenery but not so fun when dehydrated. My day of hunting turned into a long hike holding a rifle.

NH Ice Fishing Derby - Lake Winnipesaukee 2011

Rick and Steven stopped by my house on Friday to pick up fire wood.  They were staying at David's over the weekend.

I would head up with Kevin early Saturday morning and meet them on the ice.  Kevin had been out of school and running a temperature so he ended up staying home.  I planned to be on the road by 6:00AM.  I woke up at 4:30AM (no idea why!).  I loaded up, stopped at Dunkin Donuts for a coffee, and headed north. 

Jed, John and their crew were going to Spindle Point.  I met Rick and Steven just after the bridge on Moultonborough Neck. 

I parked off the road. I was hesitant to drive my truck on the ice although there were other trucks out there.  The morning temperature was 6 degrees.  The sun came out briefly but was blocked by clouds much of the day. 

Steve and Rick were set up when I arrived.  They had just finished drilling the holes in the ice and the tip ups were out.  Steve made his famous breakfast sandwiches on the grill.  We had lots of food in case others showed up. 

We met Chris and his son David fishing next to us.  They had come up the night before and set up.  They were sleeping in an ice shanty with -40 degree bags and a propane heater right out on the ice.  If you have the proper equipment it would be fun.  They caught several cusk and some perch but none big enough for the board.  Rick caught a very nice salmon that he quickly released as salmon are protected this time of year. 

There were some interesting ice houses on the lake.  As usual, the game warden stopped by to check licenses and the number of traps we had set up. 

Enjoyable afternoon.  It warmed up to 31 degrees however, the wind picked up so it felt much colder. 

Late afternoon I ended up driving my truck on the ice.  As I parked I was talking to Chris and David and the ice made a huge popping noise.  I remember long ago what Doug said "If we go through the ice just follow your bubbles!!"  David said that was the ice settling.  eek ...

One truck on the ice got stuck near us.  The driver was trying to keep up his momentum as he passed us but the back end of his truck started bouncing around as he passed by.  As the truck continued to bounce the ice around us started to move up and down also.  That was a very strange feeling.  We ended up pushing him to get him moving again.  Many of the houses near shore had their docks raised so they wouldn't be crushed by the ice. 

There wasn't much fish action for us.  We packed up around 4:15PM.  Rick and Steve headed for David's house to start making their big spaghetti dinner.  The crew from Spindle Point was joining them.  I couldn't stay so I headed home.  Hopefully the gang will have better luck Sunday.  Rick said they may fish near One Mile Island tomorrow. 

I stopped at the board on the way to look at the fish that had come in for the day.   There were some big fish in each category.  The rainbow trout were very colorful.  There were lots of ice huts, people, snow machines, and ATV's on the ice.  They had helicopter rides also.  It would been fun to take Kevin up so we could see the lake and Red Hill from the air.

Ice Fishing is relaxing and fun especially with friends and family. Get out there and take your family fishing ...

Search Blog Archive: February 2012, January 2010 & February 2009 - for more Winnipesaukee Ice Fishing.

NH Ice Fishing Derby - Lake Winnipesaukee 2010

The fishing derby is the last weekend in January which is early this year. The snow covered peak in the background is Mt. Washington. It was clear enough to see from Moultonborough.

The forecast predicted very cold weather and 10 - 20 mph winds. They were correct. As we drove through Meredith it was -4ºF and windy. The ice status report said "Recent rainfall has left the surface of the ice extremely slick in spots, and the snow squalls of Thursday evening dropped just enough snow to hide the surface. Use extreme caution while walking around. Ice-in was officially declared for Lake Winnipesaukee on January 16th. There are still some thin spots so please use caution when venturing out on the ice. The current lake temp is 32.2ºF and dropping slowly. "

Steven, Jed, and John entered the derby and got set up on Friday. Big prizes for big fish. Doug went up on Friday night. I decided to go up early Saturday morning with Kevin. and would make a long day of it.

We had a good set up in the cove with the house close by. Luckily, the cove protected us from most of the wind. There wasn't any protection away from the cove where we put most of the traps. We had a fire on the ice in a fire pit.

Steven had control of the cooking on the ice. Kevin and I arrived to breakfast sandwiches with a venison patty, fried egg, and cheese on an english muffin hot off the grill. Throughout the day Steven cooked BBQ chicken, venison rib eye steak, kielbasa, etc.

Because the ice was very slippery, I brought spikes for my boots. Kevin ended up wearing them which didn't help me much.

The little ice hut the guys brought up had 2 small mice as passengers. This mouse didn't like the cold on the ice and was looking for cover in the jacket collar. The boys took both mice and their nest and kept them warm in a closed bucket.

