A Walk in Pondicherry Wildlife Refuge

 Instead of shopping the day after Thanksgiving, my son, nephew and I drove up to the White Mountains to explore the Pondicherry Wildlife Refuge in Jefferson, New Hampshire. This conservation area is part of the same Silvio O. Conte Wildlife Refuge that is up in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. I had heard of this beautiful piece of property, but had never visited. As has been typical this November, it was a relatively mild day. We all packed boots and winter gear which was good since there was a little bit of snow.

The beginning of the trail out to Cherry Pond

Since I am used to climbing when I hike, this hike was different, following an old railroad line the entire way. This made it no less enjoyable, since we could take our time and just enjoy the peace, quiet and each other's company. I am sure that in the Spring the woods are filled with the sounds of birds, but today, other than an occasional chickadee, there was just the sound of our feet crunching leaves under the snow.

After a mile and a half we turned right at Waumbak Junction, which used to be the site of a railroad station. This path merges onto the Presidential Rail Trail, an 18 mile multi-use trail that runs from Cherry Pond all the way to a parking area in Gorham. This path would be wonderful to take a mountain bike on in the summer, or to cross country ski on when there is more snow. The trail leads you to a viewing platform with a fantastic view of the Presidential Range.

Lee, Wendy and Andrew at the Cherry Pond Platform

We retraced our steps and continued right onto the railroad tracks. After a quarter of a mile, we took the trail to the left to Little Cherry Pond.

Trail to Little Cherry Pond

This is a loop trail that travels through woods and wetlands and consists of a series of bog bridges.

Bog bridges

 

Shoreline of Little Cherry Pond

The trail ends at a viewing platform overlooking Little Cherry Pond. This is another quiet place for reflection.We took the loop back to the railroad tracks and took a short detour onto the Shoreline Path. Here we saw some fresh tracks which looked like they were from a chipmunk.
 

This side path provided some of the best views of Cherry Pond and the mountains. and was a great way to cap off the hike before heading back to the parking lot.

Beaver dam on Cherry Pond and snow-capped Presidential range in the background

Now that I have gotten a taste of the area, I will definitely be back in the Spring to witness the abundance of wildlife that seasonally call this place home.