Ethan Pond/Ripley Falls Hike

Today's trip was a &quotforest with a trail through it&quot kind of day. The skies were deep blue with nary a cloud. The foliage though was past peak&nbspbut there still were&nbspgolds/rust colors and the leaves went crunch, crunch under foot.

The Ethan Pond Trail is part of the Appalachian Trail and we did an out-and-back from the Willey House Station in Crawford Notch, first stopping for a picnic lunch at Ripley Falls and then continuing to the shore of the pond. There is a shelter and numerous tent platforms at the pond, and no doubt a nice stop for the thru hikers.

After .2 mile on the Ethan Pond Trail we took a .3 mile detour on the Arethusa/Ripley Falls Trail up the deep ravine of Avalanche Brook where we viewed the impressive 100-foot plunge of Ripley Falls. It was past noon so this was a good spot for our picnic lunch.

Returning to the Ethan Pond Trail we made a gradual advance with glimpses of the Webster Cliffs&nbspon the eastern end&nbspof Crawford Notch. Like most of this hike, the trail passes through a beautiful, open&nbspforest. There are many&nbsptrees here, including hemlocks, poplars,&nbspwhite&nbspbirches and sugar maples. Most of the elevation gain en route to the pond is the first half-mile and then&nbspthe grade eases significantly as we worked our way behind Mount Willey's&nbspprotruding slopes. A mile after we reached the height of land, the path descends a bit and approaches a spur path to Ethan Pond. We followed the path to the shore of the pond. We shortly reached the shelter and tent platforms.&nbspThe campsites are scattered among evergreens that rise in graceful tiers from the water&amprsquos edge and end dramatically beneath Mount Willey's southern cliffs.

We took a leisurely break over the peaceful pond looking at Mount Zealand, Guyot and Bond in the distance. We were close to the official edge of the Pemigewasset Wilderness.

We returned the way we came. We did not see any moose but perhaps another time. We ended the day with a visit to legendary Willey House site, where the entire Willey family fled their house due to rock slide danger and&nbspperished.&nbspThey would have lived if they had stayed in their house!

For this 12:00 P.M. start you get to sleep in a little longer and have a moderate hiking adventure to this attractive backcountry pond with views of the Twin Range with a side trip to the&ampnbsp2nd highest waterfall in NH!

Almost three hours from Boston, the Crawford Notch area offers some great hiking opportunities.

Ripley Falls is a beautiful&ampnbsp100 ft. high sheet of whitewater flowing over a smooth rock wall. Ethan Pond has a nice shelter to sit in while taking in the lovely views.

Terrain: The first 1/2 mile can be steep but has good footing. The rest is an easy, graded terrain.

Trail: This is an up and back hike. The Ethan Pond Trail leaves the west side of US 302 directly opposite the Webster Cliff Trail, about 1 mile south of the Willey House Site. Take the paved road 0.3 mile and park in the area just below the railroad tracks and the&ampnbspWilley House Station. We will first&ampnbsptake the side trail to Ripley Falls (0.6 mile RT).&ampnbspThe Ethan Pond trail eventually enters and follows an old logging road that brings us to a side trail at 2.6 miles leading to Ethan Pond.

Time/Distance: Hike time is approximately 5 hours.&ampnbspRound trip distance is 6 miles with 1,550 ft. elevation gain. We will take our time to enjoy the views, eat a snack, take pictures and&ampnbsphave&ampnbspfun!

Gear List: Click on the Gear List link at the bottom of the website to find out what you need to bring.

Weather Note:&ampnbspRain can cancel hike.&ampnbspSo if you sign-up, please keep in touch.

Lodging Option: Bunk beds are available at my house near Waterville Valley, NH for Friday and/or Saturday night for $25 per night. Coffee each morning, linen and towels are provided however, you will have to bring your own breakfast and a cooler to store your beer/food.&ampnbspSpace is limited so email me ASAP to reserve a bunk!

Carpooling: Contact other guys living near you&ampnbspfor carpooling. If you are driving up I-93, meet Jon and I off the&ampnbspExit 28 ramp at the Post Office parking lot for 10:30 A.M.