Welcome to our very first cache! This cache is hidden in a beautiful, out of the way, forested location at the end of a very easy, family friendly 0.9 mile walk. Park at the AMC's Highland Center, and look for the Stewardship Trail located at the far end of the parking lot (on the way, see if you can spot the AMC Highland Center Cache!) At the end of the trail, follow signs for the Red Bench. You can go either way around the lake (or better yet, make a loop out of it!)- either way, the hike will be about the same distance. The final 0.1 mile of the Red Bench Spur will take you across the railroad tracks and up the only climb of the hike to the red bench.
Stop here and enjoy the view of Mt Washington through the trees. I spent a season working in the dining room at the Highland Center, and always imagined myself coming out to the red bench before and after work to look at the mountain, listen to the birds, and relax. In the summer you can watch the train pass by periodically carrying passengers through the notch (or test your balance on the railroad tracks when the train is not around); in the fall you can spend hours admiring the changing foliage; in the winter you can watch skiiers through the bare trees and admire the slopes of Mt Washington; and in the spring you can watch color return to these forests and listen to the wildlife wake back up. Co-workers at the Highland Center have told stories of animal tracks around the lake, and one even spotted a moose here at dusk. And in all seasons, the outlook and nearby lake are perfect places to catch a sunset. Sadly, I hardly ever had the energy after work to make it here. Hopefully the visits of future cachers can make up for that.
Do be aware that there is a letterbox hidden nearby. Our cache is a clear tuperware container with the words "official geocache" written on it; we had to adjust the hiding place a bit so as not to confuse any letterboxers or geocachers.
On your way back to the parking lot, swing by the Highland Center for a cup of hot chocolate or an ice cream sandwich. The day we hid this we had a lot of fun scrambling around on the playscape, climbing through rock tunnels and over the suspension bridge.
Cache should also be accessible in winter. The Around-The-Lake Loop is a very popular snowshoe hike, and once there is enough snow the train track just below the red bench becomes a cross-country ski trail that can be accessed from either the Highland Center or down the road at Bretton Woods.
The day we hid the cache, the entire hike took us about an hour to complete.