Later in the morning 4 Game Wardens approached on ATV's to check fishing licenses. Riding ATV's all over the lake would seem like fun but they had strong winds and a lot of lake to cover.

There were other groups on the ice. Some had their trucks on the ice. I don't have the nerve to try that.

Steven helped Kevin use the ice auger to drill a 10 inch hole for a trap. Not like to olden days using a hand auger. We had 2 equipment boxes on skis which makes them easy to pull around on the lake.

We had 17 traps on the ice with different kinds of bait. Shinners, fish eggs, a couple big suckers, and smelt. (no mice)

Rick and Paula arrived early afternoon with their ice skates and had a good time. Kevin and I shot 100 rounds with the 9mm. I forgot the tape for the targets so we used cans. It was a bit cold to play football so just played catch waitng for the flags to pop.

Once it got dark we headed inside and had a great spaghetti dinner with venison meat sauce.

Search Blog Archive: February 2012, February 2011 & February 2009 - for more Winnipesaukee Ice Fishing

Youth Hunting Weekend 2009 - New Hampshire

Kevin and I went up north for Youth Hunting weekend in NH.

We arrived in Moultonborough Friday afternoon. Unloaded our stuff and some wood I brought up for the fireplace. We headed up the hill to where we wanted to take a stand.

We woke up Saturday morning to rain. Lots and lots of rain. We headed out to the rock. I over packed, as any father does, to be prepared to stay in the woods all day if Kevin wanted to. My llBean rock sack Hunting Pack felt like it had rocks in it because it was so heavy. With the rain and wind we wore poncho’s to try to keep dry. I had better gear so I was fine but Kevin ended up wet and cold after 3 or 4 hours. We headed back to the house to put our wet gear in the dryer and went to the diner to eat. It continued to rain all day so Kevin decided to call it quits for the day. We had thunderstorms and another inch of rain Saturday night.

Sunday morning we were up early. No rain, clear sky. Our plan was to start up the hill just as it gets light so we can hunt on the way to our rock. I drove to where we were going to park and realized I forgot my wallet and hunting license at the house. We went back. Arrived the second time and off we went up the hill.

It was around 45 degrees starting out. Kevin seemed to want to walk more so we overdressed. His jacket ended up strapped to my pack. Ugh …

We follow a seldom used ATV trail up the hill. It merges with another ATV trail coming from another direction. We were ½ way to our rock very close to where the 2 trails meet. Kevin was 40 feet in front of me with his gun ready. Directly in front of Kevin 35 yards or so there was a big snort and 3 deer jumped up and started to run. Kevin put up his 30-30 and fired … One deer went left, the one in the middle started left, stopped turned around and went with the other one to the right. He pushed and pulled the lever and fired a second shot and they were gone.

Kevin said he was shooting at the middle deer. He said he shot the first round at the middle deer between 2 trees. No sign of the bullet hitting the trees. I was amazed he had the presence to get off a second shot. We checked the area for hair or blood but didn’t see anything. We followed the tracks of the deer he shot at going to the right. No sign of a hit. I told Kevin it is very hard to shoot a moving target let alone a running deer. I was just happy he had the opportunity to take a shot.



Watch your step

We spent the afternoon in the woods until it was time to head home. Here are a couple pictures of "Life on the Trail". Hmm ... could be another blog post.


Youth weekend is a great father/son or father/daughter experience.

July 4, 2009 - Lake Winnipesaukee

We headed to David and Kristen’s house on Lake Winnipesaukee for much of the day. Lots of water fun with jet ski’s, kayak’s, a paddle boat, the ski boat, etc.


There wasn't much traffic on the drive so we arrived around 10:30AM. The weather was great with the occasional rain clouds passing by. Sun ... rain for 20 minutes ... sun ... rain for 20 minutes ... sun …

The girls really liked the jet ski’s. Matt went out with Megan. Doug went out with Katelyn. David went out with Courtney. They can tell you how the rain hurts when riding fast on a jet ski. The water was calm so it was easy to go fast.

The 2 Kayak's Mike and Lauren brought got plenty of use. Kevin really enjoyed himself paddling around the small island next to David’s place.

The double tube was real fun for the girls and Kevin. Even though David took it easy on them some of the facial expressions they made were priceless. We passed a Bald Eagle nest. Kevin caught a glympse of a bird but I didn't. After we left Doug saw a Bald Eagle flying around close by. I would have loved to get a picture of that.

It was great to catch up with everyone. Mike, Ray, and Doug are already starting to think about their Montana Elk hunt in October. Rick and I didn't put in for a license this year. NUTS. Mike said they better be in shape as they will be hunting at around 12,000 feet.

We headed to Rob and Wendy’s. at 4:30PM. Some serious volleyball was played along with swimming in the pool and a balloon toss. It was a long day so we skipped the local fireworks to watch the Boston Fireworks on TV.