Short Boat Ride or Long Hike Traditional Cache
Short Boat Ride or Long Hike
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This cache is located in the Kuncanowet Town Forest and Conservation Area on the shores of Gorham Pond. You can either take a short boat ride (motor boat/canoe/kayak/jonboat) to the opposite shore and do a little hiking or you can park at the trailhead and take a long, long hike to the cache.
The Kuncanowet Town Forest and Conservation Area derives it’s name from the dominant feature, the Kuncanowet Hills, Indian name for “Mountain Place of The Bear”. It is approximately 1000 acre protected expanse of forest and wetland which begins South of Gorham Pond and continues North two miles along the town line of Weare and Dunbarton. It is about one mile at it’s widest. A network of hiking trails has been constructed for non-motorized recreation. The varied terrain within the trail system supports a diverse plant and animal population. Moose, bear, and deer are no strangers to the Kuncanowet area.
Please download the jpeg of the trail map if you like. Sometimes you can find these in the trailhead mailbox but not always.
The mills that were located on these trails once had the choicest trees in Dunbarton to cut and many of the boards were drawn from here and were used in building the Manchester mill buildings. I can only imagine this was the reason for the building of Black Brook Road running from Dunbarton to Manchester, built in 1890.
The cache is a 50 cal ammo can with plenty of room for neat stuff. Enclosed is a camera, please take a photo and note the number of photos remaining/taken.
If you have time for a little more hiking, head West of the cache a quarter mile to the State Record Gum Tree:
43 04.388 71 38.627
Parking coordinates for boat launching just off Gorham Pond Road:
43 04.091 71 37.812
Parking coordinates for trail head (Gorham Pond Rd to Gorham Drive which takes a sharp right turn at beach and becomes Holiday Shore Drive, at end is the trail head :
43 04.573 71 37.966
Docking coordinates for boat landing at opposite shore:
43 04.399 71 38.292
The Trails:
Mill Pond Trail is an old logging road which serves as the main trail from which most of the other trails branch. It starts at the gate and leads to the site of the two Stinson Mills, one a shingle mill, the other an up and down saw mill. The mill’s stone raceway can be seen from a wooden bridge. Mill Pond Trail then crosses Stinson Brook and continues on toward Lost Lake. Length 1.3 miles or 40 minutes one way. Blazed red.
Hobblebush Trail begins just to your left inside the gate. It parallels, then joins Mill Pond Trail. The trail is named for the Hobblebush which is evident along it’s edges. Hobblebush trail is ideal for a brief and effortless walk. Length .7 mile or 25 to 40 minutes as a loop. Blazed Yellow.
Pond View Loop begins with a right turn at the sign post on Mill Pond Trail. You proceed approximately 400 feet on a logging road then veer sharply to the left off the road onto a winding woods trail which leads directly to the Stinson Mill Pond. Another sharp left and you follow the pond, then the mill stream until you emerge at the bridge on Mill Pond Trail. Length .4 mile or 13 minutes. Blazed white.
Mill House Trail is a flat trail exiting Mill Pond Trail to the left after the bridge. It briefly borders Stinson Brook, then winds through a stand of red pins to small stone cellar hole, believed to be the residence of the mill workers. Length .4 mile or 15 minutes out and back. Blazed yellow.
Lost Lake Loop branches to the right off Mill Pond Trail and leads you around a unique beaver pond with dams on both it’s North and South ends. Rock formations and a variety of altitudes help make this one of them most scenic trails. Length 1.3 miles or 40 minutes. Blazed yellow.
Gum Tree Trail is accessible from Lost Lake Loop on the North and Gorham Pond Trail on it’s Southeast corner. The trail is named for the state record Black Gum tree located on the trail’s Southwest side. The trail winds past other large trees as well as two overlooks. Evidence of moose can be seen along this trail. Length 2.5 miles or 80 minutes. Blazed blue.
Stone Wall Trail parallels a stone wall and connects the East and West legs of Gum Tree Trail. Length .2 mile or 5 minutes. Blazed yellow.
Gorham Pond Trail starts at the Northwest corner of Gorham Pond and after a continuous, gentle, then a brief steep climb, it meets Gum Tree Trail near the South overlook. It is a convenient way for boaters to come ashore and access the trail system. Length .2 miles or 5 minutes. Blazed yellow.
UPDATE: Congratulations to WSAX on his hiking stamina and for his FTF on our cache.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
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Treasures
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