Two Small Hikes in Franconia and Easton, NH

Oftentimes, I do a hike or other meanderings which are really too small to be considered as a BIG! However, these small adventures might be of interest to some people, and so I felt it might be worthwhile to give them a home of their own, rather than include them in my 1HappyHiker Blog which is where the reports for some of my bigger hikes reside.

This blog is an experiment.  If it doesn't work out for whatever reason, then it will be terminated. 
As the saying goes, nothing ventured, nothing gained!  So, here is my first (and maybe my last) report for this newly-created Blog!

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25-Jan-2013:  This was a day  when I combined doing an errand in the Franconia area with a couple of short "hike-ettes".  My first stop was Mud Pond, and then I went to Coffin Pond.

There are so many ponds in the Whites that are named "Mud". Don't know the precise number, but there are five (5) "Mud Ponds" alone listed in Steve Smith's book entitled "Ponds & Lakes of the White Mountains". The Mud Pond that I visited is the one located near the Jericho Road Trail in Easton.  Shown below is a photo which was taken from western end of Mud Pond, looking toward South Kinsman.

The next snapshot is a zoomed view of South Kinsman

The next image is a map showing the location of Mud Pond (far left of map). 

There is an unofficial footway leading to the pond. It is unsigned, and is not blazed. The approximate location of the "trailhead" is shown on the map.  I parked at the trailhead for the Jericho Road Trail and walked 5 minutes along Rt. 116 to pick up this path. (Once the snow has melted, you can park along the shoulder of Rt. 116 at a point closer to the footway to the pond.)

The next two photos were taken from my next stop of the day at Coffin Pond in Franconia.  Both snapshots show scenes looking across the pond toward the Franconia Mountain Range.  This is a good time to visit this location since the pond is now frozen solid which enables access to areas that are normally not easily accessed without tiptoeing onto public land.

The next image was taken from the village of Franconia.  The scene is looking across the partially frozen Gale River at the remains of a 19th century furnace used for producing iron.   For more information about the old Franconia ironworks, click HERE.